By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

Lashann Higgs and the Texas Longhorns are expected to be contenders once again in the Big 12 and possibly for a national title.

The Longhorns have been ranked No.3 among all NCAA Women’s Basketball programmes in the Lindy’s Sports 2017-18 College Basketball Preview.

“The Longhorns bring back a loaded roster,” the article said. “The Longhorns have made three straight Sweet 16 appearances but have a roster built to go much further. A Final Four is a reasonable goal for this bunch.”

In her sophomore season, Higgs – the Harbour Island native - averaged eight points, three rebounds, 1.5 assists and one steal in just over 17 minutes per game. She built upon the numbers from her freshman season when she averaged 7.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in 13.2 minutes. She established an important role in the rotation for the Longhorns highlighted by a season high 16 points over then second ranked Baylor.

The Longhorns finished the season 25-9 but in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament, they suffered a 77-66 loss to the Stanford Cardinal at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. Higgs finished with five points and three rebounds.

They were the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in programme history.

It marked the 30th all-time tournament appearance for Texas, making it one of only four programmes to accomplish the feat. It was also their third-consecutive NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Texas finished second in the Big 12 for the second straight year and had one of the toughest schedules in the country with 14 games against ranked opponents. Despite the schedule they were able to produce a 19-game winning streak.

The Longhorns open the season on November 5 host to Oklahoma City University, the 2017 NAIA Division I National Champion, in an exhibition game at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns open the 2017-18 regular season on Sunday, November 12, hosting Stetson.