To say this basketball season is frustrating would be an understatement. It was bad enough we had to endure the grueling football season marred with mediocrity (by Texas standards) and a quarterback controversy that remains active to this very day, but Rick Barnes is ticking fans off. Maybe it’s not all his fault, but somebody has to take the blame. Texas is a young team but they should get a break here and there when games are close, right? Not. At least it hasn’t happened that way. The difference between great teams and decent ones is that the “great” ones finish strong. Texas hasn’t been able to do that this year. Junior guard J’Covan Brown hasn’t played to his full potential this season and the freshmen starters still have a ways to go. Sure we get bursts of greatness from Clint Chapman and Julien Lewis, but the team has not synergized thus far in the season.
The Horns broke a three game losing streak with the win over Iowa State on Tuesday, but the win wasn’t without concern. Texas led by double digits late in the game before going scoreless for over 7 minutes, allowing the Cyclones to pull within six with a little more than four minutes left in the game. Brown hit only 3 shots from the floor all night but Kabongo and Julien Lewis had nice performances which kept Texas ahead.
Barnes has received criticism over his lack of player development. Texas continues to secure excellent basketball recruiting classes, yet the Longhorns have never won an NCAA title and haven’t been back to the final four since 2003, when the Longhorns were led by superstar point guard T.J. Ford. Sure an argument can be made for players leaving college early to pursue a dream of playing in the NBA, but Texas should be a better program. The resources are there, the player talent is there, but is the coaching there?
Even with the criticism, Barnes has taken the Longhorns to 13 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances (which is the 4th longest streak in the country). No matter what school you are, that is impressive. Will the streak be broken this year and will Texas be forced to play in the NIT? I hope not. Not with this group of players they have. The potential is there but the Longhorns need to get it together quick to show they are better than an NIT berth. A win over Temple (which beat Duke) is not going to be good enough to secure an NCAA tourney bid. A win (or wins) against Baylor might, and a win against either Mizzouri or Kansas wouldn’t hurt either. With big win opportunities still on the schedule, Texas cannot forget about the others. Big wins will not mean anything if the Longhorns cannot beat the likes of Oklahoma State, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.
