Nights like this weren’t supposed to happen. Scores like this weren’t supposed to be seen, except maybe on the winning side of things.
97-59. It sounds like the score of a guarantee game in non-conference play, although we saw some uglier ones this season. It was, in fact, the final score of a Big 12 game.
West Virginia annihilated Texas in Morgantown by that score. It’s the biggest margin of defeat for the Longhorns in their Big 12 history and, as not surprisingly, the biggest margin of defeat during Shaka Smart’s tenure. The Longhorns are now 33-45 in Big 12 play during his four-plus seasons there. And if this season has increasingly felt like the final go-round in Austin for him, Monday night may well have felt like it became official, barring a miracle run the rest of the way.
This game looked like a mismatch almost from the opening tip. Texas actually scored the first basket of the game, but once West Virginia scored the next eight points, this was never really a contest. Four Longhorns picked up three fouls in the first half, aiding in long scoring droughts that helped West Virginia build a 45-20 halftime lead, and they would lead by as many as 43 in the second half. Texas surrendered 23 offensive rebounds and hauled down 25 rebounds for the entire game, along with turning the ball over 18 times and shooting under 36 percent from the field. In all, it was as if the Longhorns were in the midst of a disappointment lag after letting one get away on Saturday against Kansas.
There are many reasons a night like this could never have been foreseen. Smart was a hot commodity after his Final Four run at VCU, but he turned down a number of other options to stay there and keep winning before finally deciding that going to Texas was a move that made sense. Talent has never been an issue. The Longhorns have been producing pros under Smart, but there hasn’t been enough supporting talent to get past the first round of the NCAA Tournament and to keep things going.
More specifically, this team returned a lot of key guards from last season’s NIT champion, so there was every reason to figure they could be an NCAA Tournament team again. Even in the early going, there was more reason for hope – a 70-66 win at Purdue that you figure would have shelf life later on and might be a sign of things to come. Things took a different turn with the loss to Georgetown in New York, and since then it’s been largely downhill. Increasingly, it has felt like the Longhorns will be no better than on the bubble come Selection Sunday; getting blown out at Providence, losing at home to Oklahoma and then Saturday’s game at home all add up to a team that doesn’t look like it will work its way to be close to lock status for the Big Dance.
And then there was Monday night. It had the feeling of the bottom falling out. It was so bad that Shaka was trending on Twitter not long after the game was over.
Texas was already trending in the direction of irrelevance before Rick Barnes was let go and Shaka Smart was hired. Things haven’t changed since then, and not because Smart suddenly forgot how to run a program, because he didn’t. You can critique the fact that his Texas teams don’t play like his VCU teams did, remembering how the Rams implemented HAVOC and turned opponents over all the time. You can point to the fact that he was in one of the signature programs in the CAA, where they could win every year, and that as they went into the Atlantic 10, they were set up well to succeed right away. But you still have to get the results even if you’re the head coach at a program with a lot going for it. Just look at North Carolina this season – the Tar Heels have so many advantages and yet are having a season to forget. That means Smart’s success at VCU isn’t cheapened by the advantages his program had.
There is still time left in the season. The ship can be righted; Smart told reporters at one point after the game that, “This has to be a turning point for us.” But a game like Monday night’s leaves you thinking that is unlikely, that it was coach-speak. It leaves you thinking that Shaka Smart is on borrowed time in Austin more than ever. Because a night like this was not supposed to happen – not at this program, not under this coach, anyway.
Side Dishes
The other Big 12 game on the slate was in sharp contrast to the early contest, as Baylor led Oklahoma for much of the game but got a big push late from Oklahoma. With the Bears still up by two in the final seconds, Oklahoma got a good look from Austin Reaves right in front of their bench, but the shot was no good and Baylor sealed a 61-57 win with free throws. For a moment, it looked like yet another number one team in the polls – yes, Baylor leaped over Gonzaga to take over the top spot in the polls that came out earlier in the day – would go down, though with the way this season has gone, it’s surely only a matter of time.
Hampton went to Gardner-Webb for a Big South clash on Monday night, but the game was suspended at halftime due to a mechanical issue with a shot clock. Gardner-Webb led 39-31 at the time, and the game has been tentatively rescheduled to be resumed on February 24.
Other results of note: Merrimack is now all alone in first place in the Northeast Conference after traveling to Loretto and using a big second half to break a tie and knock off Saint Francis U 72-55, getting 28 points from Idris Joyner and shooting 56.5 percent from the field; Robert Morris stayed right with the Warriors as they beat Sacred Heart 67-55; Winthrop went on the road and held off Radford 61-56 to take over first place in the Big South at 6-0; Presbyterian is right behind them and tied with Radford after beating visiting Campbell 85-79; Colgate made their lead in the Patriot League a bit more comfortable by knocking off visiting Bucknell 80-65; NC State edged Virginia 53-51 in Charlottesville; North Texas moved to 6-1 in Conference USA by pulling away from Rice 79-59
The basketball world got some sad news early in the day out of Hyattsville, Maryland, where one of the most successful high school programs calls home. Morgan Wootten made DeMatha Catholic High School a powerhouse, and they remain one now, but the school shared that the coaching legend is now at home with hospice care. The basketball team won one for the coach, as they knocked off powerful Rancho Christian 72-65 in the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, MA on national television.
Tonight’s Menu
A great night of action is in front of us, with a lot of key matchups to keep an eye on.
- Right away, there’s a good one in the Big East as Butler visits Villanova (7 p.m.), and later on Marquette hosts St. John’s (9 p.m.)
- A rivalry game is on tap in the Big 12 early on as Kansas hosts Kansas State (7 p.m.), while a bit later in the Big 12, TCU hosts Texas Tech and Iowa State hosts Oklahoma State (8 p.m.)
- Kentucky fans get a look at star freshman Anthony Edwards as Georgia visits the Wildcats, while Florida heads to LSU in a battle for first place (7 p.m.) Later, Tennessee hosts Ole Miss (9 p.m.)
- Illinois gets a good road test as they head to Purdue (7 p.m.)
- Duke tries to bounce back from a tough week as they host Miami (9 p.m.)
- VCU got back on track Saturday, and the Rams try to continue as they head to Saint Joseph’s (9 p.m.)
- The Mountain West takes over late as San Diego State tries to remain undefeated in hosting Wyoming, while Utah State tries to bounce back from a devastating loss on Saturday night as they host Air Force (11 p.m.)
