Let's start with the good stuff: Texas demolished Oklahoma State 83-54 last night, Rick Barnes became UT's all-time winningest basketball coach, and the Longhorns moved to 8-3 in the Big 12. Texas next travels to Waco to take on a scrappy Baylor Bears team - AW and I are gauging interest in putting together a reader caravan to/tailgate in Waco. Let us know, readers, if you might want to attend. Saturday evening's game tips at 7 p.m., which would allow for plenty of time to get up to Waco, tailgate, watch the game, and get back to Austin (Dallas?) without much problem. Who's in?
Monday was far less rosy on the football front, where a veritable thunderstorm rocked the Longhorn recruiting world. Despite back-to-back wins over OU, a national title in 2005, and Mack Brown's reputation as the best recruiter in Texas, it was the Sooners who landed a commitment from the state's top prospect, Paris offensive lineman Stephen Good. Premium subscribers to Orangebloods can witness the anatomy of a fanbase meltdown by reading this thread in its entirety.
Despite the setback, things are mostly good for Texas on the recruiting front. The Horns have locked up 10 commitments for the 2008 class, including the nation's top kicker, Justin Tucker. Interestingly, that's two of the last three recruiting classes in which Mack has given a scholarship to a kicker. From my vantage point, the offer looks like 1) a disturbing lack of faith in Hunter Lawrence and 2) a testament to just how highly acclaimed Tucker is. Chris Sailer, who hosts one of the nation's elite kicking camps each year, told Rivals:
He kicks like he's a junior in college right now. If he was at any college right now, he'd be competing for the starting job. That's how good he is. He's beyond his years."
Despite Texas' strong start to the recruiting season, the big story you'll be hearing about is the loss of Good to OU. With so many conflicting reports surrounding his decision to go with the Sooners, it's hard to tell what the deciding factor ultimately was. I suspect Texas' ridiculous haul on the lines in the 2007 class had something to do with it.
Elsewhere, around the 40 Acres. . . The baseball team tries to win their second straight game this afternoon with a 2:30 tilt with UT-Pan American. TOA's got action photos from the Long Beach State series this past weekend. . . The Lady Horns lost to Oklahoma last night, 78-58, falling on the wrong end of a 27-3 run to end the first half. . . The Longhorn men's swimming and diving team will compete for their 11th straight Big 12 championship starting on Wednesday in College Station.
And finally, around the blogosphere. . . Nebraska tailback Marlon Lucky was hospitalized yesterday following a reported overdose. Sounds like the kid's going through some tough times; God speed to a full recovery - mind and body. . . C&CM wonders whether OU's Nate Carter is putting up All Conference numbers. . . If you think the collegiate coaching carousel is out of control, get a load of this. . . SMQ is setting the bar awfully high; the conclusion of the Stat Relevance Watch is on a level of analysis most of us aren't sniffing. . . SBN's newest Top 25 hoops poll is out and worth perusing. One team AW and I didn't rate highly enough is Georgetown, who won their eighth straight on Monday night by spanking West Virginia. My man crush on Hoya forward Jeff Green is silly big.
--PB--