North Texas hit the transfer portal hard and look to be one of the favorites in the AAC.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. We will reveal the next team each day until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: North Texas basketball.
The change has happened in North Texas. In his first year as a head coach for an NCAA Division I team, Ross Hodge managed the transition well to a new conference, ending the season with over .500 in overall record and conference record. He has a solid start; however, he has his work laid out for him again as he loses all his starters. Last year, coach Hodge lost three starters but managed to do a solid job. In his first year of coaching, he got back to the NIT.
This North Texas basketball team has maintained its identity. The Mean Green kept games low-scoring and played at one of the slowest tempos. While I think there are some clear starters that will be transferred, the gray area is the front court. It is difficult to figure out who will play the three through five positions without being a part of the team practice. The other thing that could easily happen is this team could be guard-heavy, with the team running as many as four guards and having one big man. The difficulty here is how they match up defensively with wings. However, this is usually a staple of North Texas.
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Head coach: Ross Hodge (2nd season at North Texas and overall)
2023-24 record: 19-15 (10-8)
2024 postseason finish: Lost to Seton Hall (72-58) in the second round of the NIT
Notable departures:
- Jason Edwards (19.1 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 35.0 3P%)
- Aaron Scott (11.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.1 SPG, 37.0 3P%)
- Rubin Jones (12.1 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 41.6 3P%)
- John Buggs (7.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 45.1 3P%)
- C.J Noland (10.9 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.0 APG 1.0 SPG, 38.4 3P%)
Notable non-conference games:
- NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament (Nov. 28-29)
Projected Rotation
PG: Jasper Floyd (6-3, 195, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.5 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.1 APG, 2.4 SPG (Fairfield)
SG: Atin Wright (6-1, 160, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 14.1 PPG, 1.9 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 40.6 3P% (Drake)
SF: Johnathan Massie (6-6, 225, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 11.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 34.6 3P% (Longwood)
PF: Grant Newell (6-9, 235, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.4 APG (Cal)
C: Moulaye Sissoko (6-9, 250, Rs.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 3.0 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 0.4 APG
6: Latrell Jossell (6-1, 155, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.9 PPG, 2.3 APG, 2.0 RPG, 1.6 SPG, 37.4 3P% (Stephen F Austin)
7: Rondel Walker (6-5, 180, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 3.8 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.3 SPG
9: Brenen Lorient (6-9, 200, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 2.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.4 APG (FAU)
10: Matthew Stone (6-4, 200, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 1.7 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.6 APG
North Texas Basketball team MVP: Atin Wright
North Texas has an identity where one player steps up and shows out. Last year, it was Jason Edwards; this year, it looks like it will be Atin Wright. Wright, coming from the Drake Bulldogs, has a small step up in competition. However, he shot an impressive 40.6% from 3-point range last year. This is critical as the team loves sharpshooters. Wright’s 3-pointer is successful because of the high arch he puts on it. This is a feature of all of his shots as they move just over the defender’s hands and arms. Wright can score on different levels; while that is important, he doesn’t force shots. He creates for his team and hunts open shots. With this team focused on defense, Wright is one of the impressive players on transition buckets. When he shoots, he keeps his eyes on the basket. Wright also has a motor, and tempo can cause issues if there is a mismatch defensively.
Looking at his rankings in the Missouri Valley Conference last year, the only place he was in the top 10 was in free-throw percentage (81.8%) and games played (35). The advanced stats that stand out are his true shooting percentage (58.5%), steal percentage (2.1%), turnover percentage (9.3%), and points produced at 453 points. While the 453 points don’t give much context, Wright produced 12.9 points per game in the MVC. Wright adds on both ends of the floor. A weakness last year for North Texas was getting to the free-throw line; Wright could help boost this number, especially with his ability to make his free throws.
North Texas Basketball make-or-break player: Jasper Floyd
This is a jump, but I expect Jasper Floyd to run the point. Last year, it was one of his biggest strengths, as he had a 22% assist rate. He won’t hunt for a shot unless he needs to make something happen. Floyd is set to run this team. However, he can score and is effective when he needs to. A top-tier catch-and-shoot player has a solid ability to score in transition and has a variety of shots. If the defense sleeps on him, Floyd will make them pay. The issue is the change in the talent of the teams he will be playing against. The conference change is a step up, and seeing if he can increase his game will be interesting.
Key analytic: Adjusted tempo
North Texas basketball was top 50 in adjusted defensive efficiency, efficiency field-goal defense, defensive turnover, offensive rebounding, and 2-point defense last season. But they had one offensive stat that stood out: 3-point percentage. While that is impressive, the area that continues to amaze me is the pace of play. Since I started following North Texas, this statistic has blown my mind. After being in the top two years ago, it was the third slowest pace of play or adjusted tempo this year. It sped up slightly from last year in 40 minutes; the team allows 61.6 possession a game or 1.54 possession per minute.
In 7 of the 34 games, the team scored over 80 points, which is barely 20%, and in two of the games, including overtime. The average winning score was 71.2 points, and the losing team averaged 61.1. The slight increase could be due to the coaching or player change. Seeing how this year’s team changes affect this rate or if it comes closer to the average instead of the bottom five in tempo.
North Texas Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: Third in the AAC
Projected postseason ceiling: NIT Appearance