LUBBOCK, Texas — The Texas Longhorns have been on a tear giving a spark in recent weeks as the end of the regular season play nears. Shaka Smart’s young team is seeking a push for redemption and a NCAA Tournament bid. Tech has been a very stingy 13-2 at home coming into Saturday’s game against Texas. However, the Horns stayed the course out rebounding and out shooting the Red Raiders late in the 2nd half of Saturdays contest pulling away with a huge 68-58 win against No. 22 Texas Tech.
The Horns will have a chance at a third straight victory Tuesday night against Oklahoma. The Longhorns upset No. 20 West Virginia last Monday in Austin and have been playing injured and with sick players as of late, but have shown a lot of heart.
Texas is on the outside looking in as the season comes to a close in hopes for a bid in the NCAA Tournament in 2020. Missing out last year still bore the fruit of a NIT Title for the Shaka Smart lead team that has been largely viewed by most critics as mediocre at best.
Currently they are (18-11, 8-8 in Big 12). Texas will travel to Norman tomorrow night to face the Sooners and then will play their final game of the season at home against OSU. Game Airs on TV/ ESPN2 & Radio: Longhorn Radio Network, Sirius XM 385.
Every school has expectations, but the ones in Austin remain as high as the Texas sky.
Just ask Rick Barnes.
Longhorns men’s basketball coach Shaka Smart will find out exactly how tough it is to coach on the hot seat this season after Texas won the NIT a year ago to salvage a topsy-turvy 2018-19 campaign. There’s only one acceptable tournament to be invited to this time around — the Big Dance in March.
Smart himself acknowledged that fact last March, and UT athletic director Chris Del Conte echoed the sentiment even after the Longhorns won the NIT, saying “we’re not where we want to be, but we’re making progress.”
Texas pulled in another solid crop of recruits this year after snagging three of the top 75 prospects in the nation — shooting guard Donovan Williams, center Kai Jones and homegrown product Will Baker, who played center for Westlake while rising up the ranks to become the No. 35 overall recruit in the country.
Baker is expected to start at center this season, while Williams and Jones have opportunities to work their way into valuable roles.
The Longhorns’ starting lineup for 2019-20 is also projected to include guards Matt Coleman and Courtney Rainey, who averaged 9.8 and 8.1 points per game last year, respectively. Coleman, who was the only Texas player to start all 37 games a season ago, added 3.4 assists per outing and was the lone Longhorn to earn preseason acclaim from the Big 12 after taking home honorable mention.
Rainey returns after shooting a team-best 38.6% from beyond the 3-point arc and proving to be another capable scorer. The same can be said for wing player Jase Febres, who knocked down 37.2% of his 3s while putting in 8.9 points per contest.
Jericho Sims is expected to lock down the starting power forward spot and has shown plenty of athleticism during his time on the 40 Acres. Sims has even drawn comparisons to current NBA players Mo Bamba and Jaxson Hayes, but he still has to show that he can turn potential into reality.
The biggest fan favorite on the team will undoubtedly be guard Andrew Jones, who touched the hearts of many Longhorn fans as he took time off to battle Leukemia last season. Jones was cleared to return to basketball activities in early August, and his comeback story will be one of the best in all of college hoops.
Meanwhile, wing player Gerald Liddell and big man Kamaka Hepa will likely fight for minutes as reserves.
Texas was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 during the preseason coaches’ poll behind Kansas — no surprise there — Baylor and Texas Tech. Bringing up the rear were West Virginia, Oklahoma State, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Kansas State and TCU.
But before the Longhorns begin conference play on Jan. 4. 2020, Texas will look to navigate an early portion of the schedule that includes games against Purdue, Georgetown and Providence. The Longhorns and Aggies will even reprise their old rivalry on the hardwood during a Dec. 8 meeting in Fort Worth for the Lone Star Showdown.
Smart should be able to get away with a loss to a rival here or there, though. After all, this isn’t football. But it’s still Texas, and another season without March Madness will be viewed as a colossal failure.
Shaka Smart’s team got their HOOP ON Tuesday night from the MSG and played a great defensive game against the Horned Frogs who won the 2 previous meetings this season over the Horns. But winning three in one season is a tall order for any team and the Longhorns used the previous losses as motivation and would not be denied a trip to the NIT Championship game this Thursday Night.
Texas (20-16) had help from Sr. Dylan Osetkowski as he put up 13 points while Kerwin Roach dominated throughout the semifinal game against the Horned Frogs and tallied a team-high 22 points for Texas in the low scoring night.
In just the second time in the Longhorns history , Texas will advance to the NIT Championship game to face off against Lipscomb. Horns were crowned NIT Champions during the 1978 season.
With the exception of Macho Man Randy Savage, nothing says “madness” quite like the month of March.
The
best tournament in all of sports is once again approaching, and the
state of Texas will no doubt be well represented. Beginning with the Big
12, here’s a look at the locks, bubble teams and schools that will need
to win their respective conference tourneys in order to earn an invite
to the big dance.
BIG 12
LOCKS: Texas Tech, Baylor
The
Red Raiders have spent much of the season in or near the top 10 and
will be competing in the NCAA Tournament this March. Texas Tech is fresh
off of an eye-opening 91-62 win over Kansas at home and is led by
sophomore guard Jarrett Culver (18.0 points per game), who is a hometown
product from Lubbock Coronado High School.
The
Bears are Texas’ second best bet from the Big 12 to qualify for the
NCAA Tournament, as Baylor holds quality conference wins against Iowa
State (twice), Texas Tech and Oklahoma (twice). The Bears can add to
that résumé down the stretch against Texas, Kansas State and Kansas, but
they already appear to be in the field of 68.
ON THE BUBBLE: Texas, TCU
The
Longhorns have endured a roller-coaster ride this season. Head coach
Shaka Smart’s team holds impressive victories against North Carolina,
K-State, Oklahoma, Kansas and Baylor. Then again, Texas has also dropped
games to Radford, Providence and Oklahoma State. A large portion of the
Longhorns’ case could rest upon the status of suspended guard Kerwin
Roach and whether or not he is reinstated by the school.
The
Horned Frogs don’t have much in the way of non-conference wins, but
they’ve been more than competitive in a deep Big 12. TCU managed to
sweep Iowa State in a pair of meetings and has also knocked off Baylor
and Texas. Jamie Dixon, now in his third year at the helm of the
program, could be a dark horse candidate for conference coach of the
year.
Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver (23) goes to the basket defended by Oklahoma forward Kristian Doolittle (21) and forward Brady Manek (35) in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
IN NEED OF A MIRACLE: None
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
LOCK: Houston
The
Cougars aren’t just a mortal lock to make the tournament, they’ll also
likely be the top seed from the entire state. Houston has dominated its
conference opponents and owned a 26-1 overall record and a lofty No. 8
ranking in the nation as of Feb. 25. The Cougars are led by the tandem
of Corey Davis Jr. (15.7 points per game) and Armori Brooks (14.1 points
per game). Houston is coached by Kelvin Sampson, who is a former
assistant with the NBA’s Houston Rockets and a former head coach at
Oklahoma.
IN NEED OF A MIRACLE: SMU
SEC
IN
NEED OF A MIRACLE: Texas A&M’s only shot is to win the Southeastern
Conference Tournament. Otherwise, it’s on to baseball season in
Aggieland.
BEST OF THE REST
SUN
BELT CONFERENCE: There are a few conferences with just one available
bid, and their league tournaments will determine who will advance. In
the Sun Belt, Texas State is the current leader and will be the favorite
to earn a spot in the big dance. However, a strong challenge from
George State and/or Georgia Southern is likely, and UT-Arlington is
hoping to play the role of spoiler from its fourth-place position.
IN NEED OF A MIRACLE: None
CONFERENCE
USA: UTSA has a shot to advance from Conference USA, as does North
Texas, but Old Dominion is the odds-on favorite to run the table in the
conference tournament. The Roadrunners are among a four-team pack
fighting for second place behind Old Dominion, and the Mean Green are
one of only two 20-win teams in Conference USA.
IN NEED OF A MIRACLE: Rice, UTEP
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE: Sam Houston State has built a comfortable lead in the race for the Southland’s regular season crown and looks ready to make more noise in the league’s postseason tournament. Abilene Christian and Lamar aren’t out of the conversation by a long shot, though. Abilene Christian is already over the 20-win mark, while Lamar headed into the home stretch of its season schedule riding a five-game conference winning streak.
IN NEED OF A MIRACLE: Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word
SOUTHWESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern appear to be the biggest roadblocks for one another in each program’s quest for the SWAC’s lone NCAA Tournament bid. Prairie View A&M looks as though it will win the regular season conference crown, while Texas Southern is hoping to turn the tables in conference tourney.
IN NEED OF A MIRACLE: None
WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE: Lastly, UT Rio Grande Valley will need a miracle in the Western Athletic Conference Tournament to unseat heavy favorite New Mexico. UT Rio Grande Valley has had a respectable season and is in the middle of the pack in the league standings, but there isn’t any room for error.
