What will it take for Shaka to survive this year?

Like picking at a sore that won't heal, but the current wrapping up of football recruiting took me to looking at basketball in the Barnes at DayGlo v Smart at Texas recruiting, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 (in progress).

Couldn't get Rivals to show the first 3 years, so I went to ESPN's rankings:

Recruiting season --- Smart/class rank-Tex; Barnes/class rank-Tenn
2016 --- 11th; lower than 40th
2017 --- 6th; lower than 40th
2018 --- 8th; lower than 40th
2019 -- 12th; 21st (again, not on the court yet, in progress)

Currently Tennessee as a team is ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Texas is as team is not even "also receiving votes."
 
After the next two games which are both probable losses KU @ home and at Iowa state Smart will be 11-11 this year and battling for 9th in the conference. The players have shown no real improvement (other than possibly free throw shooting) but why should improvement be expected from them, apparently no improvement is expected from their Coach. Smart survives this year just because he does, merit and results don’t matter.
 
Joe Fan said:
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Kind of reminded me of this series

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Walking Boss said:
Smart survives this year just because he does, merit and results don’t matter.
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I think to CDC results do matter. I believe if Smart makes it past this year its because CDC has been hamstrung by the financial situation and administration. I also believe when we get closer to the end of the contract we may see more serious talk about change. If SS somehow has a good season next year I doubt there will be serious extension talks. Considering the departures at the end of this season we are probably yet to see the worst basketball in the Smart era.
 
Someone once said the opposite of love isn't hate --- it's indifference. Maybe some truth to that. I think loss of love can go through two stages --- first, a feeling of hatred where there was once love, then second the loss of that hatred to an indifference of passion either way.

I think Shaka is very, very close if not past the point of Longhorn basketball fans losing their anger at him for his poor record, slipping now into indifference.

I know for me, yesterday at home it was like: "Oh yeah, it's Big 12 v SEC and the Horns get a chance to pop that ugly UGA dog in the schnauzer, with a kind of pause, and then, okay, I guess I'll tune in. Wait, I knew I was going to trim my fingernails and toenails today. Let me go do that first. Oh, and I've got some old No.2 pencils I've been meaning to sharpen."
 
Walking Boss said:
After the next two games which are both probable losses KU @ home and at Iowa state Smart will be 11-11 this year and battling for 9th in the conference. The players have shown no real improvement (other than possibly free throw shooting) but why should improvement be expected from them, apparently no improvement is expected from their Coach. Smart survives this year just because he does, merit and results don’t matter.
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The horns will not finish above .500 this year. SS will get one more year, the heat will be burning hot next year; and Smart will guide the team to something like 16-15.


CDC will let him go; there will be a new coach.
 
caryhorn said:
The horns will not finish above .500 this year. SS will get one more year, the heat will be burning hot next year; and Smart will guide the team to something like 16-15.


CDC will let him go; there will be a new coach.
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Or we could end up living the John Mackovic saga all over again. What if they keep him around for another year and the team gets hot and ends up going to the Sweet 16 or farther. Then he would definitely have to come back. I would just cut our losses after this year if nothing improves. And yes I didn’t like the way Rick went out, but I was a fan of the Shaka hire.
 
SAMMCHornfan said:
Or we could end up living the John Mackovic saga all over again. What if they keep him around for another year and the team gets hot and ends up going to the Sweet 16 or farther. Then he would definitely have to come back. I would just cut our losses after this year if nothing improves. And yes I didn’t like the way Rick went out, but I was a fan of the Shaka hire.
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It ^^^ could happen. But I can't imagine Shaka being able to get this team that deep into the tourney.

I was a fan of the SS hire also. It's deeply disappointing to see how poorly they are coached and how utterly confused and undisciplined they can look at times.
 
Shaka doesn't have that moron Willie Cunningham around to give him a raise and extension for having one "almost" year out of five.
 
caryhorn said:
It ^^^ could happen. But I can't imagine Shaka being able to get this team that deep into the tourney.

I was a fan of the SS hire also. It's deeply disappointing to see how poorly they are coached and how utterly confused and undisciplined they can look at times.
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Reminds me of the Goestenkors hire for the women. I was excited about that hire too.
 
Reminds me of the Goestenkors hire for the women. I was excited about that hire too.
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Difference is Shaka had a moderate amount of success at a mid-major, while Gail G had a large amount of success at a top-tier program. 7-time ACC Coach of the Year, national COY in 2007, 3 undefeated conference seasons, won 80% of her games, and had 10 straight sweet-16s that included 7 elite-8s, 4 final-4s, and 2 runner-up finishes. Even accounting for the women's side being more top-heavy than the men's, that's way more than he accomplished. She was clearly qualified for the job and there was every reason to think she'd have similar success here. I didn't think Shaka was a bad hire, but there was a lot less "holy crap this guy has been a really good coach" data on him.
 
I think tonight against K-State will give us defining moment one way or other on how this season ends up.

Update: Yeah, last night was just painful to watch as most of this season has been, bad decisions, bad passes, shot clock violations and yet another loss that could/should have been a win. This team could easily be 19-6 or better but they just cant get out of their own way and that's on the coaches.
 
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Latest bracketology
Lunardi dropped us a bit -- No. 9 seed in the Midwest region.
He still has 8 of 10 Big 12 teams in the field of 68

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I hope we don't play Syracuse in the opening round. 'Cuse is the best team in the country at running the zone defense. Zone defense has been kryptonite killing the Horns all season.
 
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Just for shits and giggles I went to TexasSports.com, the official website of UT Athletics and recorded the most recent national rankings of the 15 sports covered there:

Baseball, No. 23
Basketball: Men, NR
Basketball: Women, No. 9
Football, No. 9
Golf: Men, No. 12
Golf: Women, No. 3
Rowing, No. 3
Soccer, No. 17
Softball, No. 11
Swimming and Diving: Men, No. 2
Swimming and Diving: Women, No. 1
Tennis: Men, No. 3
Tennis: Women, No. 6
Track and Field/Cross Country, No. 25
Vollyball, No. 5

If you're CDC, as any good CEO should do, you'd take note of where efforts of your organization are needed.
 
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