Texas Basketball 2023-24

[CurlyDumps 4471]

23 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Crock Bunningham 

Right. The UNT transfer. I feel good about our chances.

 

 

[satyanash 14485]

Joe Cook: It's been a over a decade since the Longhorns made four consecutive NCAA tournaments. That could change Sunday

Quote

Since the NCAA Tournament field expanded to 64 teams for the 1985 edition of March Madness, the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball program has earned a spot in the field 29 times. Rodney Terry and his 2023-24 team are near certainties to receive an at-large bid and become the 30th Texas team in 40 seasons since tournament expansion to make the field. Terry will also likely help the program achieve a feat it hasn’t accomplished in over a decade. With an at-large bid, the Longhorns will have made four consecutive NCAA Tournaments. That’s something that hasn’t been done since Rick Barnes made 14 straight tournaments between 1999 and 2012.

Four straight selections has been accomplished on two other occasions outside of Barnes’ incredible run. Tom Penders made the tournament four straight seasons twice during his 10-year run as head coach of the Longhorns. His first streak started in 1989 when the Longhorns were an 11-seed, defeating Georgia Tech to advance to the second round before falling to Missouri. Then in 1990, the peak of BMW with Travis Mays, Lance Blanks, and Joey Wright, the Longhorns reached the program’s fourth Elite Eight and first of the 64-team era when they defeated Georgia, Purdue, and Xavier before falling by three points to rival Arkansas in the regional final. Texas reached the second round in 1991 and did not make it out of the first round in 1992.

A one year absence from the tournament in 1993 was followed up by another four-year postseason run. Penders’ Longhorns won opening round games in 1994, 1995, and 1996 but could not reach the second weekend. In 1997, the Longhorns topped 10-seed Wisconsin and 15-seed Coppin State, who had upset South Carolina in the third-ever 15-over-2 upset, before falling to Louisville in the regional semifinals. Penders would go 14-17 in 1997-98, and would be replaced by Barnes. The winningest head coach in UT history by almost 200 games appeared in 14 straight NCAA Tournaments to start his Longhorn tenure, establishing Texas as a basketball power in the 2000s.

Barnes’ historic run at Texas was headlined by a Final Four appearance in 2003, the only time Texas ever earned a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Barnes reached Sweet 16s in 2002 and 2004 and Elite Eights in 2006 and 2008. This four-year stretch of season from 2021-24 is unique compared to the three previous occurrences as three different head coaches will be responsible for the streak. Shaka Smart made the tournament during the 2020-21 season before his Longhorns bowed out in the opening round via an Abeline Christian upset. Smart would then take the Marquette job and be replaced by Chris Beard. In his first season in 2021-22, Beard led Texas back to the NCAA Tournament and earned the program’s first March Madness win since 2014.

In the 2022-23 season, Beard was fired in early January and Terry took over as acting then interim head coach. He guided the Longhorns to the program’s first Elite Eight appearance in 15 years and within a few minutes of Texas’ fourth ever Final Four.

Predicted to be in the tournament on all 96 of BracketMatrix.com’s gathered projections and a consensus eight-seed, the Longhorns must wait for their name to be called on Sunday during the tournament selection show. When they do, they’ll have reached a streak of four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances rarely achieved in school history.

 

[Js1 85337]

Just now, satyanash said:

streak of four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances rarely achieved in school history.

That is.... wow

[VinyVango 694]

I know we have choked away significant 2nd half leads this year … what’s the biggest 2nd half deficit we’ve come back from?

[shadow_operative 15932]

8 minutes ago, VinyVango said:

I know we have choked away significant 2nd half leads this year … what’s the biggest 2nd half deficit we’ve come back from?

down 56-50 with 13:44 left vs Baylor.

[Ignatius 4017]

So for all the bluster in this thread, anyone here (a) have season tickets and (b) going to Charlotte? I might have an extra ticket….

[tx 3 putt 76958]

 

[dcar00 14210]

4 hours ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

I see you left out top 25 meat judging...how convenient, whorn

[Tommy Shelby 188]

4 hours ago, dcar00 said:

I see you left out top 25 meat judging...how convenient, whorn

You leave us and our national championships alone

[tx 3 putt 76958]

Go get him ….

 

[tx 3 putt 76958]

[shadow_operative 15932]

[KingBobo81 535]

First time we have won our first round game in three straight years since 2007-09!

[Underdog 28633]

Must be nice. 

[Pancho 44803]

 

 

[jimmyjazz 45954]

Bye.

[Braff Zacklin 13573]

8 minutes ago, Pancho said:

Is there a limited window for this, i.e., now or never? Otherwise, odd not to finish out the season.

Regardless, best of luck and hope his game continues to develop.

[Js1 85337]

[HookEm 2467]

He is athletic and someone I thought might end up getting minutes by the end of his career. But really, we will be able to find better players through the portal. Best for everyone for him to move on to somewhere he can get minutes.

[Js1 85337]

10 minutes ago, HookEm said:

He is athletic and someone I thought might end up getting minutes by the end of his career. But really, we will be able to find better players through the portal. Best for everyone for him to move on to somewhere he can get minutes.

Just seems you no longer need those "development player who may play by his 3rd or 4th year" because they're just taking up a spot for a player from the portal.  See also: Johnson, Chris

[closetohumping 17442]

53 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Just seems you no longer need those "development player who may play by his 3rd or 4th year" because they're just taking up a spot for a player from the portal.  See also: Johnson, Chris

Idk. Sort of the UConn model right though I thought Johnson was highly rated. 

[CTC2 2797]

On 3/20/2024 at 11:15 AM, tx 3 putt said:

I was actually there that day.  Hard to find a reference point for others but it was super exciting at the time. 
 

[HookEm 2467]

1 hour ago, Js1 said:

See also: Johnson, Chris

I think he is a player you want to keep and develop.  He was a national top-50 player coming out of high school.  If he sticks around, I wouldn't be surprised if he was a contributor next year.