The No. 24 Baylor Bears outlasted the No. 6 Texas Longhorns, 80-77, in overtime. The loss was the first home loss of the season but the third loss in the last four game for the 'Horns. Texas now sits at 18-3 and a disappointing 4-2 in Big XII play. Also, depending on the outcome of the Kansas vs. Kansas State game later this evening, Texas may have just played its way out of a run at the conference title. (Pull for the Wildcats tonight.)
This loss hurts, but it will hurt even more if Texas doesn't regroup quickly. How the Longhorns perform over the next ten days will be the difference on Selection Sunday between a protected #2 seed (maybe an AW pipe dream at this point) and a #4 or #5 seed.
The 'Horns travel to Stillwater for a Big Monday showdown with Oklahoma State in about 48 hours. Then, they must hit the road again on Saturday as they visit Oklahoma. If those two road trips aren't enough, Texas will host top ranked or close to it Kansas on Monday, February 8th.
I'll write a more complete review later but in short, points off turnovers, free throws, and the inability to keep Tweety Carter out of the lane killed Texas this afternoon.
I was hopeful that this would be a bounce back week for the Longhorns. Instead the contests against Texas Tech and now Baylor have produced more questions than answers. Why isn't Dexter Pittman rebounding? Should certain Longhorns shoot free throws as jump shots? When will Jordan Hamilton turn the corner? How did a 14 member team turn into an undersized, seven man rotation? Why are we not competing in the first half defensively? Can Texas score efficiently enough against a set half-court zone defense? I'll get into some of those questions and add some additional observations about the 'Horns tomorrow.
Box Score
NEXT GAME: at Oklahoma State -- Monday, February 1st 8 pm ESPN Big Monday