What the hell happened in College Station?

by awiggo on Mar 2, 2006 12:06 AM CST in Basketball Comment 29 comments

I am fing sick. I just watched the game on tape and still can't believe my eyes. #7 Texas (24-5, 12-3) just lost 43-46 to unranked Texas A&M (19-7, 9-6). Did that just happen? I know we lost to Duke in NYC, to a talented Tennessee team in Austin, to OU in Norman, and to an emotionally charged OSU team in Stillwater. But did you just see what I saw? Raise your hand if that was the ugliest and most physical basketball game you have ever seen.

I thought this one would be ugly but this telecast should have come with a warning: Do not stare at the TV for longer than five minutes continuously. Permanent eye damage could result.

The stats are truly frightening. Our previous low point total was 58 vs. Villanova. The Cats are one of the best teams in the country. We managed just 33% shooting and less than 50 points against the freaking Aggies. Texas scored just three points on second chance opportunities, just 12 in the paint, and our frontcourt is arguably the best in the country. Those numbers make me want to throw up. We scored only 15 points in the second half and made only five shots. FIVE SHOTS! PJ Tucker was the only Horn in double figures with 11 points. Lamarcus Aldridge finished with just five points and three rebounds. Our half court offense was absolutely terrible. Coach Barnes has two options: 1) Continue to run the pick and roll and actually hit the man rolling to the basket or 2) Never run the pick and roll again. Those are the only options because what we saw tonight was embarrassing. A&M double teamed the ball every freaking time. Our guards were pushed back to the half court line and turned the ball over time and time again. Texas had 18 turnovers. PJ Tucker had seven of them.

I don't know if our defense was good or if the Aggie offense was just bad. Let's go with the Aggies were bad for now. They didn't do a good job of getting the ball to Joseph Jones. Although Jones finished with a game high 14 points, he wasn't exactly an offensive machine. A&M passed the ball quickly around our zone but weren't able to get many easy looks. They relied too heavily on the three point shot. The Aggies shot just 25% from behind the arc (5/20). That said they scored three more points than we did for the game off 14 more shots from the field. We held A&M to 19 second half points and still got beat. For the first time all season an opponent shot under 40% and won. This L falls on the offense and on Coach Barnes.

Our half court offense has been mediocre all season but seems to be getting worse not better. I don't want to sound like the sky is falling but we had the ball with 45 seconds left in a tie game. WE DIDN'T EVEN GET A SHOT OFF. Blame PJ and blame Barnes. The called play was a one on one move from forty feet with a forward. Why not work the ball around the perimeter with twenty seconds left, drop it into Tucker or Aldridge, and get either a shot near the basket or a kickout three to a guard? I know PJ beat Providence with a similar move two years ago, but that team didn't have Lamarcus Aldridge or Daniel Gibson? The clock management was horrendous, the play call mind numbing and the execution just terrible. We had the ball with a chance to win and didn't even get a shot off.

I can only shake my head at this one. I want to move on but can't. I am envisioning a similar low scoring game being our ticket out of the NCAA tournament in the second round. We must learn from this one. Do we have an actual half court offense? If so, let's start running it.

The good news is we still can win the Big 12 title and the number one seed in the Big 12 tourney with a win over the Sooners on Sunday. Also, the NCAA tournament doesn't start for another week and a half.

The bad news is we all just saw what this team is capable of. After our best performance of the season came our worst. In a single elimination format that won't work.

The bar has been raised since Barnes' arrival eight years ago. Past success makes fans raise their standards too. Getting to the NCAA tournament isn't good enough anymore. Assembling McDonald's All Americans is nice but the accolades don't mean much unless the team delivers. Winning twenty games a year is ok but it is not the standard. This team is still one of about fifteen teams capable of winning the national championship, but we are also capable of a sub 50 point performance and a loss to inferior talent.

I want to forget this one but I can't.

Comments?

--AW--

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zero leadership

Previous Mack Brown teams have shown that you can assemble all the talent you want, but without a field or floor General, you aint got jack.

We had it in TJ, and we had it in Vincent.

We dont have it in anyone on this team.

THe players we have assembled play great some nights, but want to phone it in on other nights and hope someone else picks up their slack.

We will not make it to the Elite Eight even though we have Elite 8 talent (on some nights).

by the other Andrew on Mar 2, 2006 1:27 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

We've Got Players

That's just it. We've got "players", in the NBA sense of the word. A collection of all-stars that often doesn't play as a team. PJ's bonehead play at the end of the game was just one more example of this. We have guys wide open in the post, and the guards don't feed them the ball, they jack up a 3. We have PJ getting triple-teamed, and fighting his way through it to take a highlight-reel shot.

This team just keeps breaking the hearts of Horns fans everywhere. We started the year believing the hype and the #2 ranking, then watched two miserable performances in a row against Duke and Tennessee.

This team sucked us back again again with amazing wins against Memphis and Villanova, and started on a tear through the Big 12. We were even starting to believe in an undefeated Big 12 season and a #1 seed, then we got hit in the gut by OU. Not a bad game for the Horns, but still a winnable game.

Just when we start to recover from that frustrating loss, the Horns pull a no-show in Stillwater, and a nearly-no-show in Manhattan. We're all ready to write the team off as underachievers, but no, they suck us back in with one of the best games ever played at the FEC, and demolish Kansas by 25.

Now comes this unthinkable performance in B/CS. Lowest point total of the year. Miserable shooting performance. Sloppy play. Turnovers. Disarray. A chance to clinch the Big 12 and beat a team that used to be considered a rival, and get a measure of revenge for the debacle in last year's visit to Aggieland.

How many breaks do we give this team? How many passes does the coaching staff get? Fool me once, Horns, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well, you've fooled me four times now. Shame on us all.

Patience Paying Off

by patienthornsfan on Mar 2, 2006 8:05 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The Aggies can do that to you

They will try to ugly the game up without even playing zone... the way to beat them is with dribble penetration. Driving to the basket doesn't require much passing, and can get you quick points in a possession. Some of the ESPN talking heads have been saying recently that Gibson and Paulino spend too much time shooting 3's, even if they make them, and this game was an example of that.

by Chalmersfan on Mar 2, 2006 6:36 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

That may be true

But the blame in this game falls on the frontcourt. I am willing to give Paulino and Gibson a pass in this game because neither was 100% healthy.

by billb on Mar 2, 2006 7:44 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And you still are?

If you're not feeling frustrated by this team's performance this season, more power to ya.

Patience Paying Off

by patienthornsfan on Mar 2, 2006 8:12 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I just noticed....

... that the poll for Big XII Player of the Year is no longer accepting votes.

Is someone worried that last night's performance may lead some of us to change our votes?

Patience Paying Off

by patienthornsfan on Mar 2, 2006 8:14 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

All of the ripping on Barnes

has got to stop.
This reminds me of the same bullshit that was said about Mac for the last 2 years, until the Rose bowl, and now he is a demigod.
A coach can set up a game plan, but the team has to execute it. Do you really think that Barnes is telling his guys not to hit the roll? Get your heads out of your asses and realize if you can see that so can he.
We are a top 10 team with a chance at a #1 seed in the Tourney. Texas basketball has never been this good in the lifetime of the Barnes haters on this blog.
Yes, this team has leadership problems due to Gibson's inability to play the position that he was supposed to be best in the country at. These leadership problems can lead to losses and streaky play.
But you have to get over yourself and stop trying to register www.firerickbarnes.com. This is a team of great talent that is fun to watch when they are playing well and should have a good tourney run, but could also be dropped in the second round, although I doubt it, considering they will be in Dallas.
Texas basketball is the best it has ever been, and that is what Barnes has done for Texas. Just like in football, it takes a mixture of great talent, team cohesion and luck to win the championship. But just like the football team, years of great talent coming in and enough patience to wait for the luck and cohesion to come together will get you a championship. But patience was never a UT fans strong suit, as we are the most fickle fans in the country.

by Wells on Mar 2, 2006 8:15 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

"Fans" is short for "fanatics"

And that's what we are - fanatic about the Longhorns. So forgive us if we are spoiled by all the recent success, and forgive us if we are frustrated by a team that plays down to its competition, and forgive us if we expect more from a very talented group of athletes.

Maybe we're a little on the crazy side of fanatical when we start talking about firing Rick Barnes, but isn't that what a blog is supposed to allow us to do? Express ourselves? I'd rather have Horns fans venting here and getting it out of their system than yelling it out at a home game.

Patience Paying Off

by patienthornsfan on Mar 2, 2006 8:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Texas fans are worst than most

At the OU game this year, when we were running 5 receivers, all I could hear was Texas fans yelling to run the ball. These are the same fans that for the last few years of OU were pissed because Texas offence is so predictable and ran the ball too much.

Talk about what the team didn't do right, talk about what you would have done differently, talk about how frustrating having this talent and losing to the Aggies is, but dont throw the man who got you to the point that you could bitch about you potential #1 seed basketball team under the bus.

by Wells on Mar 2, 2006 8:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The buck stops here

The coach has the ultimate responsibility for the performance of his team. As such, he has to take responsibility when they don't play well.

Fine, www.firerickbarnes.com is as ridiculous as www.firemackbrown.com. The baseball team has lost 6 games already this year, don't be surprised if some idiot tries to register www.fireaugie.com. Hell, there are women's basketball fans that want to fire Hall of Fame Coach Jody Conradt!

You can discount the loonies that actually believe these coaches should be let go. But at the end of the day, you can't blame a fan for wanting a coach to be accountable for the performance (or lack thereof) of his team.

Patience Wearing Thin

by patienthornsfan on Mar 2, 2006 8:45 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

When all is said and done, we'll still be Top 10

We will probably fall behiind Ohio State and Pitt now, and maybe Illinois, but we'll stil be in the top 10, as long as we take care of business against OU.

But a 1 seed? Not gonna happen. Beat OU and win the Big 12 Tourney, and we'll get a 2. Duke, UConn, Nova and Memphis have a deathlock on the 1 seeds, and Ohio State, Gonzaga, Pitt and Illinois all have as good a claim on a 2 as UT right now. Hell, even North Carolina could make us nervous if they beat Duke this weekend!

Patience Paying Off

by patienthornsfan on Mar 2, 2006 8:28 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

The one seed is still there

Memphis plays in a very weak conference and the committee will take that into consideration. We win out and we can still jump them.
Pitt will have at least one more loss and has lost 2 of the last 3.
Ohio St has a good shot at a #2 if they keep on winning, but they have not beat any of the top 5, in case you all forgot we did beat Nova and Memphis.
Gonzaga also in a weak conference, and seems to be limping into their wins against weak opponents. Plus they have played only 2 of the top 5, and lost both times.
Illinois? Really? Take a look at their schedule again. Once again, they play a weak non conference.

But I forgot to factor in the Barnes factor. Everything we have done well gets forgotten, and every time we flop gets magnified. Is that about right?

by Wells on Mar 2, 2006 8:45 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Wells - if we get a 1 seed

I will buy you dinner at your favorite restaurant.

Hell, I'll buy dinner for you AND your wife/girlfriend/significant other.

Deal?

Patience Wearing Thin

by patienthornsfan on Mar 2, 2006 8:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

wow

You are confident, buying a dinner for four!

by billb on Mar 2, 2006 9:34 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No #1 Seed

Wells,
I'm sorry but we have about a 10% shot at a #1 seed. I think we may need to win the OU game and win at least a game or two in the Big 12 tourney to get a #2 seed. At this point, the four #1 seeds are almost a done deal. All four teams have had fantastic seasons. The Big East deserves two #1s. Duke has two losses and two of the best five players in the country. And Memphis played an incredibly tough non conference schedule, including beating Gonzaga, and are about to run the table in their conference. That is difficult no matter what conference you are in.

Texas has some of the top talent in the country and can play like the #1 team in the country on a given night. But looking at their body or work for the season, there is almost no shot now at a #1. The top teams would really have to lose badly including Ohio State and Illinois.

--AW--

by awiggo on Mar 2, 2006 10:29 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

How does this change

Now that Memphis blew it against UAB. I know UAB is supposed to be good, but they are not that good. I think that OSU and Illinois have had about the same season in the Big 10 as Texas has had in the Big 12, big 10 being better that the big 12, but they have not beat 2 of the top 5 teams.

by Wells on Mar 3, 2006 12:44 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

True

We cannot be down on Rick, but I do think we can be down on something here, Wells. That is part of being a fan.

This is a -terrible- loss for us. It appears we at no time attempted to execute, or correct.

Now, if we are going to place blame, it should be (as you said) on the execution. Rick, is not incompetent. He may not be the greatest X-O coach ever, but he can draw up an inbounds play with the best of them.

So, then that leaves the players. PJ didn't metally execute at the end of the game. Fine, but why? Because coach sure as shit told him how much time was on the clock. As wiggins says, terrible coaching move to even run this play. That was CWeb-esque (note: PJ and CWeb have the exact same IQ, 16).

Blame the team for executing poorly for an entire game? -4 TO margin, not good. Fewer assist, fewer rebounds. we sucked, but it should have been corrected.

Bottom line, I do not want anyone fired. But, I want a great offensive coach hired as an assistant. Not next year, tomorrow! We only have 1 more month maximum with this bunch of athletes and I feel like we are wasting this opportunity by mental error. OK, ok, Rick should definitely take heat.

by jimmer on Mar 2, 2006 8:42 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Who else would you have given the ball to

with 6 seconds left?

Gibson and Palino? They wern't exactly having the best games.

Tucker has been there before and it was the right call to give him the ball. What the fuck he was doing when he got the ball is another matter. He blanked and we lost. But runing that play back I would have made the same call, Tucker wins that game for you most of the time.

by Wells on Mar 2, 2006 8:49 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

you want it in his hands, but when he has it 45' from the basket you wonder if that was too much going on for him.

Get it to him with 5-6 seconds, within 17' and let him go at it. He knows when he gets the ball to take it to the rim. Eliminates the clock management. Now, as for who would handle the ball and actually make a good pass into him. You may have me there.

by jimmer on Mar 2, 2006 8:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Common Basketball IQ

First of all, you don't take the shot clock all the way down to 10 secs and then call a TO. Either call the the TO at the begining of the shot clock or at least give your offense 15 secs or more so that you can move the ball and make the defense work. Going w/ an Iso play is ok but keep in mind the defense is at an advantage b/c the offense become stagnant. w/ 10 secs left you don't even have time to tell him to go to the basket. He may have blanked out but if your moving the damn ball someone else could have identified that the ball need to go towards the rim. We are all sure Barnes told them about the clock, but did he them about looking at the shot clock or the game clock?

by slimmy on Mar 2, 2006 9:40 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

came full circle on that one

by jimmer on Mar 2, 2006 8:50 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Who to blame then?

When we lost to OU at their place earlier in the year, that was an okay loss. OU was en fuego and hit every shot they threw up. We were okay with that loss because it wasnt anyone's fault.

This game, however, was the exact opposite of beautiful. There is no reason for us to shoot 35%. So what if we get bumped a little more than normal? Drain your shot and then wait on D to bump em back.

I can't remember how many layups and close shots we missed. Too many.

This loss isnt totally Barnes' and its not totally the players. It was poor execution across the board.

by the other Andrew on Mar 2, 2006 9:20 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I agree

But calling for Barnes' head is ridcoulous and it bothers me at how fickle our fans our.

by Wells on Mar 3, 2006 12:46 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

We wouldn't be so fickle

if our team wasn't so fickle.

by the other Andrew on Mar 3, 2006 2:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I dont believe that

At Colorado I did not see fans so fickle.
Even the Maryland fans around me this year are better.

by Wells on Mar 3, 2006 3:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

We were crappier last year

but no one really complained because we knew it was less about coaching and more about having PJ and LA out for the second half. The first round Nevada game was very disappointing, but no one was all up in arms. People get upset when they feel players' potential isn't met. They get even more upset when the potential is met one week, but the next week, that potential didnt get on the bus.

by the other Andrew on Mar 3, 2006 3:32 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Not dead yet

The bipolar play of this team is less than encouraging, but taking a step back, we're still in pretty good shape. Losing three conference road games is not the end of the world. This Sunday will be a big test, but all signs point to us being able to elevate our game at home in a big nationally televised match-up. I think the litmus test will be the conference tournament, where it's more of a neutral playing field. If we can regroup and emerge victorious against OU, we'll fall no farther than 8th in both polls next week. So long as we make it to the conference final, I think we're still in great shape for a #2 seed (don't forget that the committee will likely have already made up it's mind on us before the final whistle blows on the conference final next sunday).

by littlevisigoth on Mar 2, 2006 9:41 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

State the problem first

why the erratic play? Why did the Lornhorns play an Aggie style game? How is it a less talented team imposed it's style of play on a more talented team?

Vince Young's great talent last season was that against anyone he could impose his will and determination to win.

Except for PJ Tucker none of the present Lorghorns have that, they have all the talent in the world but they lack the psychological edge to force others to play the UT game. Some teams like Kansas are good teams but like UT rely on talent to overpower their opponents. In those cases UT just over powers them with superior talent. This is the scenario for most games. Teams like A&M and Oklahoma rely on taking the other team out of their game and this cancels some of the talent advantage of the other team. The Longhorns just don't possess enough force behind their will and determination on the road ( a team gains more of this at home)to keep playing their game. When you don't play your game your not comfortable, shots don't go down, plays get poorly executed, mistakes are made, stupid fouls happen, loose balls don't go your way, you don't get calls. This erodes players confidence and makes it paper thin so it tears easily. For Longhorn basketball this season talent drives blow outs against lesser talented team and improbable losses and blow out losses to teams that pucture their confidence and can force them out of their game.

The will to win, that force that helped Acie Law hit the game winner when he couldn't hit that shot the rest of the game is elusive, like talent it can't be taught. You can't really blame anyone for lacking it, the team and the coach are who they are. So we will go on this roller coaster ride and hope that they can find just a little extra will to win in themselves and maybe it can be enough to get them through the tournament

xerxes

by Xerxes on Mar 2, 2006 9:44 AM CST reply actions 0 recs