Texas vs. Arizona and the Nation Post Mortem

by Barking Carnival Staff on Mar 21, 2011 6:22 PM CDT in Texas Longhorns and Other Basketball

The finality of the NCAA tournament is as painful as a kick in the Onions!

Especially when the elimination game comes down to one possession. Unfortunately, because I’m a Texas fan, the manner in which the Horns were eliminated wasn’t all that surprising. In live game situations, it’s usually a coin flip that we’ll make the correct play.

And we already erred by calling a timeout when all we needed to do was run clock and ice the game at the foul line. Now I realize that pundits, fans, and prognosticators often bend hindsight to further their agenda after the ballgame, but I have a witness who will attest to the fact I knew a clusterfuck was about to ensue just after the fateful Jordan Hamilton timeout.

I had the pleasure to watch the game with the venerable “Bob In Houston”, who happened to be “Bob Just Outside the Beltway” as we were watching this heartbreaker. So right after the timeout, I turned to Bob, dodged the spittle and invectives flying from his mouth because he too knew our fate, and said, “Watch, we’re going to fuck this up. I’d lay two to one odds that the in-bounder is going to run the baseline like we’re inbounding off a made bucket.” Regrettably, I was only partially wrong, and so was the result. From Jordan Hamilton running away from the ball to J’Covan Brown tripping and the quick five second count out of a PAC-10 official which seemed to be an egregious make up call from the non-foul call the play before -- ALL PARTIES WERE AT FAULT -- players, staff, and referee; but only one party paid the price—anyone affiliated with the Texas Longhorn program.

Inexcusable!

Unforgivable!

Both great descriptors of the last play to be sure, but it doesn’t get to the heart of the matter on the micro level as far as this game is concerned, nor the macro level when viewing the season as a whole. In my final post mortem, I’ll try to dig a little deeper for some answers. I can’t guarantee they’ll help you sleep better at night, sheer boredom notwithstanding, but perhaps they’ll help you deal with why you should be upset and even why you shouldn’t be.

The Game Plan
This game reminded me of the Holiday Bowl against Washington State. You know the game where the Cougars blitzed the hell out of Vince Young which lead to his benching and Greg Davis’ post game press conference whopper, “We didn’t anticipate they’d blitz so much.” I’ll tell you what, if I’ve got a super star center with a history of foul trouble and he’s going up against another superstar center I damn sure don’t leave my guy on an island. So it stands to reason that Coach Miller was going to send double teams at Thompson to help Derrick Williams. The answer to this seemingly confounding hoops equation doesn’t rise to the difficulty of chaos theory, or balancing Huckleberry's checkbook. In fact, you beat it with alignment, cutting, and a dash of patience; things that can easily be installed in a couple of walk-throughs.

Our answer? 25 first half points, followed by J’Covan going nuts in the second half—in other words, no adjustments. There’s no reason a lottery pick talent like Thompson can’t get double digit points against an interior sieve like the Arizona Wildcats. But that assumes a) you can get him the ball, and b) he knows what to do when the inevitable double team arrives. There’s no reason you can’t run reliable offense through a player of Thompson’s caliber knowing where and when doubles are coming from. The weak side perimeter should be open every time and Jared Sullinger isn't the only big man that can execute the kick out even if he's damn good at it.

For me that’s where I fault the staff. It’s not one play here or there, it’s the lack of any counters to what the other team is certain to do. It's basic scouting and gameplanning. It's why Brad Stevens takes Butler on deep tourney runs more often than not while Texas has shit the bid prematurely for three years in a row with rosters that fill out current and future NBA depth charts. Rick Barnes is getting fileted in the press, on message boards, and probably even at home. A lot of that is justified but if you think Deloss Dodds has even considered picking up the phone to put out some feelers then you probably also look to Kirk Bohls for breaking news, or the online blogging community for marital advice. And you've just gotten used to being disappointed.

Yes, I enjoyed watching Notre Dame lose to Florida State just so another recognized fan base could experience our pain, as Pitt did the day before. But that shared sense of commiseration is fleeting. I'd rather be gamplanning for Duke.

By reaching out to other guys smarter than he is, Barnes made some noted offseason adjustments that put our team back on track for three quarters of a season. But the man has no antidote for short term adversity, nor does he possess the in-game coaching chops to outscheme a quality coach. And I'm not calling Drunk Jimmy Kimmel a high caliber coach. He's active, he sweats a lot. So did Bruce Pearl. But he did enter the game with a better plan than Barnes and he worked the refs effectively. So Rick, maybe work the whistles down the stretch if it's working for the other guy? You never know when it may pay dividends. Suddenly four seconds may just turn into five ... it's a strange world like that.

The Timeout
I actually see what we were trying to do here. There’s a better than average chance that Tristan comes down with that board, so to preempt a missed foul shot, Rick calls for the timeout. That’s defensible even though I don’t agree with it in that situation. A smarter coach can play an if/then type of strategy with respect to timeouts, but perhaps Rick didn’t trust his players. If Tristan or Doge gets the rebound, call timeout. If it’s anyone else, let them foul you. That seems like something our guys could execute, no? Instead you have Jordan Hamilton and Gary Johnson calling a collective timeout. Thankfully we didn't get charged twice for that. It would have been a turnover. Wait, that's coming!

The Inbounds Play
I hate that it was designed to be J’Covan or nothing, unless Hamilton was supposed to show to the ball as a second option. If it’s the latter, then the only thing to fault Barnes on is how Jordan is coached in that situation. If Hamilton pisses himself at the thought of shooting a big shot, then that’s a whole other problem. Otherwise, it’s a design issue.

As for the five second count call, it’s one of the worst calls I’ve seen in my 35 years of watching college hoops. I saw Georgetown’s Michael Jackson grab a Villanova player in the championship game and pull that player to the ground to simulate a charge and the referees called it a play-on when it should have been a foul. Other than that, I can’t think of a call in the same hemisphere as the four second count in terms of being blown.

J’Covan Brown
The final shot was a microcosm of our season as it relates to J’Covan’s play and minute distribution. Brown loafs it up the court, has the insane ability to still create a good look as three defenders converge (and foul), misses an open Gary Johnson for an easy dime, and then doesn’t get the call. I blame our staff for not finding a way to give Brown more ownership of the point guard duties just after the KU game when his confidence was sky high. Had he been playing 25 minutes a game down the stretch, there’s a good chance he sees Johnson for the easy dime and dunk. Hell, he looked like one of the best guards in the tournament in the second half of yesterday’s contest.

On the flip side, I blame Brown for having the demeanor to loaf the ball up the court to begin with. His attitude is a big reason he didn’t get big minutes sooner which cost the team a seed-line or two and perhaps the continuity that would have made yesterday’s game a blowout had he been getting starter’s minutes the last two months.

I just looked at the last play again and holy hell Johnson was wide open. That’s a play an everyday point guard makes and one Kabongo won’t miss next season. Put away the breakables then check out the 2:35 mark.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ri-PpIPJgQI

A Quick Look at Next Season

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqDpDYv7v54

Operating under the assumption that Thompson comes back next season, which seems possible if not probable at this point given the way this one just finished paired with Tristan’s desire to play alongside Kabongo, I’d say we’re in for a helluva ride. Kabongo has the ability to impact the program much the same way TJ Ford did as a catalyst and he’ll have a better supporting cast of finishers and scorers than Ford did. He’s the kind of kid that can get a shot for himself or teammates in virtually any situation which is good if you put him on the floor with guys like Joseph, Brown, and Thompson. If Hamilton comes back, the talent is elite and it's a Final Four lineup, Rick Barnes and Jim Burr be damned. We’d look like one of Roy Williams Carolina teams where Huckleberry Hound would just roll out the ball and win games. If we failed to implement an up-tempo pace with this group, I’d be close to done with the staff.

That typed, our offensive woes would be a thing of the past. We’d so thoroughly spread the floor with this group that you’d almost have to zone just to be able to get to all the shooters without giving up penetration at will. Defensively, the Horns would have to mix and match personnel against some of the bigger frontcourts in conference, which is why the speedy development of Wangmene and Chapman into bona fide rebounding/trash bucket role players is so important. Kevin Thomas is another intriguing player as a hybrid wing but he’s got to get stronger. One of these two scenarios would have to work against teams that could punish our three guard look.

At the end of the day, this season could have been so much better had J’Covan Brown taken the reins as a the team’s lead guard early in the season. Conversely, the year could have been so much worse had we not had Coach Barnes instilling a toughness on the defensive end and some wrinkles on the offensive end that vaulted this young squad into the championship hunt. Barnes' deficiencies as an offensive coach and manager of in-game situations are well chronicled, but he’s got a recipe for fool-proof Barnesian success coming in—a playmaking point guard. If the right people come back, there’s no room for excuses the next go round.

The 2012 Final Four is in New Orleans, the site of our deep run in 2003. Just sayin...

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We’d look like one of Roy Williams Carolina teams where Huckleberry Hound would just roll out the ball and win games.

Gratuitous shot, IMO.

by Huckleberry on Mar 21, 2011 6:38 PM CDT reply actions

The thing I’d be most excited about in the hypothetical Hamilton/TT returning scenario is guys would understand their roles. Julien Lewis may be a catapult, but there’s a hierarchy of guys in front of him already with Hamilton, Brown, and Cory that Hamilton, Brown, and Bradley didn’t have as freshmen (one of the main roots of that team’s ineptitude, in my opinion). If you were Jordan Hamilton and you saw Doge Balbay and Justin Mason as the other two guys on your perimeter, you’d shoot it too.

I have a hard time envisioning a scenario where Myck Kabongo doesn’t fit in like a chameleon in a jungle. He walked into Findlay, who’s never short on talent, and eased into the role of team leader seamlessly. I expect him to do the same thing for next year’s team much in the same way that T.J. Ford did. Especially since he already knows Tristan and Cory, I think it will be easy for him to earn the team’s respect. Let’s just hope he doesn’t accidentally run over any pregnant women in Stillwater.

by Blake B on Mar 21, 2011 6:41 PM CDT reply actions

Rick will convince JH and TT to head to the NBA just so he won’t have the expectations of Final Four or bust.

I’m only half kidding.

by Savage Henry on Mar 21, 2011 6:54 PM CDT reply actions

Barnes tries to take Findlay Prep to the Final Four next year. Should be interesting.

by Longhorn01 on Mar 21, 2011 6:56 PM CDT reply actions

Have to say, after reading that, I actually feel optimistic again. No small feat considering the hopelessness I felt after that game. Barnes must continue to evolve or hire someone that will stand up to him and has some expertise on the offensive end.

by TShakCFP on Mar 21, 2011 6:56 PM CDT reply actions

Had he been playing 25 minutes a game down the stretch, there’s a good chance he sees Johnson for the easy dime and dunk.

Had he been playing 25 minutes a game down the stretch, there’s a good chance we would have been a 2 seed — at worst, and avoided this mess altogether.

At the end of the game last night, if somebody would have played the organ real soft, I would have cried.

by srr50 on Mar 21, 2011 6:59 PM CDT reply actions

I’m still angry…

by Tdiddle on Mar 21, 2011 7:00 PM CDT reply actions

Trips as usual a great breakdown concerning the last 15 seconds. You were just a little to nice to Barnes for my taste but again your being level headed.
I guess I would ask if our team is well coached ? Not just defense but the counters as you pointed out that have not developed over the course of a season, 30 some games?

I happen to think that we are predictible in our offense(new and/or old Pick and Pop). The last ten games the guys were tired, both of legs and minds. How many of our guys average 30 minutes or more this season?
How long does it take to teach an out of bounds play? We have been attempting it for 4-5 years and this is the same play over and over again.

Barnes teaches a toughness on the defense but does he allow players to play hoops? Does he teach the details of basketball. I will not go into all the one that should be taught but looking at team I think not so much.

20+ wins and an invite to the dance for 13 years are just dandy if that is our goals.
The questions that we should be looking at is Barnes going to tak us to the promish land or has Texas fans settled on winning 20+ and 1-2 games at the dance as the stardard for TEXAS ! I sure hope not. When was the last time we went to the “16” maybe4-5 years age?

by skymonkeyhorn on Mar 21, 2011 7:01 PM CDT reply actions

I don’t know what’s more depressing . . . how the season ended . . . or thinking about the Nebraska-Colorado-KState collapse that knocked the Horns out of the Southwest Region where they’d be paired with a 10-seed, an 11-seed and a 12-seed.

Sunday’s loss probably just delayed a loss to Duke in the Sweet 16 . . . but the February flop almost certainly cost a trip to the final four.

Ugh

by cirque du salado on Mar 21, 2011 7:05 PM CDT reply actions

Sky, we’re not going deep into the tournament unless we’ve got the perfect mix of players. You’re dead on.

by Trips Right on Mar 21, 2011 7:10 PM CDT reply actions

If Hamilton and TT return, that’s two legitimate NPOY candidates on the same team. Stack them with an elite distributor who could win a Cousy in his tenure here, and that’s pretty hard to fuck up.

If we can’t beat a real team in the tourney with that group, then we probably never will (unless you thought that 5 seed MSU team was a juggernaut). Immovable object versus the irresistible force?

by Mad Clapper on Mar 21, 2011 7:10 PM CDT reply actions

srr50, yes it would have been nice to play a 7 or 10 seed and then advance to San Antonio. But opportunities are made to be missed.

by Trips Right on Mar 21, 2011 7:11 PM CDT reply actions

Nice article. I’ve been saying that about j’covan for two years now.

by stephen frittelli on Mar 21, 2011 7:28 PM CDT reply actions

I think the 4.3 second call sent the team into shock causing Brown to feel like he was to meet destiny.

by Mighty Texas on Mar 21, 2011 7:30 PM CDT reply actions

Nice writeup, and I love the optimism. We get what we can with Barnes—an upside and a downside. If TT and JH both come back next year, you’re right—anything less than a final four (injuries notwithstanding) is practically unacceptable.

by mashtun on Mar 21, 2011 7:30 PM CDT reply actions

Ditto what Tdiddle said..

by Wyatt on Mar 21, 2011 7:37 PM CDT reply actions

So what was Rick’s excuse when he had an NBA point guard and KEVIN. FREAKING. DURANT?

Sorry for the all-caps. I’m asking honestly.

by Homesick Alien on Mar 21, 2011 7:41 PM CDT reply actions

Great stuff, Trips.

I think Barnes actively worked on game-planning the defense more than he did the offense. We stuck like glue to Williams in the first half, and if it wasn’t for some hot shooting from the likes of Maze, we probably go into the half tied or close to it at that ridiculous 25 mark.

From the outset, it felt like the shots we were downing at the beginning were fool’s gold, kind of like Kansas’ hot streak at the beginning of their game with us. It’s not like we can’t hit the occasional jumper, but honestly an offense predicated around that with our personnel is worthless. The only person I want chucking up shots like that is Hamilton, and even then I’d rather see his dribble-drive 50% of the time and limiting the jumpers to open 3’s. Arizona recognized this, and left us open on the perimeter while quickly doubling down on Thompson.

I agree that Barnes made entirely no concerted effort to coach Thompson on what to do when he got doubled. The recognition-kick out would have been great, except the double man wasn’t coming from anyone you would want to kick out to. If I remember correctly, there were a few double bigs, crashing from Hill/Wang/Johnson, and then the other doubles would be from Doge or Cory. One of the things I’m hoping for is that Julien Lewis and/or Sheldon McCllelan become a lights-out shooter/defensive stopper in the mold of, say, Tyrel Reed. Throw in a big like Tristan Thompson (and eventually Cameron Ridley) and a facilitator like Myck Kabongo. That spacing should take care of itself.

Goodness gracious, I love watching Kabongo in high school, but I really hope he’s the real deal next year. Kabongo’s only the fifth-best point guard of next year’s class as rated by Rivals. That might be a little low, or the other PGs are really good, but here are some names that were 5* rated coming out of high school that didn’t initially blow people out of the water: Josh Selby, Abdul Gaddy, Elijah Johnson, Jrue Holiday, Corey Fisher, Javaris Crittenton…

by jc25 on Mar 21, 2011 7:42 PM CDT reply actions

Great write-up.

As a Las Vegas resident, I like the idea of Findlay in the FF.

Fight! Findlay! Final! Four!

by VegasEx on Mar 21, 2011 8:02 PM CDT reply actions

Findlay Prep’s Mike Peck needs to get a job soon. Dude can flat out coach. It’s no wonder his kids come in ready to play.

by Trips Right on Mar 21, 2011 8:06 PM CDT reply actions

Kevin – next two articles:

1) Why Rick Barnes can be excused/can’t be excused for a short tourney run with KD, et al. aka The Bill Simmons Theory.

2) Why Myck Kabongo ~~spells Mike Myck~~ is different than the guys mentioned in jc25’s reply above?

Andale.

by Drew Dunlevie on Mar 21, 2011 8:07 PM CDT reply actions

Well done on the write-up, Trips. Thanks for all you put into these.

This was a very level-headed analysis of what Barnes does and does not give us as head coach: better than average WRT recruiting and defense, not so much with a coherent offensive system and in-game adjustments. Such a level-headed take after a gut-shot loss is an accomplishment.

by hopefulhorn on Mar 21, 2011 8:52 PM CDT reply actions

for me, the most interesting part of all this mess is what Barnes will say about the offensive shortcomings as we head into the offseason. or even at the beginning of next year.

his comments at the beginning of this year were so refreshing…looking in the mirror, re-evaluating, etc. it all sounded so good.

so will he be able to look in the mirror again this summer and realize he didn’t do enough?

by txsa on Mar 21, 2011 9:01 PM CDT reply actions

I looked very closely on that last play. GJ was open but he didn’t come up until Brown had 3 guys on him and the man originally playing him was on his left shoulder tight. He also had knocked Brown off balance a tad. I don’t think he was able to see or get the ball to GJ there. He would have had to spin where his back was to the baseline and pass back to GJ. He had looped around from kind of high. It was a play that could be made, but in my opinion was more likely to result in no shot being taken. Arizona knew what was coming (Brown taking a shot) and defended it very well even if by happenstance.

I also don’t think Brown tripping had much to do with the 5 sec call because he was never really open. He broke open right before he tripped but there was no passing lane. If Joseph makes a great pass Brown probably still gets the ball as he is catching himself. The real crime was Hamilton calling the time out and having no cutter coming right at the ball for the in bounds. Brown’s cut had him kind of open after he was on his way past Joseph. No understanding of angles. Both of those things are on Barnes, big time.

by Monahorns on Mar 21, 2011 9:10 PM CDT reply actions

All that said. I am very cautiously optimistic. The team should just have more talent than this year if everything I have read is right.

I think the last 3 years Texas suffered from a batch of very unskilled players. This really hurt the offense. Mason, Balbay, Wangmene, Hill, Chapman absolutely killed the offense over the last 3 years. You can’t really run a motion offense well when 1 to 2 people have no real opportunity to score. Wangmene and Chapman need to become real offensive threats a la Klotz. Then hopefully all the new recruits can shoot to a reasonable degree. If so, next year could be fun. Keeping my fingers crossed.

by Monahorns on Mar 21, 2011 9:14 PM CDT reply actions

I got chills at the end of the Kabongo clip when we put his horns up. Really, really, tingly. That kid has some amazing ball handling skills. Can’t wait till next year. I’m tired of thinking about everything that could have been and should have been with the current team. I’m just so damn excited about 2011 Longhorn Football and 2011-2012 Longhorn Basketball.

by burntorangejuice on Mar 21, 2011 9:20 PM CDT reply actions

Great writeup Trips. The thing about this Tournament though, it’s a heartbreaker. Not just this year, but all years. Just the structure of it, the one and out format. You can have the equivalent of the 1996 Bulls as your team, but one bad night against a lower seeded opponent who’s playing out of their mind, and your hopes are shattered. KU had some GREAT teams under Roy Williams in the late 90’s that suffered DEVASTATING losses in the tournament.

My point: heavy emotional investment in a college basketball team’s hopes is a huge gamble, no matter how talented the team is.

by GigoloJoe on Mar 21, 2011 9:28 PM CDT reply actions

J’Kevin and I talked about this on the phone today. No way J’Covan wasn’t taking that shot.

The slow approach may have doomed us but he’s all we had going…

by Drew Dunlevie on Mar 21, 2011 9:33 PM CDT reply actions

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills when I look back at that USC-Texas game in 2007. KD didn’t commit to defense in Austin like he has in the League and the Trojans ate us up with Nick Young and Taj Gibson. It sucked but it wasn’t that surprising.

by villagehorn on Mar 21, 2011 9:54 PM CDT reply actions

Yep, thanks for pointing out that J’Covan should have been playing 25+ minutes all season long.

The blame is shared between the player and the coach. It boils down to loafing it on defense, which is not something that Barnes will game plan around; however, Barnes has no problem attempting to game plan around a player that has zero offense.

I am optimistic about next season if Thompson and Hamilton return and Myck is as awesome as the spelling of his given name suggests. I again will root for J’Covan (primarily because Mrs. uthookem is from the greater Golden Triangle area), but I feel he will again have a rough year in and out of Barnes’ doghouse as he will be no better than the 3rd or 4th option on any given night.

by uthookem on Mar 21, 2011 10:10 PM CDT reply actions

I had blacked it out, but one of the things that drove me nuts last couple of seasons was the inability by our offense (and coach) to adjust to double teams. Nearly went bald pulling my hair out watching Pittman get doubled last season. I vaguely recall looking at Pittman’s stats about halfway through the season and he had a pittance of dimes. After 34 games last season Dexter had 17 assists. Ponder that for a moment. Ponder the possibility of someone teaching Tristan how to pass out of double team.

By the way, I never knew the origin of “dropping a dime” until just now.

from the interwebs:
“The most logical explanation comes from the ’60s phrase “to drop a dime,” which the Dictionary of American Slang ( HarperCollins) defines as “to give information, especially to the police.” Most pay phones used to cost a dime; an informant would “drop a dime” to call police and thus “assist” in an arrest."

by Texoz on Mar 21, 2011 10:40 PM CDT reply actions

Texoz, I know I’m old, but what the fuck is a payphone? Like cricket for 10 cents?

by Older Than Dirt on Mar 21, 2011 10:56 PM CDT reply actions

Thanks for all you do to make Texas basketball interesting, Trips. I’ll leave another underachieving Texas athletics season at that and move on. Baseball, anyone?

by Blueshorn on Mar 21, 2011 10:56 PM CDT reply actions

Here’s my very early Christmas wish list for next year’s team
- a cannon that fires basketballs into Wangmene’s hands so that he learns to catch everything
- a bench deep enough that we don’t burn out our freshmen
- a coach that can dig a little deeper and admit he still has some growing to do
- a fanbase that stops complaining about the crowds and actually goes to the games, some of them in face paint and crazy outfits that distract our opponents and make for good UTTV
- I’d like to see Matt Hill return with a little more offense, but he’ll be known as Clint Chapman
- a karma boomerang. Longhorns were given a “second” chance to beat Nebraska in the Big 12 football Championship in 2009, but we were robbed of a “second” chance against Arizona. Maybe the time is right for a Longhorn basketball Nat Champ in 2012.

by Texoz on Mar 21, 2011 10:57 PM CDT reply actions

“Texoz, I know I’m old, but what the fuck is a payphone? Like cricket for 10 cents?”

It’s something we’ll wish we had the next time we have a major solar flare like the one we had in 1859.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,478024,00.html

by Texoz on Mar 21, 2011 11:03 PM CDT reply actions

Even if your dream personnel scenario transpires, Barnes will probably still fuck it up. His FF/EE teams two best victories came against a 3-seed and a 5-seed. If the higher seeds advance in our region, our brainless bumpkin will likely shit the bed early again.

by JMR on Mar 21, 2011 11:30 PM CDT reply actions

Whoeee! I love when y’all whine at the refs like a bunch of baby banshees abandoned by their momma!

JCB loafing downcourt , on an Easter Sunday stroll——looks at the time clock, then in a panic, heads not for the hoop, but straight for the edge of the backboard! Three AZ guys collapse toward him, so he runs right through them, throwing up a howitzer-like prayer, hurling himself down when he was untouched.

Gawd! The whole sequence was a G-D laff riot!

And don’t gimmee that crap about the 5-second call, THE story of the game was NBA lottery pick Tristan Thompson= 3 pts! Read again: Thompson=3 friggin’ PTS!

by Earl T on Mar 21, 2011 11:54 PM CDT reply actions

Earl T -> 0 for 3.

That sting like your mama’s vagina on a busy Saturday night?

by flamingmonkeyass on Mar 22, 2011 2:29 AM CDT reply actions

“My point: heavy emotional investment in a college basketball team’s hopes is a huge gamble, no matter how talented the team is.”

This.

by jonestopten on Mar 22, 2011 6:23 AM CDT reply actions

There are 23 higher rated players than our point guard savior. 5 of them other pg, hope he is actually under rated by rivals

by Mysterious Package on Mar 22, 2011 7:34 AM CDT reply actions

TJ Ford was behind 4 other PGs and one combo guard.

Linky

Yes you would prefer the best player. But when you’re dealing with a Top 25 basketball player, it matters a lot more how he fits in with your other personnel.

by Huckleberry on Mar 22, 2011 7:49 AM CDT reply actions

I’ll take care of the Durant piece.

by Bob in Houston on Mar 22, 2011 8:24 AM CDT reply actions

Still angry about the way the game ended. I knew coming in that Barnes was offensively challenged. I knew we had freshmen that were going to make mistakes. I also knew Arizona was a tough early draw. What I didn’t expect was Jim “gotta beat the traffic” Burr and Richard “La La La La… I can’t hear you! That’s 5 seconds!!” Cartmell giving us the shaft. Is that sour grapes? Maybe. But the reality is that if they make the correct calls in the last 25 seconds we are in the sweet 16.

Is it ANY surprise Burr didn’t make a call on the last drive? He was suspended from the Big East tournament for essentially ignoring the decisive final seconds of a tournament game and walking off the court. What is his hurry? Is he concerned about missing the Early Bird Special? I’ve watched the replay 4-5 times of the final drive to the basket and its stunning to watch Burr stand there (in perfect position to make any number of foul calls) and ignore the obvious fouls. He was staring straight at J’Covan and then at GJ.

“J’Kevin and I talked about this on the phone today. No way J’Covan wasn’t taking that shot. The slow approach may have doomed us but he’s all we had going…”

Bingo.

No problem with him shooting that ball b/c we had run out of ideas, and it was working. As I mentioned in the game thread this team has had a “look what I can do” selfish undercurrent running through it the last two years (not as much this year). Next year I expect Myck the Quick to impact the team culture significantly. Watched Findley Prep play a couple of times this season and Myck’s pass first mentality was one of the reasons they are so damn fun to watch. The whole team fed off that. I know a lot of that is coaching, but Myck played that way in All Star games as well.

I wish I was optimistic about TT returning, but it just isn’t the way things have been going for us of late. Also, maybe I’m seeing more than I should but look at the 3:30 mark of the first video above.

Thanks to Trips, Bob in Harris County, Vash, Scipio and others for a fun ride.

by Art Vandelay on Mar 22, 2011 9:46 AM CDT reply actions

I think we had the same thought when I saw it live (the video at the 3:30 mark).

by g'69 on Mar 22, 2011 10:44 AM CDT reply actions

What thought are you talking about?

by Trips Right on Mar 22, 2011 10:46 AM CDT reply actions

Probably reading too much into the body language, but the extended hug and whisper looks like “wish you all the best in the Big Time…. let me know if I can help”. Unless that particular coach is leaving UT, it looks like someone is saying goodbye.

by Art Vandelay on Mar 22, 2011 11:18 AM CDT reply actions

Seeing that video, I just got pissed again that our $2mil+/yr coach has that really confused/dear in the headlights look at the end of the game and right after….at least act like you have your shit together Dick. Nuke that video from orbit…

by ballrific on Mar 22, 2011 11:23 AM CDT reply actions

Hope we are wrong but yeah that did not give me a warm cozy feel.

by g'69 on Mar 22, 2011 11:24 AM CDT reply actions

The “three years in a row” reference needs to become “four of the last five” because by far the biggest underachievement in Barnes’ career was 06-07 when he had Durant and Augustin, plus several other capable players (Abrams, James, Pittman) and choked away the Big 12 Tournament championship and then lost in the second round.

by Barnestarded on Mar 22, 2011 5:07 PM CDT reply actions

The "three years in a row" reference needs to become "four of the last five" because by far the biggest underachievement in Barnes’ career was 06-07 when he had Durant and Augustin, plus several other capable players (Abrams, James, Pittman) and choked away the Big 12 Tournament championship and then lost in the second round.
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I don’t agree with that at all. Each of the last 2 years was much, much worse.

by JMR on Mar 22, 2011 6:13 PM CDT reply actions

Arizona just watch the NU film, the fact that Barnes and crew did not expect the TT double shows me laziness and depresses me more.

by Roostrman on Mar 22, 2011 9:33 PM CDT reply actions

I think it’s a mistake for most freshman to jump to the NBA, and that includes Tristan. With the developmental league in place, there is no guarantee that a lottery pick makes an NBA roster for any extended period of time. I read today that the Rockets sent the number 2 overall pick to the developmental league shortly after his original contract expired.

The money is great, but I happen to think these guys want to play some ball, too. The developmental league is not what they have trained for.

by java on Mar 22, 2011 11:36 PM CDT reply actions

Myck looks to have some flair and deception about his game. I’ll cross my fingers those elements aren’t coached out of him.

by Saul on Mar 23, 2011 9:49 AM CDT reply actions

Brown was not fouled on the last play, i repeat WAS NOT FOULED! You Longhorn fans are usually alright, but the crybabies are out in full force. If Johnson was fouled on the rebound it happened after time ran out. Now the 5 sec. call ESPN timed the count, it came to 4.76 seconds which in the grand scheme of things you are quibbling over a quarter of a second. Should UT been awarded the timeout, probably, but the REF said he had counted 5 first., So get over it already. As for the REF being from the PAC 10, guess what? the 3rd REF, from the BIG 12. He didn’t see a foul on the last play either. They conferred and said no foul. There were questionable calls and no calls that went against both teams. Guess what officiating is subjective, meaning what is a foul to you or me, or what is 5 secs to you or me, is not to someone else. UT had a great season, one which at the beginning of the year no one expected, not any of you, just based solely on last years performance. To win in the Tourney you gotta have some luck, unfortunately for UT, they didn’t have it for this game. the 5 sec call, and no call on the last play, did not cost UT the game. The 25 point 1st half, calling the timeout instead of letting AZ foul to stop the clock, and Browns lolly gagging the ball up court cost you the game.

by Waaa!!!! on Mar 24, 2011 5:42 PM CDT reply actions