Marcus Spears Jr.’s arrival has transformed Texas from a dangerous team into a legitimate national championship contender before Sean Miller’s second season. Texas basketball already had enough talent to generate excitement heading into the 2026-27 season. Only Florida, Duke and Illinois landed above Texas in the original rankings article. Marcus Spears Jr. gives Texas an entirely different ceilingSpears will enter college with enormous expectations, but Texas should not need him to immediately carry the offense. Johnson averaged 16.9 points per game at Colorado, while the 7-foot Vokietaitis produced 15.7 points per contest last season.