The Texas Longhorns traveled to Iowa State in hopes of keeping their dream of going dancing in the NCAA Tournament alive. The team led by head coach Shaka Smart walked away with more questions than answers. The team was playing without Jericho Sims inside who will likely miss the rest of the season, dark times in Austin right now.
Injury Bug
The Longhorns are dealing with the injury bug with Jericho Sims out the team had zero inside presence. Michael Jacobson and Soloman Young were able to take advantage in the paint. The duo combined for 38 points on 12-14 shooting. Jacobson came into the game averaging just over six points per game and finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Young averages 9.1 points and finished with 17.
Royce Hamm Jr was inserted into the starting lineup but early foul trouble sent him to the bench early on. He provided just one point and two rebounds in 18 minutes. Febres wasn’t able to go in the game but Kai Jones did return giving just three points off the bench. The Longhorns depth was exposed in this game. Matt Coleman played 20 minutes but was hobbling throughout the game. Courtney Ramey finished with a game-high 21 points to lead Texas.
Shaka Smart’s seat is red hot
The worst part about the game is that Smart’s future with the team is in serious jeopardy. The former VCU coach looked like a great hire before he came to Texas as the replacement for Rick Barnes. He led VCU to a Final Four appearance and with the resources at Texas, it seemed like he could get similar results in Austin.
The Longhorns are projected to miss the tournament for the third time in four seasons. The lone appearance in that stretch was a quick first round exit. In fact with Smart leading the team, Texas hasn’t gotten out of the first round. With this latest loss, Smart’s seat is as hot as liquid hot magma. This season likely ends the Shaka experiment and sends Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte back to the drawing board.
Another Poor Shooting Performance
Texas shot under 30 percent once again from the field and just 25 percent from three. At the same time they allowed Iowa State to shoot 57.1/40 in those same areas. A big reason for a 29-point loss to the Cyclones. Texas could defend and couldn’t shoot either. When those two things occur, it doesn’t matter who you play, you aren’t winning.
Texas now will host the TCU Horned Frogs up next. At this point it is increasingly difficult to watch this team to play basketball. As the seasons comes to an end in a few weeks, the Shaka Smart watch becomes the focus moving forward.
The question is just who will take over?