For three straight games, the Texas Longhorns have been faced with a must-win situation to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive, and for three straight games, Rick Barnes’ club has done just that; win.
After a heartbreaking loss against the Kansas Jayhawks in The Phog that could have gone either way down the stretch, Texas knocked off 14th-ranked Baylor and Kansas State to conclude their regular season. But in what was virtually a make-or-break game for the Horns’ in the first round of the Big 12 tournament, they cruised past Texas Tech as they continue to survive and advance.
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It could go without saying that this is a position the once glorified Longhorns should have never found themselves in, but the culmination of various injuries to key players, the inability to overcome in close matchups and the fact that Texas played in one of the most competitive conferences in recent memory made this unexpected outcome a reality.
In recent weeks, Texas has seen itself fall out of the field of 68, climb back into the “Last Four In” category of Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology and seemingly make themselves a lock for the Big Dance after an impressive showing against the not-so-impressive Red Raiders Wednesday night.
In an all-around solid showing – outside of the first seven minutes where Texas scored only seven points – the Longhorns played one of their best games in weeks. They had great ball movement and there was constant activity off the ball – as opposed to guys standing on the perimeter and waiting as they had done so often this season — which led to 17 assists on 25 made field goals.
Cameron Ridley dominated down low with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Isaiah Taylor did a tremendous job of running the show and making his teammates lives easier.
Texas C Cam Ridley: "First of all, a lot of credit to the guards for looking for me."
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) March 12, 2015
In a nutshell, Texas was just inside the bubble and after passing the eye test with flying colors in their first matchup in the Big 12 tourney, there shouldn’t be anything that will keep the Horns’ away from hearing their name called on Selection Sunday.
At this point, Texas is in complete control of their future. A third straight win should be enough to solidify their place in the field, but there’s always the possibility that an embarrassing loss in the second round of Big 12 tournament play raises some questions and tosses Texas back into the unfortunate category of the “Last Four Out.”
As for who the Longhorns play in Thursday’s quarterfinal matchup; well, the Iowa State Cyclones certainly aren’t the most favorable matchup for Texas, as they’ve already beaten the Horns in both of this season’s meetings, although, Texas gave itself a real shot at winning down the stretch in each game.
Sure, the Longhorns should already have their path paved to the NCAAs after three straight wins, but the only way to guarantee that luxury is to continue to survive and advance.
More from Texas G Isaiah Taylor: "We didn’t have the conference season that we wanted, but that’s fine. It’s winning time now.”
— Brian Davis (@BDavisUT) March 12, 2015
Next: College Basketball Rankings: Top 25 Teams In America
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