Say we're 11-2...

Horns11

Horns11

10,000+ Posts
Imagine we get to fix the results of our "bad stretch" games against NU, KSU, and MU. We magically alternate scores with us winning close games instead of losing close games. I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility. A few shots here and there... a few misses by Clemente... better rebounding on the defensive side, and we're sitting pretty.

So we're 11-2 and 22-5. Are we that good?

We'd be in talking about the difference between 2/3 seeds in the NCAAs. Instead we're talking about the difference between a bye/non-bye in the first round of the Big 12 tourney and whether we'll get a 7 seed in the dance.

I think this conversation has a couple of levels. Why didn't we win close games? And even if we DID win them, are we really a good enough team for the spotlight?

We'd probably be ranked about 7-10 instead of 25. I honestly don't think this team is a 7-10 team right now, but the record/stats wouldn't indicate it. Could we somehow get "better" over the final month of this season and prove that we actually belong there?

I think the answer lies in guard play. James is James and will take the shots, no matter how ill-advised they are. Pittman will continue to get his 17 minutes, but can't handle it if he fouls early. But if Balbay, Abrams, and Mason have it together, we're pretty much one of the most dangerous teams in the country.

The game yesterday showed a regression from what we're capable of doing to teams like Tech. It was kind of similar to the KSU game, except we came out on top. This has been an odd season, and I was wondering what people would think if we "looked" better than we are right now.
 
We cant even make a damn free throw....and please no - "Memphis almost won it last year with horrible free throw shooting." Memphis had many more other weapons than we have.

If we could just shoot better free throws, we might be 11-2. Balbay, WTF!? These europeans usually shoot at a high percentage.
 
I call crap on the original premise.

This team has won close games in conference.

Baylor in Waco was a 2 point lead inside of a minute.

OU led with less than 4 minutes to go and was within 1 needing only to secure a defensive rebound with 20 seconds to go to have a chance to win.

Tech was down only two with 4 minutes to go.

You might as well ask why didn't Texas lose those three games too and be wondering if it needs a couple of more wins for an NIT berth.
 
Say we're undefeated......what then?

There's no sense in playing the what if scenario. We are what we are.
 
This is a year where Texas isn't very good and luckily the majority of the country is just awful. Just some really bad basketball this year. I think it was GerryH that made the point that there is really no different between the 3 through 6 seeds this year. You've got some elite teams and you've got some teams that aren't very good at all.
 
"I call crap on the original premise"

It's a premise. I wasn't saying we SHOULD have won those games, I was asking what would people think if we HAD.

Going the other direction (losing our close games that we won) wouldn't warrant any discussion because we might not even be NIT-bound. Same thing for saying "what if we were undefeated."

I was saying that as a team that would have a nice record, but is still the same team, how would people feel differently about us?
 
But your premise is that Texas didn't win close games. That's false. Texas just didn't win ALL the close games. Texas is winning about half of them, including some of the OOC games (UCLA, Wisconsin, and even Texas State, in which Texas led by only 2 with less than 5 minutes to go).

Basically, by positing a premise that Texas wins ALL the close games, you ask us to assume Texas is a much better team than it really is.

Dream on. I didn't even mention before about needing overtime against a really crappy CU team.
 
I think we'd need to lose out at this point to land in the NIT. Losses to OSU, Baylor, Kansas, and 1st round of Big 12 tourney.
 
Damn, Oklahoma State won by 21 at Boulder? You got to hand it to their coach Ford. We absolutely pole-axed them in Austin and since that time they have really come on strong. pretty darn resilient team. Hopefully if they beat us, they can also beat Kansas State up there.
 
This team is tough to watch.
We have some very good players but to watch Pittman catch a lob pass and then bring it down to his knees so the defenders can strip it, drives me crazy.
Don't get me wrong - he has made more good plays than bad, (so has everyone else, for that matter) but if we want to make a serious run, our bigs need to play strong and smart.
Balbay is a work in progress and will only get better, but we just make too many little mistakes that we can't get away with against solid teams. And since the Notre Dame game - we are terrible at defending the 3. This a big reason why we blow leads.

Thats my worthless opinion.
 
I haven't kept up with OSU's record lately and was surprised to see them at 18-9, 7-6. Damn, they are nipping at our heels.
 
It's unbelievable how badly Baylor is playing right now. They're the worst team in the Big 12. Talent wise, they're quite good, but their team chemistry, execution and energy level are pathetic.

I consider a win against them on Monday night a virtual given.
 
Texas has a few guys on their team that are pretty good but they also have some do not seem to fit and do very little when they play. Very bad shooting team and that is hard to hide. This will be a good season if they get to the tournament and win one game.
 
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