Longhorns Update: March Microcosm

The University of Texas Longhorns’ appearance in this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament was a microcosm of their season. It was as if someone had reduced their season – highlights and lowlights – to one 40 minute first round matchup against Cincinnati.

You didn’t need to watch the rest of the season, because lo and behold, it was all there in one game. The whole ugly roller coaster 2011-2012 season was on display.

Once again, the Longhorn Nation were left hanging in the balance, with far too many questions and very few answers.

To say that the Longhorns struggled against the Bearcats would be an understatement. Their 11:15 am start time was obviously just a little early for these late-rising Horns. They had a total of 17 points in the first half, and had a full 10:18 – yes, 10:18 - without scoring. There are plenty of high school programs that could have given the Bearcats a better game in the first half.

But that wasn’t out of the ordinary for this year’s Horns. Actually, it was pretty typical, regardless of the game start time. All season long, they tended to dig a big hole for themselves in the first half, then attempted to find their way out of it in the second half.

Fortunately, Texas went into half time down 31 – 17. It could have been far worse. It was a miracle that they were still in the game. Down by 14 points? That wasn’t uncommon all season.

Texas fans got excited when they started to inch their way back into the game. Texas fans also experienced yet another big let down when their beloved Horns – who appeared to have the game in hand – found a way to fall into a slumber in the final 2:00 of the game. This was a common occurrence - they had plenty of teams on the ropes this season, but couldn’t seal the deal.

They did win the second half 42 – 34. But Cincinnati made off with a 65 - 59 win, and the Horns headed back to Austin.

Looking back, I really don’t think that this Horns team should have ever made the tournament in the first place. Even once they were there, they played like it just wasn’t that important. Throughout the season and into the post-season, there didn’t appear to be a “do or die” mentality. It never materialized, even though there were plenty of opportunities. Against Cincinnati, there were at least 20 minutes of game time in which they were, for all intents and purposes, going through the motions.

Has complacency appeared on the Forty Acres? One has to wonder. Qualifying for the tournament, or maybe advancing to the second round, seems to be good enough anymore. There are 14 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, but what has this program accomplished since 2003 or 2004?

Coach Barnes is ultimately responsible, and using the excuse of “they just don’t listen to me” only lasts a short time. I suspect 2012 – 2013 will be an important season for the Longhorns in deciding Barnes’ fate with the program.

Photo credits: katerha