Tag: 2020-2021 season

NCAA Currently Exploring Four Potential Start Dates For College Basketball

NCAA Currently Exploring Four Potential Start Dates For College Basketball Four dates have been mentioned by the NCAA leaving many hopeful of College basketball this winter. Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire The NCAA has begun to plan a …

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NCAA Currently Exploring Four Potential Start Dates For College Basketball

Four dates have been mentioned by the NCAA leaving many hopeful of College basketball this winter.

Contact/Follow @HardwoodTalk & @MWCwire

The NCAA has begun to plan a college basketball start, but don’t hold your breath.

For those of us anxious for any sort of news regarding the 2020-2021 college basketball season, you can now rest a little easier with some newly published news regarding a proposed round of meetings and votes in the coming months.

As reported by Matt Norlander of CBS Sports on Monday afternoon, the NCAA is in the beginning stages of planning for a somewhat on time 2020-2021 basketball season with four potential dates announced.

The governing body has provided a timeline document to conference commissioners obtained by CBS Sports. A key element listed was four options for a college basketball start, placed on the table by the NCAA.

Option #1

First practices allowed: Sept. 29th

First Day of the season: Nov. 10th

Option #2

First practices allowed: Oct. 9th

First Day of the season: Nov. 2

Option #3

First practices allowed: Oct. 14th

First Day of the season: Nov. 25th

Option #4

First practices allowed: Oct. 24th

First Day of the season: Dec. 4th

Some other entities involved are the NCAA’s men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees and men’s basketball selection committee, which are holding their own meetings on Wednesday to discuss the aforementioned potential start dates and other items. Topics to be discussed should include other potential “start-of-season options not listed, the latest recommended models being shared with the NCAA’s Covid-19 Medical Advisory board, plus a myriad logistical questions, concerns and curiosities that exist with non-conference scheduling.” according Norlander’s report.

You can read the entire article here, but to give a cleaner representation of some key dates ahead I created some bullet points instead.

  • A tentative meeting between the men’s and women’s oversight committees is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 31st.
  • Hopefully a decision can be made on an actual start date for the upcoming season, with the first week of September seen as a target date for the NCAA to settle on some sort of model to bring to the Division I Council set to make a vote on.
  • That vote by the Division I Council will take place on Sept. 16th.
  • Proceded by a vote by the men’s and women’s basketball oversight committees.
  • That would be followed by a meeting being planned by the NCAA between themselves and the council on either Oct. 13th or 14th.

It’s nice to see the NCAA flex some power in the decision process involving basketball after being rendered ineffective when it came to any ideas at the FBS college football level.

Still nothing seems concrete at the moment, from dates on when to meet for further discussion to the video service to be used to do so, nothing is being promised.

Either way, the general consensus from folks around the country is to start the season somewhat as planned in 2020. Athletic directors and coaches debate, discuss and joke about the unknown start of college basketball and what it will look like.

At the moment no idea appears to be off the table but a frequently mentioned time frame from coaches appears to be a start right after Thanksgiving. With many on board with that idea given the anticipated lack of students and faculty on campus for the holiday break. Many are concerned with how individual campuses will respond to hosting games next season given already negative results of institutions welcoming students to campus the past couple of weeks.

Another option not to be left out of discussions is starting up come January, but that appears to be a discussion come later this fall. When some more time has elapsed and the situation as a whole can be looked at with more understanding.

This was actual news regarding the 2020-2021 college basketball season, which was nice. But there is a very baby steps sort of feeling to this, we’ll see.

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College football recruiting: Highly touted tight end commits to Texas

Texas landed a 6-foot-5, 225-pound tight end prospect out of Colorado on Monday.

Texas landed a 6-foot-5, 225-pound tight end prospect out of Colorado on Monday. Continue reading “College football recruiting: Highly touted tight end commits to Texas”

247Sports links Shaka Smart with Wake Forest job

Despite coming back to Texas for the 2020-2021 season, 247Sports have put Smart on their list for potential head coach hires at Wake Forest.

Shaka Smart has been on the hot seat for the past couple of seasons, needing to make the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns were on pace to make the big dance in 2020, but the coronavirus shut down the season, not letting it play out.

Shortly after the season was canceled, athletic director Chris Del Conte announced Smart would be back for the 2020-2021 season. It will be his sixth season in Austin, needing to make the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in his tenure.

Despite all of this, 247Sports have put Smart as the first name of their list for potential head coach hires at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons fired Danny Manning after losing seasons in five of his six years. His one winning season saw them losing in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Here is what 247Sports had to say about the potential hire:

It’s 2014 all over again, as Shaka Smart is once again being linked to the Wake Forest Basketball head coaching position. Is it still a dream hire for Demon Deacon fans? It might be tough to find a more qualified candidate. Smart has made the NCAA Tournament seven of his 11 years coaching, and led VCU to the Final Four in 2011. Of course, he’s still the coach at Texas, a massive school with an astronomical athletics budget and a sizable contract buy-out that goes along with that. The friendship between incoming Wake Forest athletic director John Currie and Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte could potentially bridge that gap, however. Del Conte has already announced that Smart will return for the 2020-21 season, and the Longhorns played reasonably well down the stretch last season.

If Del Conte was not willing to pay the buyout back in March, there is no reason he would do it today. Especially if it meant Smart was going to be coaching elsewhere. Texas would then be left without a head coach during an awkward time in the sports world.

While he is on the hot seat and needs to perform, Smart will be staying in Austin, Smart should be in place for the 2020-2021 season. Returning all of their talent next season, the Longhorns are set to have a good season. Possibly the best team Smart has assembled during his time as head coach.

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Texas to open the season against Louisiana

Texas will open the 2020-2021 season against Louisiana. Scheduled to play November 10, the game will be played at the Frank Erwin Center.

According to Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com, Texas will open the 2020-2021 season against Louisiana. Scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 10, the game will be held at the Frank Erwin Center. It will be the fifth consecutive season the Longhorns will begin in Austin.

This will be the fifth time the programs have played each other but the first  since the 1999-2000 season. Despite a 2-2 record in the series, Texas has won the past two games, 1987 and 1999. The Ragin Cajuns snagged victories in 1972 and 1980.

Under Shaka Smart, the Longhorns are 4-1 in season openers. All but one have been against non-power conference schools, including Incarnate Word, Northwestern State, Eastern Illinois and Northern Colorado. The one loss came in his first season, playing against Washington in China.

Texas’ non-conference schedule is slowly rolling out. The Longhorns are scheduled to face Gonzaga and Villanova at home and take part in the Maui Invitational.

With Greg Brown committing on Friday, the Longhorns’ expectations for the 2020-2021 season have gone up. Even with another tough nonconference schedule, Texas will be expected to perform next season.

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Texas to face Villanova in Big East-Big 12 Battle

Texas’ opponent in the annual Big East-Big 12 challenge will be Villanova. This will be the fourth career matchup between the two schools.

Texas’ non-conference schedule continues to get filled, adding their opponent in the annual Big East-Big 12 challenge. After going on the road and losing to Providence in 2019, the Longhorns will now get to play host to Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats.

Texas and Villanova have played each other three times in their respective histories, all coming since 2006. The Longhorns have been ranked in all three games, having a 2-1 overall record against the Wildcats. Texas defeated Villanova in their last matchup, 67-58, at Madison Square Garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOjlwZinB2w

As for the upcoming matchup in the 2020 season, the Wildcats are once again expected to have one of the best teams in the country. Star point guard Collin Gillespie, who averaged 15.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game last season, is expected to return and continue to be one of the best players in the country.

Villanova won a share of the Big East regular-season title in 2019-2020 and was expected to be a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament before it was canceled due to the coronavirus.

Here is the full slate of games for the Big East-Big 12 Battle:

While the entire non-conference schedule has yet to be announced, the Longhorns already having a tough slate. To go along with Villanova, Texas added Gonzaga back in March and will be participating in the 2020 Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

Alabama, Davidson, Indiana, North Carolina, Providence, Stanford, and UNLV will be joining the Longhorns on the islands.

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Texas a six-seed in way-too-early 2021 Bracketology

ESPN projects UT to be a six-seed in the East region for the 2021 NCAA Tournament. It would be the second six seed for UT under Shaka Smart.

The 2019-2020 college basketball season never got the ending it deserved, with most conference tournaments and the NCAA Tournament getting canceled due to COVID-19. To make up for it, Joe Lunardi has released his way-too-early Bracketology for the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Lunardi projects Texas to not only make the tournament but to be a six-seed in the East region. If his projections are correct, it will be the second time Shaka Smart has been a six-seed during his time in Austin, with the first coming in 2016.

The Longhorns would get no easy matchups throughout the bracket as teams such as Villanova, Ohio State, West Virginia, Michigan State, LSU, and Duke also make up the East region. Texas would also face the winner of a First Four game, which Lunardi projects to be former conference rival Colorado and the SEC’s South Carolina.

As usual, major conferences make up a big chunk of the field, with the Big 12 having seven representatives in the tournament. Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and West Virginia all make the cut, with the Bears and Jayhawks coming in as two-seeds.

If 2019-2020 was a down year for the Big 12, 2020-2021 will be a swing back to reality. Kansas and Baylor are expected to continue their dominance, while schools such as Texas Tech and even Oklahoma State are expected to take a step up.

Texas must adjust and raise the bar as well. Returning 100% of their production will help, but Smart’s squad must show up consistently throughout the season. If they can, a six seed in the NCAA Tournament could be on the cards.

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Texas Basketball: What does success look like in 2020?

With Shaka Smart returning for the 2020-21 season, what does success look like for the Texas Longhorns?

The Texas Longhorns’ athletic director Chris Del Conte recently announced that head coach Shaka Smart will be returning for the 2020-21 college basketball season. This was big news on the Greg Brown recruitment front as it had been reported multiple times that if Smart was out so was he. So with his retainment, Brown still has Texas in his top five schools. 247 Sports crystal ball predictions have the Longhorns at 90 percent to land his recruitment. The Longhorns could use his athletic ability inside.

So what does success look like for the Texas men’s basketball team in 2020?

Rob Ferguson-USA TODAY Sports

It starts with the Longhorns putting together another solid non-conference together. During the 2019-2020 basketball season, the Longhorns were able to put together some wins but losses against Providence, Georgetown and Louisiana State. Those hurt their tournament chances especially after beating a top 25 Purdue team early on. Teams can’t make the tournament during non-conference play but they can certainly make it a lot tougher down the stretch.

The Longhorns need to find a way to capture their late season magic from the 2019 campaign where they won five of their final seven games to capture the third best conference record. Texas needs to be more consistent in the next year and not sit back a hope for another late season push. Smart needs to coach with a sense of urgency and the players need to play that way. The seat will still be hot in 2020 so no need to get complacent. However, success for the Texas Longhorns is more than just doing well in conference play.

The Texas men’s basketball must make it to the big dance in March for the season to be considered a success. Not just making the tournament and exiting on the opening weekend. Under Shaka Smart, the Longhorns have failed to see the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The team hasn’t moved onto the third round since 2013-14 or seen a regional final since 2007-08. Both of those came under Rick Barnes.

So quite simply, for the Texas Longhorns and Shaka Smart to have success in 2020-21 they must advance to the round of 16 to really feel like they are building the program back to where it once was during the Barnes era. It is likely the only way that Smart coaches in Austin beyond next season.

Texas sticking with Shaka Smart for the 2020-2021 season

Chris Del Conte announced Texas will be keeping Shaka Smart for the 2020-2021 season. Smart has three years left on his contract.

Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte spoke with the Austin American-Statesman on Friday and said Shaka Smart is “our coach.” Smart will now get the opportunity to coach the Longhorns for a sixth season, the same amount of time he was coach at VCU.

“Nothing’s changed. We won five of the last six down the stretch, finished third in the conference. We have a good team coming back. Nothing’s changed on my end,” said Del Conte.

Going into the 2019-2020 season, Smart was already on the hot seat as Texas had only made the NCAA Tournament twice under his tenure. Even when in the tournament, the Longhorns have failed to make it past the first round, losing to Northern Iowa in 2016 and to Nevada in 2018.

In the middle of February, it looked as if Smart was going to be fired at the end of the season, with Texas struggling in the Big 12. Lucky for him, the Longhorns turned it around, winning five out of their last six games, including victories against Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Being in position to make the 2020 NCAA Tournament with a Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal win against Texas Tech, nobody will ever know what will happen as the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As of now, Smart’s contract has three more years on it, running through the 2022-2023 season. Back in 2015 was he was hired, Smart signed a seven-year, $21.7 million contract.

To keep his job after this season, the Longhorns must at minimum replicate their standing in the Big 12, but more than likely do better. Third place in the conference sounds nice, but going 9-9 and getting third place via tiebreakers does not sound as great.

100% of Texas’ production next season is returning so Smart should pick up right where they left off. Guard play from Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey, and Andrew Jones were exceptional down the stretch.

Mix in Jase Febres, Gerald Liddell, Jericho Sims, and Kamaka Hepa all returning from injuries and the Longhorns’ outlook look positive for next season.

Smart must now take advantage of it and make (and advance) in the 2021 NCAA Tournament to save his job.

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Texas Basketball Recruiting: three-star guard releases top six schools

Nebraska three-star guard has released his list of six schools. Did the Texas Longhorns and Shaka Smart make the cut?

Donovan Williams, a three-star guard out of the state of Nebraska has narrowed his list to just six schools. Texas was among the six, the full list is below. Crystal ball predictions have him locked into Oklahoma State. Williams was scheduled to visit the University of Texas on April 10th. The Longhorns are still awaiting their first commitment of the 2020 class.

RATING

Stars Overall State Position
247 3 185 2 36
Rivals – 128 – 27
ESPN 4 – 1 23
247 Composite 3 148 2 28

Vitals

Hometown Lincoln, Nebraska
Projected Position shooting guard
Height 6-5
Weight 190

Recruitment

  • Offered
  • scheduled visit for April 10, 2020

Offers Include:

  • Kansas
  • Kansas State
  • Oklahoma
  • Oklahoma State
  • Oregon
  • Texas A&M
  • Wisconsin

Film

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College basketball’s way-too-early top 25 teams for the 2020-21 Season

With the season now over, all attention has been turned to the 2020-2021 season. The USA TODAY has even released a way-too-early top 25.

Texas ended the 2019-2020 season on a hot streak, winning five out of their last six games. Going into the Big 12 Tournament, they would have had the opportunity to make the NCAA Tournament with a win against Texas Tech.

With the season now over due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all attention has been turned to the 2020-2021 season. The USA TODAY has even released a way-too-early top 25 for next season.

Here are the rankings:

  1. Gonzaga
  2. Baylor
  3. Virginia
  4. Kentucky
  5. Creighton
  6. Duke
  7. Iowa
  8. Wisconsin
  9. Florida State
  10. Texas Tech
  11. Oregon
  12. Villanova
  13. Kansas
  14. Tennessee
  15. San Diego State
  16. Michigan
  17. West Virginia
  18. North Carolina
  19. Michigan State
  20. UCLA
  21. Houston
  22. LSU
  23. Florida
  24. Oklahoma State
  25. Arizona State

Also considered: Indiana, Northern Iowa, Colorado, Purdue, Texas, Southern California, Rutgers, Illinois, Louisville, Connecticut.

Unfortunately, the Longhorns just miss out of the top 25, falling behind four other Big 12 schools. However, they should find their way ranked at some point next season, as Shaka Smart has the looks of a contender in the conference.

Nobody from this year’s roster is expected to depart for next season, barring any transfers. Star guards Matt Coleman, Courtney Ramey, and Andrew Jones should be back, ready to lead Texas towards the top of the Big 12.

If the Longhorns can add five-star forward Greg Brown, they could even become a favorite to make it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

Texas may not be ranked right now, expectations should be high for 2020-2021.

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