A four seed.
Really?
Rick Barnes should print this bracket, tape it to every player's locker, and let them know that the basketball illuminati believe that the Longhorns will lay down like dogs.
This seeding is below our resume and that means the committee's subjective opinion of Texas ain't good.
Burnt Orange Nation agrees on the hose job.
So there is a chip available for our shoulders if we'd like to snatch it. Let's be clear: our draw in the first three games adjusted to seed will be the hardest in college basketball. Clearly the committee decided the Big 12 is dog shit (check seeding for A&M, Mizzou, CU exclusion) and we'll find out soon enough if they are right. The great thing about the tournament is that we have an opportunity to create our own proper seeding with wins on the court. There are no coronations in March Madness. Win 6 or hit the bricks.
Mind you, our draw is nearly meaningless and our seeding will be proven right if we don't mind our knitting on offense with spacing, intent, and energy.
We've got our work cut out for us...
In my estimation, Oakland is the most dangerous 12-16 seed in the entire tournament. Seth Davis has already picked them to run us from the gym. They have great size in the front court, shooters, and they play as loose as Cher's vagina. MC Hammer U can ball, but they do favor an up-tempo, sometimes careless, pace that will feed into our strengths more than the national press will understand. There is a conception amongst the media, some of our fans, and sometimes our own coaching staff that we're a half-court defensive team, but we will thrive in a track meet if we'll stick with it. Release the hounds, Rick. That tight game early will turn into a 12 point win. Try to run Princeton's game plan and we'll get upset. This is not a game for grinding.
I anticipate Arizona taking down Memphis and they're a really nice team. So we get the Pac 10 champions in Round 2? Thanks for that. Derrick Williams is an elite talent. Tristan Thompson vs. Derrick Williams would be epic. Arizona goes legitimately nine or ten deep, they have an elite star that can carry the team on his back, and they can also shoot the hell out of the ball from the 3 point line.
A third round game would likely be against Duke. Beloved by sports journalists, private school kids, and referees the world over. They have dominating guard play, great experience, a legendary coach, several days to scout our tendencies, and Kyrie Irving may be getting healthy-ish. Good times.
Given these circumstances, a run will be all the more sweet.
Thoughts?