Are we going dancing this year? Regardless this team should've been a sweet sixteen team at worst but... damn it
I agree with you. Turner has an identity crisis he still has not figured out. His favorite player is Kevin Durant, but Turner is unable to drive and create his own shot like him. He has a good touch on his shot like Aldridge, but he cannot shield off his man in the post, resulting in turnover after turnover when they throw it down to him. He is not as good of a rebounder as either Durant or Aldridge. I'm not sure if this is Barnes' fault or not. Obviously, some of the fundamental issues could be fixed by any decent coach. But right now, I do not see Turner being a player who will make a huge impact in the NBA. I would love to be proven wrong.
Keep in mind Aldridge wasn't great his freshman year at UT either. He got hurt and ended up staying, but he also dramatically improved in his sophomore year.
They should. If you compare their resume to other bubble teams, it's sort of absurd that there's even a discussion. Take A&M, for example (this is all before today, where Texas won and A&M lost). Here's the Sagarin comparison: Texas Record: 18-12 A&M Record: 20-9 Texas SOS: 6 A&M SOS: 64 Texas Sagarin Ranking: 21 A&M Sagarin Ranking: 64 Texas vs top 25: 3-9 A&M vs top 25: 0-3 Texas vs top 50: 3-12 A&M vs top 50: 3-7 There is no reason at all for A&M to go over Texas. They have a slightly better record simply because they played so many fewer good teams. Give A&M another 9 games against top 25 teams and they wouldn't even be in the discussion. This is true of a lot of the bubble teams in the same discussion. BYU is 21-8, but has played 3 a total of teams against top 25 and 6 against top 50 (compared to 12 and 15). That's not to say Texas will do anything once they get in the tourney (though I believe they actually could make the S16), but they deserve to be there.
I think a lot to do with his strength. Once he gets strong enough to establish and then maintain position in the low block, he might actually be a threat on the low block. I don't see him become a great rebounder, but if he adds strength, I don't see why he can't be a starting big man in the NBA. Great defensive instincts, an elite rim protector in college. Great touch from the midrange and a great touch from the low post (if and when he gets position). His offensive instincts are questionable, as I sometimes feel he is kind of lost on the floor, but he can run the pick and roll and can definitely be a dependable finisher.
Texas has become the symbol of power conference privilege this season. Many people are questioning why the Longhorns deserve a bid, having failed to achieve a .500 record in conference play. “You’re a bunch of losers,” people say. At least that is what I am making them say in this argument. “If you can’t win half your games, you are not worthy of playing basketball. Give us Murray State. They won all of their games (in regular-season conference play),” these people might also say. College basketball is a perplexing landscape. In nearly every other sport at every other level, conferences/divisions/whatever are generally pretty equal in strength. We can compare two teams’ records and get a rough first cut at which team accomplished more. But not so in college sports, where the average strength of each conference is very different. In conference play, Murray State didn’t have a single road game that was more difficult than Texas’s easiest road game. I know Texas has a huge budget, great facilities, and it’s own ESPN-backed TV network. We shouldn’t feel sorry for Texas or its fans but we also shouldn’t penalize them for having to play most of its conference games against top 20 teams. “Well, just win them,” the people would say. But really, only great teams win often against top 20 teams. The NCAA tournament is not made up exclusively of great teams. Otherwise, it would be like an eight-team field. Teams that can only occasionally beat top 20 teams are in the field, too. And Texas is one of those teams. All that said, Texas is starting to drop out of some brackets and thus one might assume the Longhorns need to win their opening game against Texas Tech to stay alive for a bid. As for the rest of the conference, it appears this going to be at least a six-bid league regardless of the results. (kenpom)
The hate against Texas is insane. You hear people saying stuff like "If Texas makes the tournament, then the selection process is rigged." "Murray State should take their place." The reality is that Texas is the best team left on the bubble. The worst Texas road win is better than the best Murray State road win. Also, Texas wasn't the team to lose to a team ranked 247th in the RPI (Houston). Texas A&M's best wins are against LSU (48), a fellow bubble team. Temple is 8-8 against the RPI 150. BYU has one good win against Gonzaga and nothing else. Tulsa only has two wins in the RPI top 50 - against Temple twice. Old Dominion has lost to UTSA, Middle Tennessee, and UTSA. Stanford and UCLA have RPIs in the fifties. Stanford's best win is against Texas.
In the end, I'm really hoping they get in as an 11 or 12 seed (ideally without the play-in game). At this point, I think a Sweet 16 appearance is about as good as they can do without some flukiness. 11s get to play a 6 and 3 to get there. 12s are even better getting to play a 5 and 4. Anything better than that and you have to beat a 1 or 2 seed to make the S16, and I don't see that happening for this Texas team. So while I think Texas is better than their bubble status, if they barely make it in, it probably gives them a better opportunity to advance than what I think their realistic seeding should be (a 9 or 10). That said, they'll probably get eliminated in the first round anyway...
Play-in game might be good for them. Gives them a chance to build confidence before playing a higher seed.
After today's win, I feel pretty comfortable that we will make the tournament. A statement win against ISU would remove all doubt
There should be no reason the Horns should miss the tournament now. ****ing joke how Lunardi has 7 teams from the big ten. Big 12 has been clearly the best conference top to bottom. Only the ACC has an argument with the top teams being final four contenders.
Only reason they would miss the tournament now is if a whole bunch of teams that shouldn't be in the tournament win their conference titles and get automatic bids. A ISU win would close that door.
Beat Iowa State and Texas is safely in as a 9 or 10 seed. Lose to ISU and we're squarely on the bubble, probably in the play-in game.
Watching that game last night was tough, despite the win. UT is so much more talented than TTU and should've won that game much more easily than they did. Just so many easy shots missed and it doesn't seem like anyone wants to take over when it's needed. There were a lot of open shots passed up for the sake of making the extra pass. I think Taylor needs to learn to take over the game a little more if they want to go further than a 1-and-out. I do agree that a win today gets them safely in.
That was the purest choke I have ever seen in my life. There is getting beat, and then there's choking, that was a choke. Honestly they don't deserve to go to the dance after that.
What an incredible choke. 16 point lead blown. 12-0 in the last 4 minutes. Why in the f*** is Feliz shooting that ball with 6 seconds left and players open all over the court? Stupid turnovers and getting out rebounded by a smaller team. Signs of a poorly coached team. That will be the lasting image for the committee and should cost them a spot.
