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Texas basketball 2020-21: Not even Shaka can fuck this up...right?

Goo Punch

By Goo Punch
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7KHorn

7KHorn 2631

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Bitterwhiteguy said:

Texas won its first conference tournament title since 1995. Whatever your feelings are about Shaka, celebrate the moment for what it is because it might be another 26 years before it happens again. Tonight is the time to party.

ill also be the first time since 1995 the Horns enter NCAAs on a winning streak - five games and counting.

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Steamboat1874
Steamboat1874

He is also the best college play by play guy in the country so fuck off.

UTexasFight
UTexasFight

If Craig Way outlives me, I want him narrating the opening to my memorial service: “The deceased, laying from left to right in your mind’s eye, wearing his home jersey today: All black coat, with a

Tailgate
Tailgate

Looks like we have an answer to the thread title.

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Js1

Js1 85527

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Posted
Just now, InkaUtexas said:

How did WVU get a three seed? Did not follow them this year, but thought they were knocked out of the B12 tournament early 

Truly do not know.

I'm fine if you want to give them a 3 seed, but they should not have been the top #3 seed.

WV - 7-7 Q1, 3-2 Q2 (10-9), 4th in the Big 12, 7-2 road record, 24 in NET
Arkansas - 6-5 Q1, 6-1 Q2 (12-6), 2nd in the SEC, 5-4 road record, 14 in NET
Texas - 8-6 Q1, 2-1 Q2 (10-8), 3rd in the Big 12, 6-2 road record, 21 in NET
Kansas - 7-8 Q1, 2-0 Q2 (9-8), 2nd in the Big 12, 4-6 road record, 11 in NET

The "advanced metrics" must just love the shit out of WV. From my eye, Arkansas or Texas both had good cases for #9, WV should have been #11 and KU #12. 

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ztejas

ztejas 43528

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1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Truly do not know.

I'm fine if you want to give them a 3 seed, but they should not have been the top #3 seed.

WV - 7-7 Q1, 3-2 Q2 (10-9), 4th in the Big 12, 7-2 road record, 24 in NET
Arkansas - 6-5 Q1, 6-1 Q2 (12-6), 2nd in the SEC, 5-4 road record, 14 in NET
Texas - 8-6 Q1, 2-1 Q2 (10-8), 3rd in the Big 12, 6-2 road record, 21 in NET
Kansas - 7-8 Q1, 2-0 Q2 (9-8), 2nd in the Big 12, 4-6 road record, 11 in NET

The "advanced metrics" must just love the shit out of WV. From my eye, Arkansas or Texas both had good cases for #9, WV should have been #11 and KU #12. 

Texas is 10-7 Q1,Q2 unless you pulled the records over wrong. 

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Js1

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Posted (edited)
20 minutes ago, Lobo said:

They went straight to Indy?  I know they knew they were getting a bid obviously, but seems like they'd come back to Austin for couple days. 

They have testing and quarantine requirements to meet in order to practice before Saturday’s game. 

Tested, 24 hour quarantine and then re-test before you can practice. Safer to go straight there, get your 24 hour quarantine over with and then start your game 1 prep 

Edited by Js1
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Bitterwhiteguy

Bitterwhiteguy 153

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13 hours ago, TheBryMan81 said:

Watching the Jay Bilas bracket special on ESPN now and Texas seems to be a trendy final four pick among a few of the staffers including SVP, Seth Greenberg, and Wilbon

Anecdotally, it seems like the expert picks from various places breaks down something like this:

60% Bama

25% Texas

15% Michigan or FSU

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Js1

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Posted
Posted
22 minutes ago, Bitterwhiteguy said:

Anecdotally, it seems like the expert picks from various places breaks down something like this:

60% Bama

25% Texas

15% Michigan or FSU

That's probably what I would put it at too, roughly.  Bama is very good, but Texas has the talent to go toe-to-toe with them.  Michigan is scuffling with the injury to Livers and then losing 3 of their last 5 and I don't know about FSU - the ACC seemed weak this year (I know they got 7 bids, but the avg seed is a 7.57, whereas the B1G and Big 12 are a 5.55 and 4.0, respectively) and they had it all wrapped up and then lost to UNC and ND and blew the regular season title, and then lost the title game to GT. 

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HookEm

HookEm 2467

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Came across an interesting trend today. In each of Shaka’s last 5 years, we improved on the win percent from the previous year.

2017 - 33.3%
2018 - 55.9%
2019 - 56.8%
2020 - 61.3%
2021 - 73.1%

Maybe this just reflects the maturation of this group of upper classmen. Or overall better roster management as we finally get some upper class depth at the guard positions and a balanced spread between classes.

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shadow_operative

shadow_operative 15932

Posted
Posted

it's definitely not that Shaka has gotten better at overall roster management. just look ahead to the bleakness that is next year's roster. we've improved year by year because the same group of guys has been together year by year. they all gone after the next game we lost though, and then it's *snap back to reality, oh, there goes another 20-loss season*.

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Slacks

Slacks 6859

Posted
Posted
Came across an interesting trend today. In each of Shaka’s last 5 years, we improved on the win percent from the previous year.

2017 - 33.3%
2018 - 55.9%
2019 - 56.8%
2020 - 61.3%
2021 - 73.1%

Maybe this just reflects the maturation of this group of upper classmen. Or overall better roster management as we finally get some upper class depth at the guard positions and a balanced spread between classes.
Nope. He should be fired. You know who improves every year? That's right, losers who suck at being the best from day one.

He set the bar so low that it's easy to improve. Can't fool me with that stat. FOH with improvement every year.

Wanna impress me? Win every game. Can't improve on 100%.
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shadow_operative

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Posted
Posted (edited)

also, improving year on year for five straight years where you reach a pinnacle of a 73% win% is a scathing indictment on Shaka as a coach. imagine hearing this when we hired him:

"you're going to look up in 2021 and see that Shaka has just finished his fifth consecutive season with a higher winning % than the season before." 

"Holy shit, what are we, like 30-4? 32-2? are we UNDEFEATED?!?!?!"

"19-7, and back in the tourney for the first time in three years."

giphy.gif?cid=5e214886ehp1v1ghdofjogfas2

 

Edited by shadow_operative
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HookEm

HookEm 2467

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Posted

I think we can all agree that if he improves on the success this year with an even better year next year, that will be a major accomplishment.

Once again, I’m much more optimistic about next year than Derka. We will very likely be starting 3 senior guards, plus 3 more juniors getting big minutes. That is a ton of returning experience for college hoops. We have had good success getting value out of young bigs, so maybe that will continue.

Who knows what we will pick up from the transfer portal or who decides to take advantage of the free 5th year.

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shadow_operative

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Posted
Posted (edited)

the more i think about it, the less sense it makes for AJ to return next year. i can't imagine AJ, with everything he and his family been through (including things which precede his cancer), wanting to be a 24 year old amateur basketball player who plays for free on a really bad team. if i were advising AJ I would absolutely have him playing in the G League or overseas next year. i would absolutely advise him to go pro. so just for shits and grins, let's see what that looks like:

 

Starting five:

Courtney Ramey

Tamar Bates 

Donovan Williams

Kamaka Hepa/David Joplin

Brock Cunningham 

 

Bench:

Hepa/Joplin

Emarion Ellis

Keeyan Itejere

 

thats it. that's our team next year if AJ leaves. even if he returns we will need to add a grad transfer (or three), and in light of all this it seems to be extremely poor roster management on Shaka's part letting Baker and Liddell go. i'm sorry, but i cannot see any way that we aren't absolutely dreadful next year with that roster and this coach. 

 

edit: the fact that Gerald Liddell and Will Baker would be automatic starters next year says it all. the fact that Shaka let them transfer in spite of this also says it all. 

Edited by shadow_operative
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shadow_operative

shadow_operative 15932

Posted
Posted
9 minutes ago, MotownHorn said:

I feel bad for any dead horses Derka ever comes across.

what is the point of this, or any of your posts? i'm in here responding to what people are posting, and you're in here posting about me, as usual. if you were banned from talking about me and/or Rick Barnes i'm not sure you'd ever even post here. you're a child. 

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HookEm

HookEm 2467

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Derka, what you posted is pretty much a worst case scenario for Texas next year and it is still vastly better than the 2017 squad with Tevin Mack and Shaq Cleare as the upper class “leaders”. Losing Taylor and Barnett killed that year.

I can’t really disagree regarding Andrew Jones on whether he should come back. But I think he will. And as I’ve said before, I also think Febres will come back and would have redshirted this year if it was necessary.

Losing Will Baker hurts a little, but he would have been a liability on this year’s squad. Let’s not forget he shot 27% last year. As a 7 footer. And the only way to keep him happy would have been to take away minutes from Sims, K Jones or G Brown. Also not sure who I would want Liddell taking minutes from this year either, but I absolutely wouldn’t want him getting the 18 mpg he got as a soph (while shooting 40% FG and 48% FT).

I think Hepa will surprise some people next year. He isn’t getting many minutes this year but his efficiency is much better and his per 40 stats are all up a lot. He will get a lot of time next year and another year of maturation will do him some good. Maybe we will see a Jason Klotz / Clint Chapman type senior year out of him.

I would love to see Royce Hamm back for another year. It seems unlikely, but he would help the team so much. Of course he is averaging 11+ fouls per 4 min, so even if he came back I’m not sure we could count on him for more than 15 mph.

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shadow_operative

shadow_operative 15932

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Posted (edited)

Shaka posted a Happy Birthday post to Hamm on IG and Hamm neither liked nor commented on it. That in and of itself wouldn't mean much, but combined with other recent events, it is clear that Hamm is not a fan of Shaka Smart, and i cant say that I blame him. Beyond Hamm saving Shaka's job and then getting benched, i've been told first hand from some of the Barnes/Shaka players about the head games that Shaka plays with guys who aren't "his guys", and i obviously suspect that this is also going on with Hamm. i cant see him returning. 

Also, as I said about Jase, while i would definitely like for him to return, he and his family's participation in Senior Night leads me to believe that he's going to move on as well.

That said, I, like you, think that Hepa has more skills and talent than what he's been able to show tot his point. However, where we differ is that I don't have any belief in Shaka Smart to develop those talents and skills, and i remained flummoxed to this day as to why Shaka straight up refuses to play so many of his players who could either help time now or later become starters for him. Hamm, Donovan, Liddell, Yancy, Barnett, Ibeh, Holland, and so on. Hepa should have already been getting minutes and carving out a role for himself, but that's not Shaka's MO. I can't imagine Hepa suddenly being ready to play 25+ mpg in the Big XII after having played so sparsely thus far. 

Edited by shadow_operative
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HookEm

HookEm 2467

Posted
Posted

I haven’t had much of a problem with Shaka’s rotations this year. For the most part, the games in the Big 12 have been very close. A few extra minutes for Hepa or Liddell could mean the difference between winning and losing.

At least with Hepa, he seems to have a great attitude through it all. He is always on the bench cheering for guys and encouraging. And when he actually got minutes against K-State he responded with 15 pts on good efficiency.

I think we disagree on Shaka’s development of players. Sims, Coleman, Ramey have shown steady improvement in their time here. Kai Jones has improved. Even Andrew Jones has developed well if you factor in his health issues.

I’m expecting some good growth from Brock and Hepa.

Anyway there will be plenty of time to discuss it all a month from now.

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