Texas guard Kerwin Roach II will be available for the Big 12 tournament after being suspended the past five games.
During a Big 12 Monday conference call, Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart confirmed Roach’s availability as his return should give Texas a major boost. Fighting for its tournament life, the Longhorns face Kansas in their first game of the Big 12 tournament on Thursday.
A playmaking senior guard, Roach is averaging 15.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game for Texas this season. The Longhorns have lost four of their five games without Roach in the lineup during this recent suspension. They went from being in the field in many tournament projections to now fighting their way back into the Field of 68 during Roach’s suspension.
The Longhorns are 16-15 on the season as they need to beat the Jayhawks on Thursday to even remain in the bubble conversation. Texas split the regular-season series with Kansas as they try to win the rubber match to keep the NCAA tournament hopes alive.
Roach has been suspended three times during his college career, including his sophomore season of 2016-17, as well as the start of this season.