Maybe we aren't just that good

I do NOT mean in any way to have this interpreted as a shot at Rick Barnes, I love what the guy has done at Texas. But I'll say that Texas has a ton to offer as far as a college hoops program. We have great facilities, a very nice urban campus, a recruiting budget on par with the largest around, and the most attractive co-eds in the country imho. When someone says, well we are better than 98.7% of the nation, sure we are. But then you say we can't get coach K, and Roy Williams. I have to concur at present. But Coach K made coach K and Duke. Duke was nothing until coach K got there (apologies to 1980 NCAA runner-up Jay Bilas and Bill Foster). Similarly, Lute Olsen made Arizona and Jim Calhoun made UConn. My point, while veiled, is there is nothing holding Texas back from being like a Duke in basketball, apart from maybe a fanbase that is mainly apathetic about college hoops. Why the hell can't Texas become like a Duke or a UNC program? We have everything those schools do. Tradition starts somewhere and I strongly believe Barnes could get that done here at Texas. We are not far off. It just takes a national championship or two. I think Barnes can get that done. It maybe will take a more structured offense, or a Chris Paul-type point guard to lead this Sun-style offense in use currently, but there is no reason Texas needs to settle even for the top 2%. There is nothing at all preventing Texas from being the Duke of this millenium in college hoops. We just haven't done it yet.
 
Elface, I really can't understand how you read any criticism in my post, although I suppose I did set up that preconception with my first sentance. I simply stated that Texas should be one of the best, if not the best basketball program in the country. And, again, I think Barnes has taken steps to get us there, with the biggest hurdle still left, but very attainable. In that, I am not at all taliking about the current team. I am talking about the state of the program. The question in my mind remains, say if Barnes does win a couple of NCAA titles, and become a Hall of Fame coach. Do you think that Texas fans would turn around and embrace basketball with 80% of the passion with which we embrace football? I just get my dander up when someone says we cannot hope to get Roy Williams from UNC or Coach K from Duke. I concur at present. And I don't at all want to replace Rick Barnes with anyone, much less those guys. My point is, why the hell can't Texas become just as much a basketball dream job as like a Duke or a Carolina. I think the expectation of that not being a Duke makes it more so in reality. Anyway, I am not down at all on Barnes nor the current team. My goal for them all year has been to simply make the NCAA tournament. They are in good shape to achieve that.
 
I wasn't knocking where we are as a program, I was giving Barnes a complement. He is the best coach we could possibly get to coach here. There are probably only a handful of guys (less then 5) that I'd replace Barnes with if given the chance, and they are all at programs or in spots that are amongst the few that are better than us.

I'm thinking for this decade the only programs better than us, taken as a whole, are Duke, UNC, KU, Michigan State, Florida and UConn. Interestingly enough we've been better then Florida and UConn more years then they've been better than us, but when you win a national title that counts for a lot.

The only coach from that group above us I could see us possibly pulling, if we tried really hard, would be Bill Self. I don't think I'd make that trade as a longhorn, and I don't know that we could pull him, but I think we'd have a shot.

I don't know if I'd trade the sustained excellence we've had for a national title and otherwise mediocrity seen in programs like Syracuse and Maryland this decade. Neither coach built on what they did and they've been squarely on the bubble for most of their post championship years.
 
When Abrams struggles, so does Texas's offense...maybe in the long run, we would be better if he went pro...gald he stayed this year, we need him.
 
compared to the top 5 team in the country and the top team in the Big 12 everyone thought we were.

we got a shot

we will improve during conference play


but we are neither of the first things I mentioned.
 
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