Bohls, Golden: Is Texas really ready to go two-stepping in Kansas this weekend?

Another top-five recruiting class? Check. Best high school prospect in the country? Check. Texas' 2023 signing class looks like a slam-dunk home run on paper and on recruiting websites, but we won't be able to see what Arch Manning and his fellow freshmen can do till the fall. This is basketball season, and we've also got March Madness and where the Longhorns' men's and women's teams are trending on our minds:

1. Is this Texas class all about Arch Manning? Fortunately for Texas, no

Besides Arch Manning, what incoming Texas freshman could make the most immediate impact?

Bohls: Anthony Hill. Give me the five-star linebacker Texas flipped from Texas A&M. I’m already imagining the combination of Hill and Jaylan Ford wreaking havoc on the field together. He should make up for the loss of DeMarvion Overshown and have a big impact immediately.

Golden: Malik Muhammad. The South Oak Cliff cornerback showed his big-time playmaking skills in the Class 5A Division II title game when he returned an interception for a touchdown to clinch SOC’s second consecutive championship. He has to put a few pounds on that 6-foot, 170-pound frame, but he isn’t afraid of the contact. He’s been in on 116 tackles over the past two seasons.

2. From an ice storm to ... frolicking in the sunflowers?

Will the first-place Texas men go 2-0 over the next couple of days in Manhattan and Lawrence?

Bohls: No. The Longhorns will have revenge on their minds when they go to Bramlage Coliseum to try to square things with a Wildcats team that hung 116 on them. I'll be surprised if Texas sweeps both Kansas State and Kansas in the Sunflower State because winning is hard and darn near impossible at the Phog, where KU is 11-1. I’m expecting a 1-1 split on this road swing.

Bohls: The ACC vs. PGA squabble will kill Austin's hosting of the Dell match play tournament

Golden: No. It won’t happen. The Jayhawks are back rolling after losing three straight, so I see them beating the Horns on Monday night but not before Texas goes into the Little Apple on Saturday and gets revenge on the Wildcats for that ugly 116-103 loss at Moody. A 1-1 road trip is good stuff in a league that could send every member to the Big Dance.

3. If I were coaching the Texas Longhorns, I'd ...

What is Texas interim head coach Rodney Terry's most effective lineup?

Bohls: This one, pretty much. It's the one he’s been starting forever, although I wouldn’t mind seeing 6-foot-7 senior Christian Bishop replacing freshman Dillon Mitchell at times. Terry’s got the perfect bench with sixth man extraordinaire Jabari Rice and guard gunner Arterio Morris as well as glue guy Brock Cunningham in reserve roles, so no need to deviate much.

Golden: Play the Bishop. Neither Marcus Carr nor Jabari Rice is a true point guard, but I like them in there together with Christian Bishop down low and Dylan Disu and Timmy Allen at forward. Bishop doesn’t have Mitchell’s length, but he’s much better offensively. I like the idea of table setter Tyrese Hunter, gritty Brock Cunningham and Mitchell coming off the bench.

4. Road trip! Kirk Bohls' No. 1 must-see while he's in Kansas

Kirk is with the Texas men this weekend. Which Kansas or Kansas State player is a must-see?

Bohls: Kansas' Jalen Wilson. I want to see the odds-on favorite to win Big 12 player of the year up close. He's a scoring machine with 21 points per game, but I relish the chance to see if he’s better than Texas’ Marcus Carr, Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson and Markquis Nowell, TCU’s Mike Miles and Baylor’s L.J. Cryer.

Golden: Kansas State's Markquis Nowell. I’ve been watching a lot of Big 12 ball this season and have really enjoyed the Kansas State point guard. At 5-8, Nowell just might be the toughest player, pound for pound, in the country. He and teammate Keyontae Johnson, a great feel-good story after coming back from a heart condition that caused his on-court collapse at Florida two seasons ago, have made the Wildcats must-see hoops.

5. What does Vic Schaefer have up his sleeve?

Will the Texas women be a national top-10 team by the end of the season?

Bohls: Yes. I think they will. Call it a leap of faith because the Longhorns have a top-10 coach in Vic Schaefer, a top-10 talent in Rori Harmon and enough defensive intensity and depth on the bench to make a deep run in March.

Golden: No. If we're talking about the regular season, it will be tough because the Big 12 isn’t as strong as it’s been in recent years. Baylor has fallen off post-Kim Mulkey, and only two other schools from the league are currently ranked (Iowa State and Oklahoma). The first-place Horns have wins over both but would have to win the league outright and make some noise in the Big 12 Tournament to crack the top 10 since wins over weaker teams won’t move the needle as much.

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6. Have we reeeaaally seen the last of Tom Brady?

Will Tom Brady remain retired?

Bohls: No. I’ll say at least 50% no because it’s Tom. It’s just his competitive makeup. I could see him returning at midseason next fall to a loaded team that gets its quarterback hurt and is in need of a ready and able replacement. GOATs don’t disappear easily.

Golden: No. I don’t trust this cat to stay away, even in his mid-40s. He already sacrificed his family, presumably for the love of football. Why leave now? You can’t convince me he would say no if the quarterback-needy San Francisco 49ers or Las Vegas Raiders dangled a carrot/contract in front of him. He loves it too much. Just like Michael Jordan, he isn’t very good at much else. It’s hard to walk away when you’re the GOAT.

7. Eli Manning, Snoop Dog and a flag football Pro Bowl? Ugh.

How would YOU make the Pro Bowl more interesting?

Bohls: Uh, cancel it. Even with it reduced to a flag football exhibition, somebody will still probably get hurt. Make it the NFL Olympics with a pentathlon of poker, bowling, table tennis, an eating contest and rock, paper and scissors. Or throw in charades.

Golden: Cosell it up. Take it back to Hawaii — which would get players excited about participating again — and hold an AFC vs. NFC team competition in the format of the 1970s Superteams series on ABC that was hosted by Howard Cosell. Invite 25 players from each conference and compete on Saturday and Sunday. Tape the Saturday stuff and include it during Sunday’s live two-hour telecast. Tug of war, an obstacle course, a tandem bicycling race, swimming, a sprint relay, powerlifting, etc. It was wildly popular back in the day. I’d tune it for that, though today’s enormous contracts might make anything strenuous a nonstarter, given the risk of injury.

8. LeBron James vs. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: Let the debate begin

Where does LeBron James rank among your top-10 all-time NBA players?

Bohls: No. 2. And a clear No. 2 behind you know who. MJ’s six titles — eight if not for a fling with baseball — may always trump King James, but LeBron is still going strong in the twilight of his career. And forget the points. He also ranks fourth all-time on the assists list behind three stud point guards, is ninth in minutes this season and is still averaging 30 points a game.

Golden: No. 6. He’s the greatest small forward to do it — ahead of Julius Erving and Larry Bird — and he has out-of-this-world numbers because of his longevity, but he's behind Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, great winners who carried a single franchise for an extended period. Kareem actually carried two, winning a title with the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Lakers.

9. Sorry, Houston Texans, shoulda hired the other guy

Which new coach will have a better 2023 season, the Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans or Denver's Sean Payton?

Bohls: Payton. By a mile. Now, the Broncos are in a treacherous division in the AFC West with the Chiefs and Chargers, but they at least have an established, veteran quarterback in Russell Wilson who’s eager to redeem himself after a pathetic year and a top defense while the Texans are without a proven quarterback or receiver, although I wholeheartedly endorse Ryans for the job.

Golden: Payton. He's one of the best offensive minds in the game, and he will get much more out of Russell Wilson, who showed some positive signs in the last couple of games of a nightmare Broncos debut. Ryans might be dealing with a rookie quarterback as a rookie head coach, so the challenge will be enormous. I see Houston looking like a 4-14 team while the Broncos, with that good defense can get to eight or nine wins if things fall right.

10. Welcome to the beat, from two veteran sports writers

What advice would you give to Thomas Jones, the Statesman's new Texas beat writer?

Bohls: Stay away from Twitter. And stay as far away as humanly possible. Just kidding. Twitter is a lovely place. Seriously, embrace the beat because the fan base cares fervently, give it your all, and don’t ever loan your ID to Arch Manning.

Golden: Keep being you. Be yourself and use your tremendous people skills to deliver the same good stories you have given us on the preps beat. Have fun with the best beat at the paper and don’t let Bohls beat you to the Tiff’s Treats cookies at halftime at DKR. (Oh, FYI, he hogs the chocolate chip ones, TJ.)

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball teams facing an uphill task trying to sweep K-State, Kansas