Missouri Wears Down Texas 82-77
by Peter Bean on Feb 17, 2010 10:59 PM CST
in Texas Longhorns Basketball
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PrintA solid final 10 minutes of the first half positioned the Longhorns to pick up what would have been a huge road win, but weak rebounding, depressing transition defense, and poor play from primary ball handlers sunk Texas in the second half. With the 82-77 loss, the 'Horns drop to 20-6 on the year, 6-5 in Big 12 play.
There were silver linings to the loss -- positives of the type that make it easy for me to believe Texas is capable of making a deep run in March. Depressingly, there's no way to escape seeing this as a very disappointing loss -- the letdowns of the type that make it hard to believe Texas is going to make a deep run in March.
On the bright side, we're starting to see more and more of the mature, directed version of Jordan Hamilton, and it's clear what an incredibly valuable offensive asset it is. Likewise, we saw stretches of play from the team that make clear we'd be capable of beating about anyone if we could pull it all together on a consistent basis. Not perfect basketball for 40 minutes -- no team can do that consistently -- but strong, smart basketball throughout would be enough to beat all but a few teams in the country.
Those would be legitimately important, encouraging points on which to focus... if the calendar read December. The problem, at this point, is that we're past the point where it's useful to focus on silver linings, and upon the point where the weaknesses you see are the weaknesses you should expect to saddle you when the post-season arrives.
And in that light, this loss was disappointing. If it were earlier in the year, or if Missouri had simply outclassed us with a dominant team and/or tremendous performance, there might be better cause to remain hopeful about where Texas might be in March. As it was, both the manner and timing of the loss have to be considered bad signs for the team's chances of achieving the high goals we've all hoped were in store for this season. Specifically:
- We lost another game because all of our primary ball handlers struggled in discouraging ways. Balbay contributed very little offensively, made plenty of mistakes and, most damningly, played tentatively. J'Covan Brown failed to build on his KU/NU performances to be a floor general with the ball in his hands, struggling with penetration, poor decisions, and inability to set up teammates. Avery Bradley had his moments, but is as yet incapable of performing with the consistency that we need given the limitations of Balbay/Mason and the continued immaturity of Brown. Jai Lucas didn't play, but safe to say that he would have struggled with Missouri's trapping and pressure defense even more than our bigger ball handlers did.
- Without primary ball handlers helping the effort, we've neutered our strengths on the interior with Damion James -- who's mostly playing well, but incapable of doing it all on his own for sustained stretches -- and Dexter Pittman, who's been an out-and-out liability as defenses have been able to sink into defending the paint with impunity.
- The mental mistakes are perhaps the most damning thing of all. We can and do talk about things we think Rick Barnes could do better, but at this point in the season, I think it's hard not to see this team as being beyond the help of mere tactical adjustment. We miss astounding numbers of free throws. Our transition defense belies a complete and total lack of sustained mental concentration. Our talented rebounders frequently stand and stare, literally appearing to succumb to blank minds for two seconds while the ball is in the air. Both Wangmene and Johnson defend the middle of a zone like their primary responsibility is to ensure no one hits a 15 footer in the semi-circle atop the key. We follow up good rotations on help defense with possessions in which we look like we're aliens plopped on the court with no clue that such a concept even exists. It's little things, and it's indicative of a mentally weak team. How do you fix that? With the practice time allotted NCAA teams, you don't.
- Add it all up and the overwhelming evidence is that these if these recurring problems were ever fixable, they certainly are unlikely to be now. The hyper-optimist in me will dutifully discuss in tomorrow's Texas Basketball Report what we'll need to see for this team to peak in March, but as we wrap up tonight, I won't try to sugarcoat what this loss is: another data point indicating that this Texas team is merely good. And unless it bucks the odds with 11th hour development, we'll have plenty of time to sit down together -- in all likelihood before the Sweet 16 gets underway -- to discuss why it never became great.
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I'm not so much worried about a deep run in March anymore
I’m to the point where I’m going to watch mostly to look for improvement, especially from our young players. We lose James and Pittman, but the majority of these players will be around next year and I want to see things that we can build on for next season. It’s very disappointing given the high preseason expectations and our 17-0 start that it is no longer reasonable to expect a Final Four appearance, but there are some things to still be excited about for Texas basketball.
by TheElusiveShadow on Feb 17, 2010 11:56 PM CST reply actions
+1
Texas should start now and keep Balbay and Mason on the bench.
I’m not one to blame losses on the refs, but they shot 18 free throws to our TWO in the second half. They shot ~50% more FTs than us (19 for us, 29 for them). Even with our horrible FT%, if we’d gotten the calls they got it’d have been a much different game.
Obviously, we have to work on the things we can control. We shot very well over all (MUCH better than them), out rebounded them, had a couple more blocks, but our turn overs killed us.
The other big problem i saw was balbay. I almost think he needs to just start shooting and driving, misses be damned. Every time he had the ball and drove into the middle, the defense wouldn’t even guard him. They’d just defend the pass. It usually looked like there was no one in his way from roughly the 3pt line to the FT line. I think he just needs to start driving in to see what he gets ever once in a while. He may miss his shots and FTs, but maybe he’ll make someone get into foul trouble. I don’t know.
Agree on Balbay
He just kills the offense. This has been going on all year. Since we got into conference teams have been able to exploit him. Like you said he isn’t even guarded. He has to take wide open jumpers. We execute the offense, rotate the ball to Balbay for a wide open shot and he passes to someone that is covered. It’s drives me crazy. Who cares if he misses. We are good on the offensive glass. He should only be used in short stretches when we need his defense.
"big-time players make big-time plays in big games."
by SoonerSlayer on Feb 18, 2010 7:58 AM CST up reply actions
Maybe
Gottlieb was also a horrible free throw shooter.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
Gottleib was a horrible shooter period.
Hence the comparison. Teams would play Gottlieb a lot how they play Balbay. They would back off into the paint and make him shoot.
Avery Bradley
Does he come back? I don’t think his game is refined enough, nor has he adjusted to the speed of the game yet, so I’d really like to get another year out of him. What do y’all think?
I hope they serve beer in hell.
If he goes pro
He won’t be ready for game action anyway, mostly practice time and mop up duty. He needs another year to adjust, practice his FT shooting, and harness that ‘leader/killer/take over the game’ mentality I know he has.
Also agree with just about everything UT_BKC said.
Bradley will be back
He hasn’t been consistantly good enough to play in the NBA. He has played better lately though.
NBA doesn't look at consistency, they look at potential.
If this weren’t the case, Shane Battier would have been the #1 pick the year he came out and Jrue Holiday would have been nowhere close to a 1st round pick last year.
yeah
Bradley needs work on just about everything. He isn’t great at anything….yet.
I think we could safely narrow everything to
FT shooting and decision-making on his passes and dribbles. His defense his superb, his driving ability is fantastic, and his 3 point shooting and mid-range jumper are serviceable if not the best on our team.
best on our team doesn't say much
I think his driving ability is good, not fantastic. His defense is his best asset. When he gets hot he’s a great shooter, but he might go 2-3 games ice cold.
He's more ready than Daniel Gibson was.
Gibson started great as a freshman and got progressively worse. Even became afraid to shoot in the year before he went pro. There’s no way he was ready . . . but look at him now. He turned out just fine. Avery Bradley is flat-out a better player than Gibson was but, you’re right, I’d still be surprised if he goes pro.
NBA money covers up a lot of early-entry fools.
Selfishly for us, he needs to stay in Austin. But if he goes, he’ll be a player. Good player on both ends of the court.
He has a good head on his shoulders
He didn’t come to Texas with the massive ego that many of these high schoolers have. He’ll stay another year, knowing that he’s not ready yet.
Just got done watching the game
I had some thing tonight so I had to record it.
I have to say, I am pretty depressed about this team. The thing that you always have to come back to is simply the points off turnovers, and those fast breaks Texas gave up in the second half. But Turnovers have killed this team in every loss, not having a primary point guard is killing us, back when DJ was on the team, the reason we were so good was because we never turned the ball over. This team is the exact opposite.
I feel really bad for Dex, there were some bad calls on him tonight, he has worked so hard to finally get a starting spot and he can’t stay on the floor because he is just too big. I thought we were going to be able to exploit Mizzou with him…but he could not stay on the court.
I was really looking forward to this game, not really looking forward to @Tech on Saturday.
Hook ’em!!
"The best decision I ever made was coming to Texas," James said. "The second-best decision was coming back."
Wish it was a 50-game season...
…then it wouldnt feel like such a shellshock that we only have five conference games left in the regular season to get it fixed. The talent is there, but it’s just not manifesting itself on the court. Especially on the road.
I was feeling supremely confident heading into the second half tonight. We had weathered the disastrous storm of the first three minutes and were able to close the gap down to 1 point wtih Damion on the bench. Hamilton and Bradley were getting their offense, and Damion only had 2 fouls and could presumably play the rest of the game. We were gonna win this game, throttle Tech in Lubbock, beat OSU at home, then head to A&M riding high with a 9-4 record. The dream for this season was coming back to life. At that point, I never, ever, ever would have guessed that we would give up 50 points in the second half. I’m frustrated that we gave up FOURTEEN lay-ups tonight. Hell, they scored 52 of their 82 points on layups and free throws.
In reading through threads and talking/e-mailing my friends, it seems like there is no longer any singular consensus on the problems ailing this team. The crazy thing is that when a problem gets “solved,” it just introduces a new host of regressions and disappointments.
The thing that sticks out to me tonight is the dropoff in production after our three freshmen and Damion James. We got nothing from Balbay/Pittman/Mason and very little from Gary Johnson. While the freshmen have been inconsistent, it’s possible to say that the returning players (with the exception of Gary and Damion) have been the bigger disappointments. The statistical regression and apparent mental weakness of Dexter Pittman deserves a post of its own. In all seriousness, what returning player—other than Damion and Gary Johnson—have met our expectations for this season? To be honest, I’m really not sure what to say about Balbay over the last few games—I feel conflicted.
I miss Varez….
Really looking forward...
…to the Basketball Report this week, since I’m interested to see your upbeat take on the last few weeks.
This game wouldnt sting as much—especially with MU’s unique system—if it wasn’t viewed in conjunction with the rest of the last 9 games. It’s one thing to lose to Missouri on the road, and another thing to do it after you’ve already lost to UConn, KSU, and OU on the road within the last three weeks. And it’s even another thing when you’ve recently failed to protect your home court against Baylor and Kansas.
Pretty much looks like we’re staring 9-7 in the face, which is just mind-boggling…
If I were to give my evaluation of Dexter
I would say prior to his weight loss, the only thing that made him feel important and proud was basketball and being better than anyone. When Todd Wright taught him to to fix his weight issues, Dex saw a person who he was happy to be and finally felt at home in his own skin. Basketball didn’t mean as much to him because he could look at himself in the mirror and the world was right.
You can’t blame him for not dominating on the court if this is the case. But you can’t blame Barnes if he takes away Dexter’s minutes because he’s becoming a liability. I think Barnes could use it to motivate Dex if he plays it the right way. Something along the lines of, “Hey Dex, you know those fitness camps for kids you want to start? It’ll be a lot easier, the more successful you are in basketball.”
I’m probably full of it and just grasping for anything to explain the dumbfounded feeling I’m mirroring that’s coming from the court.
"I live in the tower with Coach Brown." -Bevo
by run Bevo run on Feb 18, 2010 1:05 AM CST up reply actions
Dexter Pittman
Dexter Pittman is the poster child for what you don’t want in a big man.
Can’t catch. Can’t jump therefore rebound and is uncoordinated in nearly everyway.
His play or inability to play and that stupid smile when he has walked or been unable to get enough elevation to dunk a ball, if he catches it or doesn’t walk to begin with, prove he is a soft pile of goo.
^ A little bit harsh
but I am glad someone mentioned “that stupid smile.” One of the most infuriating things an athlete can do, in my opinion, is laugh off a mistake. I would be less frustrated with this team if Pittman and pretty much everyone except Damion got mad and worked harder at correcting the mistakes instead of trying to be cool or showing their insecurity or whatever it is. It is not funny to play without passion.
On the bubble? Right On!
Deterioration of Dex
Similar to Connor Atchley, Dex appeared to have an NBA future as a sophomore or junior. Connor fell apart as a senior and who knows where he is now. Dexter has always seemed to be a poor man’s Oliver Miller, but came on very strong in February and March of last year to rival the production of the Big O. In 2010, he has regressed into a player who can’t stay on the court due to fouls, plays soft when on the court, and has no clue when double teamed. It is very sad to see someone who has achieved so much accomplish to little this season. Shame, if he had declared in 2009, he would likely be a millionare in the states. Looks like his basketball future lies overseas.
Connor
Connor is in the D-League
Not doing too bad either.
"I live in the tower with Coach Brown." -Bevo
by run Bevo run on Feb 18, 2010 2:20 PM CST up reply actions
WOW Amazing stats for Connor
55% FG shooting from inside the arc and ZERO 3s (O-3)? I would have made a big bet that Connor’s future as a pro would be mostly due to his ability to nail the 3 and extend the opponents post out to the 3pt line
I don't
I don’t think I can handle watching Barnes play Balbay and Mason much longer.
Missing D
I see a lot of comments above and in last night’s thread about the lack of a primary point guard and poor offensive output (and rightfully so), but what got to me last night was the lack of defense. That’s always been a given of Barnes-lead teams and something you could depend on even when the offense was off. But we gave up 50 points in the second half last night and looked like we were playing 3 Card Monte trying to figure how to stop them.
Perhaps that’s due to running out of gas trying to keep pace with Mizzou and not matching up well with them (no doubt made tougher with some inequities in refereeing), but this was the first time this season that i saw us really slack off on D.
I, too, would like to remain optimistic and hope for a deep run in March, but I think I also need to adjust my expectations and admit that this team just isn’t is as good as I thought they were…not easy to do when you start the year with a 17-0 and reach #1. Hopefully Barnes finds a way to rekindle the fire, because while the offense may sputter from time to time, if your defense falters, you’ve got no shot.
Be nobody but yourself in a world that desperately wants you to be like everybody else.
They sliced through the lane like ice cream
and we gave them the topping. The missed free throws in the first half again were huge. It was not fun to watch, I don’t like watching any sport where the team doesn’t play defense. The foul situation was odd but the time for excuses is over, point guard and especially center (Pittman is just plain weak) are gonna get us drummed out early. This is not a good team.
"If worms carried pistols, birds wouldn't eat 'em"- Darrell Royal
by SpiritOfTheFedora on Feb 18, 2010 9:00 AM CST up reply actions
Agree with a lot said so far
I think one of the main culprets as PB mentioned is a lack of focus and concentration . How can we be this bad at FT and transition D? It’s really basketball IQ which I’m afraid our boys do not have. At first my gripes were with Rick and his inability to either identify the issues or solve them. Now, (and as I stated in the gamethread) I believe while Rick still has his faults (timeouts anyone?), I really think he’s just banging his head against the wall with these guys who just may nit be able to play this game at a high level mentally. In high school these guys could out athlete anyone and the mental part of the game didn’t matter. Now, it’s a bit more level field of play and to be better than good, you have to have the mental part down so the physical reaction is instinct.
To me, it’s a little like Sergio having to actually learn a pass rushing technique. He didn’t need any swim moves in high school but at a hypercompetitive level he couldn’t just run over people and had to develop the mental part of his game through reading o-lines and technique.
Your tongue can't repel flavor of that magnitude!!
by UT2001 on Feb 18, 2010 7:14 AM CST via mobile reply actions
Balbay and Mason are garbage
Texas will be an average at best team as long as Barnes keeps playing Balbay and Mason. The other teams don’t even cover Balsbay or Mason anymore becasue they are such horrible shooters.
Balbay is not garbage
Don’t mean to sound like I’m calling you out, but I respectfully disagree. Balbay has been nothing short of vital to our defensive success throughout the season. He did not have a good game (at all) last night, but examine the season as a whole and you should come to a pretty different conclusion.
by Infield Elephant on Feb 18, 2010 8:31 AM CST up reply actions
Balbay is not garbage
But he definitely needs to work on a shot in the offseason. He doesn’t even need to shoot well; he just needs to prove that he can shoot if he’s left all by himself.
by TheElusiveShadow on Feb 18, 2010 3:20 PM CST up reply actions
Amazing how many open looks he does not take. Zero confidence in his own shot.
by Infield Elephant on Feb 18, 2010 3:40 PM CST up reply actions
For good reason, his form is awful
His left wrist slides aggresively and awkwardly across the ball on his follow through (instead of straight down) and his feet are never squared with the basket. To make matters worse, he falls away or to the side on every jump shot. A poor shooter defined.
Dogus needs Don Eddy's shooting camp
I wonder if he is still alive. Don Eddy taught me how to shoot.
The starting 5 should be this every game:
Wangmene/Pittman
James
Bradley
Brown
Hamilton
I actually like Wangmene better than Pittman. He seems to be more athletic.
you can't be serious
have you watched how incredibly uncoordinated Wangmene is? He makes Pittman look like reggie bush
I disagree
I thought the same about Pittman. He seems slower than last year.
We are officially on the Bubble
Will we even make the tournament. I think that is the question. With the schedule we have left it is very possible we end up in the NIT. As shocking is that is it’s very possible at this point. I would think we would have to finish above .500 in conference to make it. There is a good chance we don’t. I am not giving up on these guys. We see some positives but we better get on the ball. This could be the worst collapse around Austin since UT/CU Big 12 Championship game.
"big-time players make big-time plays in big games."
Texas is horrible right now
they will lose in the first round if they make it.
a .500 conference record gets them in no matter what.
even with a first round loss in the big 12 tourney, they get in…..mainly because the big 12 conference is #1 for RPI, their strength of schedule, and well….because their Texas.
So win 2 out of 3 from at Tech, home against Ok st and OU and they’re in.
who cares if they get in
they will lose the 1st or 2nd round for sure. UT only has one PG in Bradley and he is hit or miss at times, and his ball handling needs work.
I care. I'd much rather be eliminated in an early round
than not to get to dance at all. Like Garth said, you don’t want to miss the dance.
maybe
I keep hoping that Texas finds a spark and gets hot at the end, but it doesn’t look good.
Talk about a March run
may be a bit premature. Don’t mean to be overly pessimistic but there is still some danger that this team might not make the final 64. They need to get to 8 or 9 conf wins to secure a bid, and the way they are playing, there are no guaranteed wins left on the schedule. Some may think TT, but game is in Lubbuck and in Horns previous win over TT they were without 2 key players. Bottom line, there are no gimmees left and Horns stand a chance of not even getting to the dance if they don’t get things together.
Comment on Pittman – He has become about as much an offensive negative as Balbay/Mason. Is there any coaching going on with him or, if there is, is he just not listening? Can he shoot a 5 foot jump shot? How about a bank shot off the glass using the rim to shield the defender? How about a tip in without having to bring the ball back down to spring for a dunK? He has resorted to a dunk or nothing. No real offensive moves. Where is the coaching? Also, regarding dunks, why do they spend so much time in pre-game warmups “practicing” dunks? How about working on more real game situations? I think this mentality carries over to the game – you need to have the highlight reel dunk shot or nothing.
+1 on Pittman
The only players on the team that can shoot are James, Bradley, and Hamilton. Johnson has a good game every now and then.
Very Impressed With Mizzou
I have to give that team credit. Texas has as an athletic team as there is in the nation, and Mizzou was just non-stop hustle. It really appeared that they had more energy and just wanted the game a little more than us.
I love Balbay on defense, but if he’s not going to even try to shoot when he’s wide open from 15 feet, he’s more than a liability, he’s hurting the game of other players on the court (especially someone like Pittman). At this point, unless he says f**k it and gets more aggressive offensively, he needs to be a situational defensive stopper off the bench. His last 3 games (even Nebraska to some extent) have been brutal. And he’s not doing enough on D to make up for his negative effect on the offensive end.
Pittman has lost the opportunity to continue to start in my eyes. I know the officials have been tough on him, I know we have a hard time getting the ball to him. But he also isn’t making things come to him on offense. We aren’t as good with him out there right now. He should come off the bench, and if he’s rolling, run with him.
I’d like to see us start the small lineup of Brown, Bradley, Hamilton, Johnson, James. Bradley, Hamilton, Bradley and James should be getting 35 minutes a game (barring foul trouble) at this point. Brown should be getting close to that unless he’s getting torched on D off the ball, then Balbay and Mason can get some minutes there. Play your best players as much as you can at this point.
I never thought we’d miss Varez as much as we do.
And the officials in the second half last night were absolutely brutal. They were reacting to the crowd when Mizzou was on O, and bodying up on the ball and slapping at wrists up and down the court. Things we couldn’t get away with. But it got into our guards heads and they played scared. Great crowd at Mizzou arena last night.
Blame it on the team.
Texas has no one to blame for this loss but themselves. The Horns are playing one step behind the comp in conference. Looking forward to March (if we make the tourney) to see how good the Big 12 teams are. Texas is an average team, right now, but we can play with the best if and when our players decide to listen to Barnes and each other. I’ve definitely called Barnes and team out this season. Come on Texas prove me wrong! Wake up! Pass the ball! Our big men have to step up. Dex,Chappy, Wang…loosen up.. have fun! Catch the freaking ball!
not true
If Texas could find another PG that could shoot it would open up the inside a lot more. As soon as Balbay or Mason get the ball the other team crowds the inside.
We really need to get to 9 - 7 in conference, then win at least one game in the Big 12 tourney.
We are capable of doing some good things in the NCAA, the problem is we never know which Longhorn team is going to show up. I’m trying to stay hopeful. I’m excited about what the future holds for Bradley and Hamilton.
I'll never forget ol' what's-his-name.
Concerning road performances
definitely looks like a lack of experience. It didn’t help that Brown wasn’t starting till recently, and Hamilton was getting consistent time till recently (how’s that working out, Rick?).
How is it that Texas A&M can go to Missouri and win and we can’t? They play more like a team and have used a consistent rotation all season. Yeah, it’s pretty safe to say @ A&M is looking like a projected loss. Will be happy if we can keep it under double digits. Still, a win vs Tech and OSU, and we might have the momentum we’re finally looking for.
Not giving up yet.
On Pittman, I didn’t get to watch the game, so I’m not going to comment on the fouls. Were they all legit? Just like the team, I’m not going to give up on Dexy either. Recall last season, it was the Big XII Tournament where he really blew up and became a beast.
by goingforthecorner on Feb 18, 2010 11:02 AM CST reply actions
Please Look at the Coach
The problem with this team lies with Barnes. Period. Can anyone honestly say that this team would perform so poorly under the 6 other highest paid coaches in the league? These kids would not run through a wall for him. Heck they won’t even run back down the court and set up on defense before the other team makes a layup off a MADE basket. Sorry, I’m just tired of watching the other top half teams out hustle/work/play/coach us every game. Hook’em!
P.S. I hope I don’t get another BON warning about posting a negative comment on Barnes. This is different!
I mentioned on 3 different threads that I thought Barnes should be held accountable
..and got a warning message when I logged on that if I continue to post the same thing, I’ll have privileges taken away. So, when I said Barnes was bad here, I didn’t want BON thinking I was posting the same thing. I did post the same type of comments all 3 times previously, so I get the message. I just wanted to be heard! :-) I really love BON!
So in a field of, what, 320ish
You are pissed that we dont have one in the top 6?
Im not saying Barnes is free from blame or fault, but its not like we are going to fire him and get Coach K to jump on board either.
by BoddickerIsClutch on Feb 18, 2010 2:33 PM CST up reply actions
This is actually not a simple question you pose
But I’d say yes. I think the UT Bball program as it stands could land a Top 5 coach and we should expect our current coach to perform like one. I can only think of 3 or 4 who wouldn’t come…maybe…Self, Calipari, Coach K, and Roy W.
I'm talking about the Big 12!
I’m just asking the question about the top 6 coaches in the Big 12. Heck, any of them would be getting more out of our team than Barnes. Any. Of . Them.
+1
Balbay and Mason have no business playing. Can he not teach them how to shoot free throws?
If you were warned
It was probably because you were spamming comments with all capital letter headings. It’s not like you’re the only one who has criticized Barnes.
by TheElusiveShadow on Feb 18, 2010 3:28 PM CST reply actions
Understand that
and I’m not smart enough to spam something… I just shouldn’t have said the same thing on 3 different threads.
James
I think he is very good, but I don’t think he’s really improved much since his freshman year. He did have much better players around him earlier in his career.
James
I thought he was great his freshman year, and if you told me he’d be playing at Texas as a senior I would think he’d be averaging 30 points a night.
I tend to agree with you more broadly on player development
Rick Barnes and his staff have not impressed me with player development, esp with our 4-5 year guys. The last players to really develop in this program over 4 years were Chris Mihm and Royal Ivey if I recall correctly.
Mihm's improvement was phenomenal
He grew physically stronger, more explosive, and developed impressive post moves during his time here. I recall that he went to Pete Newell’s big man camp every summer and it paid dividends.
Since confernce play started...
Horns are 2-5 on the road and I doubt they win any of the games left on the road, which means they have OU and OKst at home but may not even win both of those. they end conference with 9-7 record if they win both home games but they way they are playing they could lose one of the home games and end up 8-8.
That is a monumental collapse of a team that won 17 straight and spent a time at #1 in the country. I can’t think of any team that has crashed and burned to the degree this one has. All in the space of 30 days.
Relying on freshmen + tough Big XII play
recipe for problems
by goingforthecorner on Feb 18, 2010 9:00 PM CST up reply actions
BS
Kentucky is doing pretty good with their freshman. Texas needs a PG that can shoot and they need to learn how to shoot free throws. Texas could have won probably 4 more game if they could shoot free throws.
Wasn't there a Clemsonor Ga Tech team once upon a time
that went 20-0 and missed the tourney?
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