Texas Comes Up Short in Greensboro, Ends Season
#7 Texas fell, 74-69, to #2 Duke in the second round of the East Regional in a hard fought, entertaining, and even match up. The Blue Devils will move on to face #3 Villanova in the Sweet 16 in Boston, while the Texas Longhorns' season officially ends at 23-12.
The Longhorns were in it until the final minute despite 15 turnovers, shaky foul shooting, and a failure to exploit Duke in the post. It was not to be though. A great play by Jon Scheyer, mostly clutch free throw shooting by Duke, and some Blue Devil bounces all helped send Coach K's team to the next round.
There will be plenty of time for analysis of the season, a closer look at Damion James' NBA decision, and projections for next year's club.
However, use this thread for your post game thoughts and favorite memories of seniors AJ Abrams and Connor Atchley. I've said this many times throughout this season, this is an offensively limited club but also a team with real heart and plenty of character.
Despite the loss, I've never been prouder.
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Could not agree more with this statement
Despite the loss, I’ve never been prouder.
Favorite Connor Moment: The Kansas Game and UCLA game would be obvious but I remember him hitting a huge 3 in the 3OT game in OK state a few years ago. After that shot I thought all his threes would go in. Going to miss the guy.
Favorite AJ Moment: It could be his 8 threes and 4 threes in 3 minutes just two days ago. The guy is a great shooter and may not be full of “moments” but he made some great shots during his 4 years at Texas. Going to miss his ability to make a 10 point game with a minute to go close.
Blazz
If nothing else
AJ will go down as one of the more beloved and memorable players. Sad to see him go.
As for Atchley, well he came in with little hype and will leave a better player/person. Good kid and shed blood for Texas.
Best AJ moment:
Beating OU all by himself in Austin this year. Just freakin’ wow.
Best Connor moment:
Either the three to tie the game at UCLA or the two or three times he pulled off that ridiculous running sky-hook thing last year.
Everyone hates Duke
but you have to admire how they’re so fundamentally sound. They have everything we don’t. They have a bunch of players that can shoot from anywhere on the court. They pass the ball well, and they don’t turn it over. They make their free throws. Despite us being bigger and more athletic, we only outrebounded them by 4, and they had 12 offensive rebounds, and some critical rebounds at the end. That’s the sign of an extremely well-coached team. I really hope Barnes emphasizes the little things in the offseason, because the little things killed us tonight. I mean think of all the game changing plays at the end, like Singler throwing the ball to the other side of the court, that led to the Gary Johnson loose ball foul. How many college players are heady enough to do that?
Just a heart-wrenching game. I hate it. I don’t like to get my emotions invested in a college game because they’re still kids out there, making so many mistakes you wouldn’t see in the pro games. I love those guys though, and wouldn’t trade them for anyone.
The lasting memory of this team is how it was finally able to somewhat recover from getting decapitated early with the loss of D.J. Augustin. They never replaced him, but Barnes and his PG by committee eventually turned this team into a solid one, rather than a team spiraling into oblivion, because at times it looked like it. Also I’ll remember Pittman emerging as the beast we hoped we’d see eventually.
November can’t get here soon enough. Well there is that football sport I hear people here enjoy.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 22, 2009 12:29 AM CDT reply actions
I think you maybe selling Duke a little short
While they may not all be on par with Damion James, Duke’s players are all highly recruited players, most more than ours, and for good reason. I agree they are well coached, but I don’t think there is a great disparity in athletes. While James and Pittman may be bigger than their bigs, their guards are probably better athletes than ours.
I'm pretty sure
Henderson is athletic
by 7Swords of Salat on Mar 22, 2009 7:08 AM CDT up reply actions
Sorry to see AJ go out like that.
Kid really does have a great basketball IQ and did spectacularly at playing unselfishly this season. His pure stroke and quick release may never be seen again at Texas. For sure he has the fastest release of anyone I can remember in college and may also have the purest stroke. It was hard for him to get an open look this year, but when he did he found the absolute bottom of the net on about 80% of those looks. Shooting the basketball is truly an art form and AJ Abrams is a master. Too bad he never got to his father’s height or he could have a chance in the Association. As it is, I know I will appreciate the four years he gave to Texas.
As for Connor, he was a victim this year of his team, flukey injuries (like the split tongue), and flat-out losing DJ Augustin. I think Connor could have a professional basketball career somewhere and I still think there is some growth left in his game. The stroke is there and the confidence just needs to follow. I’ll never forget the ice-cold look on his face after hitting that three against UCLA or his almost-perfect performances against KU and K-State last year. The running hook shot that made the brief appearance was pretty sweet. That’s definitely the Connor Atchley that I will always remember.
Many good memories from both of those players and I feel sorry for them that they won’t be a part of the next chapter of Texas basketball, which I think will be excellent. They helped build the foundation.
Horns forever, good luck AJ and Connor.
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Mar 22, 2009 12:37 AM CDT reply actions
oh well
the chances of them ending their careers with a win were tiny. at least they got to play the biggest Goliath in basketball, Duke, in their final game.
Ian Johnson gets on one knee.
Sam Bradford gets on both.
Duke would not be Goliath in college basketball....
That would be UNC. They have more titles, better players and put out the best player ever.
by SneezyBeltran on Mar 22, 2009 2:05 PM CDT up reply actions
If you are talking about titles...
UCLA, Kentucky and Indiana are ahead of NC and Duke.
Its not about the most NBA players, as many great coached teams win without them, while poorly coached teams like Houston’s Phi Slama Jama cannot pull it together. I would say for active coaches, Coach K comines good recruiting and great coaching better than anyone else.
Bill
UNC is more relevant with more titles and wins recently, but
I understand what you’re saying. Notre Dame has a ton of national titles in football, but is not been relevant nationally for the last 15 or 20 years.
I just hate duke and coach k.
My coach that I would go with that is currently coaching is Tom Izzo. That guy’s good, real good and he’s at freakin’ Michigan State!
by SneezyBeltran on Mar 23, 2009 12:41 AM CDT up reply actions
This Season UT Was What They Were
In all honesty I didn’t think the Horns would play Duke as closely as they did or even be in it with a minute to go, my hats off to them for gutting out that performance. That being said, they were a 7-seed all season long, even when they were ranked 4th in the country. When they climbed that high in the polls it wasn’t real and anyone who watched the games from start to finish knew it.
“You are what your record is” is an oft-quoted line in sport, and it was applicable to Texas’ season. While many of us hoped for some fire to catch in the locker room, for some chemistry to develop on the team, for leadership to evolve on the court that could focus the talent that existed, none of the above ever happened, at least not sufficiently to make a difference.
I posted a few months ago that 2008-9 would be one of the least memorable seasons we’ve seen under Rick Barnes. I still believe and HOPE that is the case. With the new blood coming to campus next season they’ll have a chance to develop a new identity, hopefully one with as much head as they need to go along with the heart they showed in Greensboro; they were a headless wonder all season long. And if next year they make it to the Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Final Four or championship game then the season that just ended will be a distant, foggy memory best forgotten.
I’m fine with 2nd round NCAA tournament losses being considered low points in RB’s tenure. That means the level of excellence achieved by the program will have reached the point of no return: Texas is among the best of the best in consistency of results.
I still think AJ cheapened his legacy by his stunt at the end of last season to show up Durant, and by his inability to overcome the defenses he faced. Other star players who we’ve been treated to in recent years always found a way to stand out. AJ, while very good, was simply not as capable as PJ, TJ, DJ, KD, and you can’t tell me that he had less to work with than those four. If AJ thinks he had a weak supporting cast that hurt his performance, wait till he sees NBA talent – if he even gets the opportunity and doesn’t end up in the European leagues. And Conner was a one-year wonder. Never anything in his first two seasons, a surprise in his third, and back to unimpressive form in his senior year. What the club could have been had Conner held onto his junior gains.
Bye-bye, 2008-9 Texas Longhorns! Thanks for the entertainment, but I’m really looking forward to what we’ve got coming up in 2009-10 (with a football NC season between).
You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life...
Every year can’t be a national championship, and it’s okay to still like a team even if they don’t win it all
-rBr-
by run Bevo run on Mar 22, 2009 3:30 AM CDT up reply actions
AJ- good but not great
I love what AJ has done in his 4 years at UT but he was never good enough to be that #1 guy. He’s a great #2 but when DJ left and they expected him to step up and replace him he just couldnt do it. and that was really tha problem w/ this years team. no #1 guy. AJ and James are great #2’s, but when they absolutley needed a bucket they just didnt have a go to guy like KD, DJ, or TJ.
Last of the Project Years?
Texas brought in AJ to shoot and that he did, usually extremely well.
Connor was a project, a fine baseball pitcher who outgrew the sport and then undertook basketball. Dex is a project coming to completion. Hill and Chapman are projects. Perhaps they were not intended to be. For decades, the Horns have recruited such players for the long-term benefit, because there was roster room for them and they were available and the Texas coaches felt the investment was worth the time. Some proved to be able to play at the collegiate level over time and contributed a great deal to the program. To me this was an indicator of the status of the program: if the coaches could have recruited collegiate level starters, they would have, all the way down the line. They’d stock the shelves as much as they could, if possible.
As Barnes and his staff have been able to fill the roster spots with NBA-level talent, the margin for those “project” spots is diminishing at Texas. Now those spots will be filled with proto-NBA players with a shot at the next level as well as those sure to ascend. So, these years may serve as a watershed as the program gains a foothold in the upper echelons of college basketball. Like so many things in this life, as you gain something new, you reconsider and give up, to some extent, something old.
I appreciate and honor the dedication and work Conner did – and all those like him – over the past four years. The Horns got a great year out of him last year and a fair one this year. I’m sure he’s a better person for it, he made a difference when he could and the team is a little richer as a result. I wish him and AJ the best of luck.
Sneezy suggested in passing that Texas bring AJ back as a shooting coach at some future point. That struck me to be a great idea. His areas of expertise – shooting mechanics and release, running the floor and free throws – are basic needs all teams value.
That would be a fantastic idea
I would love to see a guy like AJ teach current players how to shoot, whether it’s jumpers or free throws.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 22, 2009 1:39 PM CDT up reply actions
Conner's KU game last year
Heck of a first half he played. I remember him as an awkward freshman and it was great to see him improve over the years. I wish he had a more spectacular senior season, but he played solid for us and I think got a lot of undue criticism simply because he wasn’t hitting as many threes.
I’m disappointed, but I wasn’t kidding myself with this team; beating Duke would be a tall order, much less advancing much more than that. I thought that if this team caught lightning in a bottle the absolute max it could go was the Elite Eight. It just wasn’t a team that we’ve seen in the past that had the possibility of winning it all. That said, proud of this team. Good luck to the seniors.
by TheElusiveShadow on Mar 22, 2009 12:39 PM CDT reply actions
Just asking the question
there’s pretty much ZERO chance Dexter Pittman goes pro, right?
by goingforthecorner on Mar 22, 2009 1:41 PM CDT reply actions
Looking Forward
After stumbling through most of the conference schedule, I was worried about this team in the Tourney. All things considered, I was very pleased with their performance against Minnesota, and most of the Dook game. A free throw here and a few less turnovers there, and this is a Sweet Sixteen team facing a school we’ve already beaten this year, not bad. Unfortunately, it was not to be, as the Blue Devils were more fundamentally sound and clutch than we were.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign, for me anyway, was the emergence of Sexy and Ward over the course of the Big XII and NCAA Tournaments. Regardless of what DaJa decides to do, I look for them to be great leaders and impact players next year and beyond (at least for Ward). With those two coming back, maybe James, as well as the Jai Lucas transfer, the return of Wingman along with the highly-touted recruits, I’m already ready for tip-off 2009!
Hook ’Em
by heeltuckitandrun on Mar 22, 2009 1:48 PM CDT reply actions
Ironic that this week's SI
had a piece in about free throws in the clutch. Pictured was DJ shooting on ou’s home floor. Just like the article states, that is difference in who moves on and who goes home.
Earlier Acho had talked about Duke as the Goliath of college basketball,
What I have noticed though in most of the comments and from the the thread from last night is that we now expect to beat the Dukes of the world.
In 2005 or 2006 when we played them in our black uniforms and got our butts kicked by that big dbag JJ Reddick, we were vastly overrated. This time, we showed no fear and thought we could play with them.
We, as fans were mostly pissed we didn’t, b/c we felt it was our game. I truly hate duke and wouldn’t like to refer to this game as another turning point for the program. However, I truly feel, like others said that this could be a springboard into a really big season next year.
Circle your calendars for Dec. 19th boys! We’re taking down UNC!
Right now it looks like Texas vs UNC
will be a battle of the top 2 recruiting classes next year. You know the NBA scouts are going flock to this game like it’s a gold mine.
by goingforthecorner on Mar 22, 2009 2:32 PM CDT up reply actions

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