It has been yet another disappointing season for the Texas Longhorns basketball team under fifth-year head coach Shake Smart. Smart joined the Longhorns after taking the Virginia-Commonwealth to team to the brink of a National Championship game appearance in the 2010-2011 season. After five-straight NCAA tourney appearances, he left the Rams for Austin.
The first year in Austin saw promise as the Longhorns finished 20-13 and fourth in the Big 12. That team was selected to play in the March Madness tournament but saw a quick exit. In the three plus seasons since, Texas hasn’t finished higher than sixth in the Big 12. During the second year of his Texas tenure the Longhorns failed to win more than four Big 12 games and just 11 overall.
The last two seasons have ended with identical 8-10 conference records, in 2018 they were once again booted from the tournament in the opening round. Last year they were invited to the NIT tournament which they won. Now as Texas sits at 14-7 overall with a Big 12 record of 4-4. Could they possibly make a run to get into the tournament ?
Well odds aren’t in their favor, Texas is tied with Oklahoma, Texas Christian and Texas Tech in the middle of the standings behind Baylor, Kansas and West Virginia. The Longhorns are winless against the top three with an average margin of loss at 20.7 points. Numbers slightly inflated due to the 38-point drubbing at the hands of West Virginia.
The Longhorns are currently 1-1 agains the teams in the middle of the pack as they are yet to play Texas Tech for the first time this year. As they were swept by the Red Raiders in 2018. For Texas the next three games will be a telling sign if they can compete for get an opportunity to reach the NCAA Tournament after missing out last year.
With Kansas, Texas Tech and Baylor on the schedule over their next three games, it doesn’t appear as though the Longhorns can do enough in season to earn a spot. ESPN’s Bracketology doesn’t have the Longhorns in the tourney at this point, it might mean that the Longhorns will have to do the impossible and win the Big 12 Tournament to earn an automatic bid to go dancing in March.