Texas vs Kansas in Austin

UTFan – I just don’t read the comments of some posters anymore. They’re like the neighbors barking dogs. Fortunately there are not that many here, and you always know when to avert your eyes.

That was a pretty poor first 30+ minutes……The poor start seems to have become a theme for some reason over the last couple of seasons. You can see the team thinks they are playing hard, and it feels to them like they are playing hard, but the energy just isn’t there. I wish that they would go to a press sooner, and almost don’t care at all about the circumstances. That full-court press consistently seems to get them going. I would risk tired legs, fouls, and easy baskets for a few minutes, or off and on, very early in the game in the interest of finding the intensity they need.

I said way back there somewhere that we would find out about this team after they got knocked down. Kansas knocked them down last night in a way that Stanford and Tennessee didn’t accomplish. It was ugly. Let’s see how they respond and if this can be turned into a positive.

There were some very interesting exchanges on the Texas bench during that game. Most of them I’m not even going to repeat. One that made me kind of laugh was when Coach G yelled at Yvonne – who was not even in the game at the time – “Don’t you EVER get into foul trouble again.” Kansas really exposed our lack of depth at guard…….And that third foul on Yvonne wasn’t – she intentionally never touched the shooter. The ref next to the play didn’t call anything. The one across the floor, who had some other spotlight moments during the game, called what she expected to see. She couldn’t have seen contact from her angle even if it had happened.

But, it wasn’t about the refs. It was a poor effort. Lack of energy, defensive breakdowns, poorcareless passing, missed open shots….I lost some hair. And, I don’t have much left to lose.

On the bright side they almost erased a 20+ point deficit in the last six minutes. I’m not sure if that makes me feel better, or more frustrated.

Regardless, it is what it is. What matters is what you do with it. Let’s see what this team can do with a little adversity. As UTFan said, it could become a huge positive if used properly.
 
Tempest if you cant see that KU has improved greatly from last year then you dont know basketball! Just because its the same kid doesnt mean that they are the same player. I know for a fact that Engleman and Goodrich have grown leaps and bounds. I also look for Goodrich to make waves and potentially be an All big 12 player. She has aquired a 3 point shot that she didnt have last year. Her defenders used to be able to play off of her because she couldnt shoot, now that she has that ability she can put her quickness on full display and show her driving ability. Im glad these posts will live on forever because I will be the first to point out those who have counted out the horns after game 1. Because no one other than BU will lose less than 3 games in league play, it just so happens that we got one of ours today. And anyone who thinks we arent better than Oklahoma clearly hasnt seen them play this year.
 
I am getting to the point, to understand why we are starting to see a lot negative comments from the Texas fans. GG is in her 5th year! At the start of the season, I had Texas in the TOP 15 in the Nation. As I watch them as the season went on. I kept saying, something is not right with this team still. Well I got that answer last night. This is the second time, this type of incident has happen.But this time, was just a lil bit too much! Players when you are on the floor or the bench paid attention to what you are doing. Your fans are look right at you!
I am a Softball Coach. And I tell my players, a team is like a puzzle. Everybody brings a piece! Worry about what you are not bringing. Instead focusing on the player that is getting the spotlight, for working hard on their game.

Chemistry - I really thought it was going to be good this year. But we lack chemistry!

Captains - are suppose to be leaders. Not bullies!

Until Texas learn to be a team. And stop focusing on,who is getting the spot light! We are just spinning our wheels again this year. I have been a fan since 1982. I cant not believe what I seen last night. 2 Seniors which are CAPTAINS and a sophmore. I will tell you this. I am embarassed as fan. And embarassed for Texas. Its in all the newspapers. OMG!

Worry about what you are not doing.
Hookem;
 
That was a disappointing loss. Not so much that they lose as the way they played the first 32-34 minutes. That was the worst 30+ minutes I have seen them play. The way they played the last few minutes was the way I had expected them to play all game long. So, they will learn from this or they will implode. I expect they will learn. They have 17 more games to show that they have done so. I do feel that, if the Horns had managed to get the game to OT, they would have won it going away.

Well, time to move on and find out what effect this game has on them Saturday. They have two tough road games coming up before meeting Baylor. The team has talked about never giving up. They showed that late Wednesday night. Time to find out if that carries over to the start of the game. They showed that spirit against Cal and Michigan State. They will need to bring it the rest of Big 12 play. At least, we will get a chance to watch the games through the OSU all access channel and FS SW for the A&M game.
 
utfannforlife do not take my comment the wrong way! I am making a statement about what I seen last night, not the season. Once again I pick them to be in the TOP 15 in the nation. I want the players to realize, we are watching them. Thats it!
Hookem'
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Carolyn Davis out with an injury last year? I do believe she is a pre-season All-American, and having her healthy just MIGHT make a little difference in how good the Jayhawks are this year.
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Even that questionable trip to Europe this past summer didn't help the team chemistry. What a joke! Bullies have no place on any team!
 
I don't have a problem with players getting frustrated with one another. That kind of stuff happens all the time, and frankly, I would expect them to be frustated with their performance. Perhaps they used it as motivation to fuel their comeback, but you don't get any rewards for coming back unless it results in a win. Agree 100% that their play at the end is what we need to see for a full forty minutes. But it's just one game in a long season. Let's go Horns, put it behind you and come out stronger next time!
 
Dino my comment was not directed at you and I will clarify in the future. And I've never coached softball so i can't comment on what type of dynamics it takes to build a successful team. But as a basketball coach I absolutely loved what I saw from AG, as a captain someone needed to light a fire under Chas' butt and she did that! CF scored all 12 of her points following that "conversation" it's all about accountability and that shows me that they team knows no one is above getting yelled at if they don't bring their A game. The coach can't do everything, if the players don't take ownership then the team will fall apart. I love the fight in this team and I know they will end being the most successful of the 5 teams in the past.
 
Good Point utfanforlife.
I want the best for them!
And I really expect more out of the Seniors too.
And we got to get the ball to C.Reed and AG morer!
18 points combine! They can give us 34 points!
Lets bring some energy against Okla St.
They are going to be tough too!
If we just bring the traps and press early in the game. We will win every game. We wait to late!
Hookem'
 
Well I wish AG and Chas would of had that shouting match 1 minute earlier...we might of won the game.

So whose the bully? AG? I'm trying to piece together what everyone is saying. Stop using code and just say it. LOL!!!

If AG is the bully so what. She can't make layups and cheapies around the basket. So she needs to be in the gym too and I would call her on the carpet. Looks like the difficult conversations AMONG the players are FINALLY happening. Good!

In my group of friends I'm the one that is clueless on how to speak politically correct/sugar coat topics/ etc. It's good and bad and I've hurt many feelings but at the end of the day and after the dust settles they're glad I tell it like it is. Sometimes it turns into an argument and hurt feelings. Believe me they get me too. But then it's out there and we can deal with it.

So now whatever it is for the team is out there. It's been exposed. Let's deal with it and move on.
 
No cynt its not AG. Just paid attention to the games! It should not be hard to figure out. I give you a hint. 2 Guards lost weight and got in shape this year. 1 Guard gain weight again this year. Thats your answer.
Hookem'
 
Those of us who live out of town and don't get the game on TV can't "just pay attention." I only hear what the announcers say and see the game stats.

Poor shooting nights happen, but you keep shooting and start making shots again, as it appears that the team in the 2nd half. The stat that confuses me is that our primary shooting guard had about 5 attempts in the first half, another guard had 0, and the 3rd one had 11 attempts (the exact number might be wrong, but the distribution is about right). What's up with that? Were they smothering Chas? or was she not demanding the ball? I couldn't tell from what I was hearing.
 
I only followed gametracker so don't know if I can answer your question Hornsgeek. But with Yvonne benched with three fouls she would obviously be the one with little or no attempts, and I recall Chas being 0-5 at one point, so perhaps she lost confidence and stopped taking shots early on, which would leave AT with the 11 or so attempts you're referring to. Looking at the box score I'm a little surprised to see Chelsea with just one attempt for the game, even though she played 26 minutes. You would think with us being a little short-handed at guard to begin with, and with Yvonne on the bench and Chassidy's shots not falling, she would have put up more attempts than that. Perhaps someone who was at the game will have more insight.
 
I'm not able to attend games and watch the body language and weight gains and losses. So I don't know who gained weight or lost weight.

I have no clue why you just can't say xyz and abc lost weight and qrs gained weight. The bully is xyz. Geez stop it w/ all the riddles. LOL!! But it's all good. When someone cracks the riddle please post it. Thanks.
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I don't know if it's fair to call anyone a bully, but I suppose Dino can send a PM if he wants to provide more info. Honestly, I thinks it's okay if the players got frustrated or upset, and clearly they played with a lot more urgency later on. It's reasonable to assume some of that frustration translated into the comeback attempt. I would guess the players were more upset with themselves than they were anyone or anything else. Their go-to player was having a terrible start, and a senior team leader is on the bench. It's natural for the remaining captains/senior leaders to feel a little heat. They probably didn't handle it very well at first and ended up in a big hole, but fought back later. Don't get me wrong, I'm (really) upset about the loss, and think we only played good basketball for about a quarter of the game, if that much. But this is also the kind of game you can learn from, and use as motivation. I expect most Big12 contests to be just as tough, and some a lot moreso. If you look at the three ranked Big12 teams, other than Baylor, two lost, and the third was behind with under three minutes to go. That's the way it's going to be week-in and week-out for everyone in this conference. We need to use this as motivation in practice, and future contests. And, we need to play with the same fervor and sense of purpose we did late in the Kansas game for a full forty minutes. I believe we are capable of that, and it should be obvious to the players what they can accomplish when they have that kind of determination and focus. They were down by 20+ late and fought back to within two points with 16 secs left. That's good basketball and what we need to see from this team for a full game. I also don't think we're going to see Chas miss that many shots, or have Yvonne in early foul trouble, very often. Let's go Horns! It's a long season so keep working hard, and keep getting better!
 
Torre – I heard a lot of conversations and a number of them involved Chas. That last paragraph….

“Fussell missed all five of her shots in the first half, and was visibly upset on the bench after a shouting match with center Ashley Gayle.”

……does not come close to explaining what was going on….. And, first let me be clear that this game was not all about Chas. The team lost the game. In no way does this go to any one player………I don’t know what was going on with Chas. Someone told me right before the game that they thought she might be injured or sick because of something they saw on twitter. I don’t know. I didn’t see it, and to me she appeared physically healthy. Regardless, while the team started the game without the intensity they needed, Chas also couldn’t make a shot. I don’t mean she had some bad bounces off the rim, or that KU kept her from getting any looks. I mean she wasn’t close. Ugly. I saw things that made me wonder if something was going on that I didn’t know about, but a lot of that was just because it was so unusual. Also our best free throw shooter, she missed the first of those that she took. Off the side of the rim. As AAS says she was visibly upset. I don’t want to put everything that I saw and heard on a public board. But, I did think that Coach G handled the situation very well, both in the first half and the second. By the end of the game Chas looked like the player I have come to expect……And again, losing the game was very much a team effort.

It was strange. Texas warms up on the opposite end of the court from my seats. But, from what I could tell they seemed very upbeat and excited during warm-ups. Maybe it was just me seeing what I wanted, or expected to see. But, they looked like they couldn’t wait to get it on. Maybe they hit an emotional peak too soon. Maybe it was my imagination. My perception was just that it was strange. We saw Cathy McDonald give her pre-game talk downstairs and she was so excited to start conference play I swear her feet didn’t really touch the floor. She talked about how intense their recent practices had been. I don’t think anyone, including the players, expected them to come out flat. It all really had a very strange feel.

I have been impressed with the seniors. Not to take anything away from AT, but in particular what I have seen from Yvonne and AG. I don’t know what goes on behind the scenes, but on the court or on the bench those two have been very visible leaders…….While I am thinking about it I should also give credit to UTFan who said after a few minutes of film in the summer that AG would shoot the ball better this season…..Her shots, all varieties look much, much better. I haven’t looked at her FT %, but while that was once a weakness she now looks like she is going to make them. She is much quicker to the basket and seems to have a much softer touch than I remember from last season…….anyway, I got off track there…..

I forget sometimes that a lot of people can’t see these games……Kansas is a good basketball team. Not as good as Stanford or Tennessee, but better than anyone else we had played all season. I haven’t seen everyone play, so I am not going to make predictions. But, it would not surprise me if they finish no worse than 4th in conference. That said, this is a game that Texas should have won. The last six minutes showed what they are capable of doing. This was a perfect storm. Lack of intensity to start. PG in foul trouble after about 90 seconds of game time. Best shooter has a bad night. And, it seemed like every time they would do something rightwell, they would immediately follow-up by doing something silly…..Blocked shot…fast break….throw the ball away….Or, make a difficult shot only to go down the court and give up an easy layup. At one time late in the game I looked up and at that point Texas had more made shots, more FTs, more RBs, more blocked shots, and more steals and was still behind by 6 or 8 points.

Kansas got off to a good start and a quick 8-10 PT lead. Texas held it there and very slowly got closer through the first half. Other than some defensive breakdowns that led to easy shots I thought they played fairly well on that end against the #1 FG % team in the country. That was how they stayed close, because they couldn’t score to save their lives. In retrospect I wonder if they lost some of their intensity when Yvonne left the game. Still no excuse, regardless. (I wish I could go back and watch. But, one of the things I got for Christmas was a cat throwing up into the DVR.) It felt like they were going to keep it close and have a chance to take things over in the second half. Then all hell broke loose and they ended up down 10 at the break. They spent very little time in the locker room at half. I suspect that the coach’s message was (accurately) that it was up to them. This was not about coaching or strategy. It was about effort, intensity, passion, and focus. I’m doing this from memory and I honestly don’t remember the 2nd half as well. I think I covered my face at times. My wife made a comment about seeing people leaving. I think there were 7-8 minutes left in the game and Texas down by 20+. I said well, it was a late start time and the only way they win now is with a miracle…….And, we almost had a miracle. Texas went to a full court press. Kansas got flustered. Texas started making shots. Kansas started missing FTs.

I was one made shot away from ever believing they would pull it out. But they had, I think, three chances at that shot inside the last 60 seconds. The first one was, IMO, a poor decision. It was a quick and contested three when I thought there was still time to be a little more patient. On the other hand Chas took the shot. She had been hitting everything she threw up there and obviously felt like everything was going in. I want her to feel that way. Shooters need to feel that way. I want her to start games that way. So, I can live with that shot. If you feel it, shoot it. The game was lost because of the first 30+ minutes, not the last 60 seconds.

Anyway, it was a bad game. But, it was the type of bad game that can be used in a positive way going forward.
 
I'm sorry this explanation of Wednesday night is just infuriating to me. Writing this off as simply a bad game means you are ignoring the last four years of history. The script from Wednesday night is the exact script we follow every time the aggies enter the Erwin Center and it also happens repeatedly throughout the Big 12 season, sometimes at home sometimes on the road. We get outquicked, outhustled, outschemed, outcoached and out everythinged in the first 30 minutes of the ball game. We then make a run to cut it to respectable score at the end and want to pat ourselves on the back and say this is a growth experience. When do we actually GROW and LEARN? We have a starting lineup of 3 seniors and 2 sophomores. Everyone that played considerable minutes Wednesday night has been in exactly that kind of game before.

Stop pumping up Kansas, it doesn't matter what the hell name was on the uniforms either the front or the back. In Big 12 play against ANY Big 12 team that effort from the team and that coaching job is not going to get it done.

I was accused of not knowing good basketball. Some of you need to objectively look at this team. When the guards have an off night we are screwed because we have nothing else to fall back on. That is not a recipe for a good season. And truly I am floored when I hear people say they saw good energy in the warmups. I saw lukewarm energy in the opening warmups and the warmups before half were so lethargic I was ready to get up and leave before the 2nd half tip.
 
Great comments, Outlook, and particularly insightful for those of us who can't attend games. I agree with your statements about Chas, and her taking shots when it feels right. She has to play that way, and like I said above, bad nights like Wednesday don't happen very often with her. But there will be times when key players have off nights, or get into foul trouble, and every once in a while it'll happen with several players at the same time. The Kansas game was a valuable lesson in that respect. and hopefully we'll respond differently, and be better able to handle the situation when/if it happens again. The comeback definitely shows what this team is capable of, but it shouldn't take being down by 20+ points for us to show it.
 
The amount of sunshine pumping on here reflects the mediocre state of the Texas program. Texas deserves better and it goes without saying that accountability starts at the very TOP for the current state of the program.

I would not be the least surprise to see Oklahoma State lasso the Horns on Saturday. Attitude at all levels suck!

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It likewise boggles my mind to see people on here talk about this being an improved team. It is just more of the same.
Everyone wants to chat about who's fat and who's not and who argued with who. That's all childish ********. The reality is I saw confused looks on the face of several players Wednesday night where it was more than obvious they did not know what to do, what the team was doing or what play was called. It wasn't an isolated incident it happened over and over again. This is year 5, for that to be happening it's directly on the coach of your program. And these screaming fits on the sideline and grabbing players jerseys and getting in their face and yelling by our million dollar gal is not working either. If you can't find a way to earn your money and communicate with 19-22 year old girls so they understand what you want get a new career.

And I don't think it's the end of times. This university makes too much money and has it's own channel for heaven's sake. But it is time to go in a new direction if after 5 years you aren't seeing any improvement.
 
You have convinced me. It is more than obvious that you are right. I don’t know how I could have been so blind. There has been zero process, and that KU game was all on the coaches. It had absolutely nothing to do with the performance of the players. My God. Coach G should have given them all a hug.
 
KU's victory over goestenkors shows she's overpaid, overrated, and over her head. NO EXCUSES bbv horn.

Anyone catch a photo shot of goestenkors on statesman.com? Not looking too good. I really thought the "SIgnature Collection" outfits were out of season too?!

I'd also really love to hear Mechelle Voeple's assessment of Texas. She's put goestenkors on the pedestal for ages and to even say "put up or shut up" this season is mind-boggling considering her idolization of goestenkors.

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