Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Longhorns will face one of the hottest teams in the first round…
While Texas was projected to be a No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament for the majority of the season, their recent struggles with dropping five of their last eight games bumped them down to a No. 6 seed on Selection Sunday. Continue reading “Social media reacts to Texas’ seeding in the NCAA tournament”
Chris Beard’s squad will need to play its best basketball of the season to make a run in the tourney.
The Longhorns are going dancing in Chris Beard’s first year as the head coach. Texas was selected as the No. 6 seed in the East Region of the NCAA tournament.
The East Region is widely considered as one of the tougher sides of the bracket. Baylor, Kentucky, Purdue and UCLA are all teams that can compete for a national championship.
The East Region!#SelectionSunday #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/11GdNAQW37
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 13, 2022
Awaiting Texas in the first round of March Madness is red-hot Virginia Tech. The Hokies are coming off winning the ACC tournament, collecting wins over Duke, North Carolina and Notre Dame in the process.
Texas has proven over the course of the 2021-2022 season they can compete with any team in the country, but the lack of consistency held the Horns back all year. Beard’s squad will need to play its best basketball of the season to make a run in the tourney.
Here is Texas basketball’s ceiling and floor in the NCAA tournament:
Chris Beard ranks as the second-highest paid Big 12 coach but how high is he on the list across the college basketball landscape?
The Texas Longhorns and athletic director Chris Del Conte are no strangers to making a splash in coaching hires. Following the dismissal of Karen Alston, CDC hired Vic Schaeffer from Mississippi State. Then he fired football coach Tom Herman in favor of former USC Trojans head coach Steve Sarkisian.
The latest move was hiring Chris Beard from Texas Tech. Beard spent five seasons in Lubbock after coaching there for 11 years as associate head coach under legendary Bobby Knight and his son Pat Knight.
After watching the Red Raiders climb into the upper echelon of college basketball, the administration brought Beard back to his alma mater to turn their program around. But what did it cost?
According to the salaries released in the USA TODAY Sports database, Beard is indeed high on the list.
Beard was furious with Texas’ showing against TCU in the Big 12 tournament.
Texas’ men’s basketball team has continued their downward spiral, and the wheels on the wagon seem to be getting awfully loose prior to the March Madness tournament which starts next week.
The Longhorns started the season ranked No. 5 in the nation, but have since been majorly exposed by teams with good shooting, athleticism, and a big man down low.
Throughout the season, Texas has rarely seemed to click. Early on it was understandable due to the new faces from the transfer portal learning to play together, but with the first round of the NCAA tournament in six days, it still looks like this team doesn’t mesh.
To make matters worse, Texas would have loved to win the conference tournament, or at least make a deep run in it to build some confidence.
However, they found themselves on the wrong side of the result after blowing a 20-point lead to TCU, losing their fifth out of their last eight games. Head coach Chris Beard was irate in his postgame press conference, calling out his team and their mindset.
#Texas head coach Chris Beard did not mince words after his team's stunning #Big12 Championship exit.
"I think we've got a bunch of guys that think they have all the answers, but they really don't."#HookEm | @KVUE pic.twitter.com/xCxWpzWyi9
— Tyler Feldman (@TylerFeldmanTV) March 10, 2022
According to ESPN’s bracketology expert Joe Lunardi, the Longhorns are currently projected as a No. 5 seed. If they show the inability to consistently score like they did against TCU and are unable to defend, it will be another early exit for Texas no matter what their seed is.
Beard is now 1-5 in the Big 12 tournament, sending fans into a frenzy.
After the departure of Shaka Smart, Texas fans felt a renewed sense of hope when the program landed Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard. Continue reading “Social media reacts to Chris Beard’s Big 12 tournament struggles”
Texas finished the regular season ranked for the second year in a row.
Despite ending the season on a two-game losing skid, Chris Beard’s Longhorns stayed in the final AP Poll Top 25 of the regular season.
This marks the second year in a row Texas finished the regular season ranked in the top 25.
Here is a full look at AP Top 25 that was released on Monday.
Texas came in at No. 22 along with three other Big 12 schools in Texas Tech (No. 14), Kansas (No. 6) and Baylor (No. 3).
The 2021-2022 season did not live up to lofty preseason standard but was still one of the better seasons Texas has seen over the past decade. The Longhorns are safely in the NCAA tournament and are looking to make a run.
Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.
Can Texas pull off back-to-back sweeps over Kansas?
No. 21 Texas will travel to face No. 6 Kansas for the final regular season game on Saturday. Continue reading “How to watch, listen and stream No. 21 Texas vs. No. 6 Kansas on Saturday”
Can Texas make noise in March?
Chris Beard’s Longhorns are still garnering some national hype ahead of the most important part the of the college basketball season.
Texas’ basketball season has been an odd experience to say the least, as the team has managed to win over 20 games for the first time since the 2018-19 season, and have a prime opportunity to win the Big 12.
At the same time, there are moments when the team and even Beard to an extent are trying to figure out how to work together, and what works best for the team.
The Longhorns struggle when other teams have a good big man, like Gonzaga’s Drew Timme, or when teams like Texas Tech ramp up the defensive pressure. The Longhorns are far from an offensive juggernaut, but they do defend well, which will bode well in the conference and March Madness tournament.
247Sports posted their picks for teams that they view as sleepers for March Madness, and three of their experts have Texas as the Big 12 sleeper.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CaVvwCirJT1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
The Longhorns currently hold the No. 5 scoring defense and are No. 21 in turnover margin, which means they will need to keep forcing other teams to give the ball up and not give it up themselves.
If Texas can be more consistent on offense they truly have a chance to make a deep run in March.
Texas mounts a second half comeback to win a crucial Big 12 matchup.
No. 20 Texas caught fire in the second half to complete the season sweep of in-state rival TCU on Wednesday.
It was a night where Texas was held to just 1-14 from three-point range and trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half. The Longhorns used clutch play from Andrew Jones and Marcus Carr to extend Texas’ win streak over the Frogs to seven games.
Texas used a 14-2 run sparked by this excellent defensive play from Christian Bishop to start the massive comeback.
GET. THAT. OUTTA. HERE.#HookEm x @Chris_Bishop32 pic.twitter.com/k6rHqc0fO6
— #20 Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) February 24, 2022
Bishop’s play was vital for Texas as Tre Mitchell is still taking a leave of absence from the team. The big man finished with 10 points, five blocks and five rebounds.
Marcus Carr put the game away for good on this dagger of a step-back jumper.
Marcus Carr. That's the tweet. pic.twitter.com/PXVV1j7sas
— #20 Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) February 24, 2022
Up next for Texas is a road trip to take on West Virginia. The Longhorns took care of the Mountaineers 74-59 in their first matchup back in Jan.
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Texas looks to bounce back at home against TCU.
No. 20 Texas will look to bounce back from their loss to No. 9 Texas Tech as they host the TCU Horned Frogs on Wednesday.
A win would go a long way towards TCU’s NCAA tournament resume. The Frogs are coming off a 10 point win over West Virginia.
Texas dominated TCU in the first matchup between the two in front of a record crowd in Fort Worth. Timmy Allen and Courtney Ramey paced the Horns to a 73-50 victory.
Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen are two guys who need to play well for Texas to repeat that performance against TCU. Carr and Allen combined for just six points in the loss to Texas Tech. The Longhorns operate at their best when those two play well.
Here is how to tune in for Wednesday’s Big 12 matchup:
When: Wednesday, Feb. 23, 6:00 p.m. CT
Where: Frank Erwin Center (Austin, TX)
TV Channel: ESPN 2
Radio: Longhorn Radio Network – 104.9 The Horn
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.
