Barnes getting outcoached

Not trying to flame, love Rick and what he has done for the program but I think there is a legitimate question to ask. When has he ever beat a team seeded better than him besides Miss State in 02 in Dallas. To be fair, you have to factor in how brackets open up and the fact Texas has been very highly seeded his years at UT, but a fair question to ask IMO.
 
shoulda, coulda but not sure why we started the game off in man to man b/c once we started throwing in some zones, it kind of slowed them down. kind of.
 
we weren't outcoached... it's not Barnes' fault that dj had some nice dishes for easy layups in the first half, but our players dropped them. our front court is still rather thin in the experience department, and it showed at times today. it's also not Barnes' fault that our back court is, uh, height-challenged against certain opponents.

we all knew memphis overmatched us physically and that we'd need to play smart and skilled ball to stay with them. we didn't do that. we panicked early and starting forcing terrible shots, got in foul trouble, and couldn't catch up. stuff happens like that sometimes. i don't think Barnes was telling our players to take running three-pointers with hands in their faces.

we have the nucleus of a very good team coming back next year (a great team in the unlikely event both DJs decide to come back). we are still a rather young group. AJ--short but still a great shooter--Mason, Atchley. Pittman, Johnson (who was really blossoming until the damn injury). the improvement of Atchley this season was great, and Pittman could be a real force next year. Here's hoping guys like Wangmene and Gary Johnson undergo the same. Hopefully Matt Hill recovers from the injury. Hopefully incoming recruits and Balbay can contribute. I'm going to think about those possibilities and keep drinking until I forget this game.
 
Another BS comment from someone that is disappointed in the loss. I'm proud to have Barnes and this team played its heart out. Memphis is a better team and certainly deserved the 1 seed.

Thanks for a great season Horns.
 
Still a very good run for our team considering we're made up mainly of sophmores. We just ran into a better team that gave us big matchup problems. Should be a great year for the Final Four. Any of those teams could win it.
 
"Typical Barnes when he goes up against a better coach... "

Barnes' team beat UCLA, Kansas & Tennessee this season. Memphis' team was just flat out better than Texas.
 
sometimes talent and level of play out do any coaching from the sidelines - be impressed with memphis - they weren't just good this weekend - they were outstanding - if they continue to shoot like this, they can win it all - they are tall and athletic and have great depth - wasn't much we could do today and we have a great team - those of you who are questioning the coaching after a game like this, should go coach a few years of ball and then come back -this tournament has always been who is not only talented and good, but who can get hot at the right time and one has to give memphis their due - i bet they wish the final four started tomorrow
 
There are always the obligatory "blame Barnes" comments from several who know nothing about basketball. As usual, it took no time for one of them to come out with it.
Sad.
 
That's odd. I've lived in DC, Durham, Raleigh, and now the Bay Area and I have no clue what the "national criticism" of Barnes is.

Are you saying that folks say he can't coach defense? Haven't heard that.

Are you saying that he can't recruit? He recruits well for Texas.

No offense? I've seen fans here complain but no "national" criticism.

Don't overstate whatever your case is suppose to be. As a Dukie as well, I criticize Coach K a lot more than I criticize Coach B with regard to playing time etc., but I have absolutely no clue what other coaches can do a better job at Texas considering our unexcited fan base. 3 Elite 8's in 6 years is nothing to sneeze at.

Sometimes you run into a hot team that's a higher seed and you lose. Deal with it.

Based on the logic here, I guess Georgetown should get rid of Thompson because Curry's had a hot hand.
 
I understand where the frustration comes from, but...

They did their upsetting this year long before the tournament. That's how they got the two seed. If not, they're Michigan State, and they didn't get to this game. They probably don't beat Stanford either, if that's the way it fell.

They've never had a bigger win than at UCLA, unless it was beating Tennessee this year, or beating KU this year.

When you play the kind of schedule they play, you know what you have when NCAA time rolls around. It would have been great if they'd brought the threes and shot better today, but frankly, this is what I thought would happen at UCLA (and it didn't) or against KU (and it didn't).

This team got past all preseason expectations. It set school records. You shouldn't (IMO) be thinking about what it didn't do, but what it did accomplish.

That includes five S16s in seven years, which right now only Duke and KU have going. And 15 NCAA wins in those years, surpassed (as of this weekend) only by Kansas (18). [Texas, UNC, UCLA and UConn are tied, right now.]

JMO...
 
..agree with BIH. This team did VERY well this year. You guys need to remember that this is Barnes we're talking about, not Mack. The basketball team has always overachieved, not vice-versa.
 
Texas has been winning all year by using its speed and ball handling to stretch people on the perimeter and then get some penetration. This Memphis team was plenty fast and so what we do well did not work. A big man inside would help a lot.

We could not get a lot of good outside shots because they knew we were going to be ineffective inside because of their greater heighth and equal speed.

The better team won; it had nothing to do with coaching disparities.
 
I'm not sure how valid that "beat teams seeded higher than you" is, because I think this was only the fourth game since Barnes has been here Texas has played a team seeded higher than them in the tourney. Beating 3 seed Miss. State, losing to 2 seed Oregon, losing to 4 seed LSU and losing to 1 seed Memphis. That's not a whole lot to go on.

Which tends to happen if you're a successful team.
 
I'm not a big fan of jerwilliamz. I've never seen his handle on the basketball board until yesterday. He starts this thread, and at page 3 only two people agree with any aspect of his original post at all. So far he has failed to reenter the conversation he's generated.

To me this thread shows we have a very rational, reasonable outlook on Hornfans. That's what should be emphasized among us, not the very few outliers who are complaining because of what amounts to Texas losing to a better team.

There were no coaching adjustments to be made for this game. They killed us in man --- which was expected --- to start the game. They hit their shots when Texas went to the 2-3 zone. Texas turned the ball over 2 more times than Memphis. The Tigers outrebounded Texas --- although they didn't dominate the boards the way I thought they would.

They got better looks at the basket and knocked them down. Texas didn't shoot out of their minds the way they can and the way they needed to to win.

What will help is having better depth at guard so they don't have to be so careful about fouls on the perimeter, or getting gassed, and can be more aggressive up top. Barnes needs to emphasize the low post development. Both the big men need to be more comfortable with a back to the basket game, but in my mind, even more importantly, the guards need to become a lot more proficient with post entry passing. That's developed in the the early and middle parts of the season. Well, and the offseason.

I'd also like the 3 guard lineup to be used as a change of pace rather than the base offense. Move Damion James to the wing for 15-20 minutes per game. The three guard lineup can produce terrific matchups in the regular season and early in the tournament, but it produces severe vulnerabilities against the elite clubs.

I'll be interested to see what the 2008-9 roster looks like after the NBA draft deadline is reached.

By the way, both Matt Hill and Dogus Balbay are 100% recovered from what I can tell. Matt Hill participated fully in the shootarounds at both Little Rock and Houston, and from what I understand Balbay will be playing with one of the Turkish national teams this summer.

Texas is in on 3 elite, impact players in Evans/Hopson/Ebanks for the 2008 class, which means they'd be available for next season. They're also in on Jeff Taylor, who would increase the team's athleticism at the wing. In addition, they have J'Covan Brown coming in, and along with Dogus that would help provide plenty of depth in the backcourt.

If DJ and Damion stay, this will be Barnes most complete team since he's been at Texas, and I'd fully expect them to compete for a #1 seed and a Final Four appearance, with a possible national championship in store.
 
it was a good run by a good team that just came up against a better team. It sucks as a fan, but it's not like this year was a bust.
 
Good post, SLX! We went a long way with what we had, and things are looking up, not down.
 
One scholarship will be available for the 2008 class unless something happens.

It seems clear to me the coaching staff thinks something --- or somethings --- is going to happen. I have no idea what that something may be.
 
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