A slippery slope

The Texas Longhorns concluded the regular season Saturday with a win over the Kansas State Wildcats. What does the win mean for Texas?

From multiple aspects, Saturday’s game was one that the Horns needed to win. Even though the offense was cold at times against KSU, it also ran hot enough for a victory.

Unlike in previous games, the Longhorns did not panic when they were down or when shots were not falling. When the offense wasn’t clicking, the team relied on tenacious defense which created turnovers, and fast-break points. Texas is at their best when they are in transition and getting easy buckets.

The team that beat the Wildcats is the team fans wanted to see all season long. Regardless of choosing to focus on the team’s 12 losses or their 19 wins, the fact is that neither total is impressive. What matters now is that the Longhorns are playing their best basketball in March – that’s what any fan wants before the season begins.

Even with the win, the Longhorns still have an uphill battle to get into the NCAA tournament. Saturday was a tough day to determine what the Horns’ chances are.

For example: The Indiana Hoosiers lost against Michigan State on Saturday. The Longhorns needed that. However, Wichita State was upset by Illinois State in the Missouri Valley conference tournament. Longhorn fans need to root for Northern Iowa on Sunday because if Illinois State wins, there will be three teams from the Missouri Valley conference going to the NCAA tournament. That takes away a spot for a bubble team. (For a breakdown of all the bubble games, click