What is going on inside Texas Lady Longhorn basketball? I know they lost their young phenomenon star to injury early this year, but really, conference near-doormat? Really? When I went to UT we had a lousy football team (McWilliams era), an emerging Men's hoops team (Penders' first few seasons), an awesome baseball team (Gus-ball) but a sterling women's hoops team (Conradt with seven straight seasons undefeated in conference, just missed her perfect season).

The program had surely grown stale under Jody, but Gail Goestenkors has been a big disappointment for me. She had built a great resume at Duke and seemed like a great steal at the time. But midway through her fifth season, staring at a 3-8 conference record, only one season with a winning conference record with her tenure on the 40 Acres defined as a middle-of-the-pack team in conference, average to middling program nationally, I'm beginning to wonder about her future at UT.

Texas women's basketball has been and needs to become again a consistent top five program. Five years is a long time to get results. Can you imagine Kansas, Duke, Kentucky sticking with a men's Bball coach for five years of poor results like Gail has delivered now at UT? No way, not with expectations of marquee teams like they have. Well, dammit, that's what Texas Lady Longhorn basketball is and should be!!!

I say give her one more season ONLY because of this year's injuries. She should know she's on the spot and needs to pick it up in 2012-2013 or she's gone. What do you think?

Interesting article in the Washington Post about leadership in sports. It uses Tebow as an example - who I don't really want to discuss as an individual, but moreso as an example of what I think the whole QB debate in Austin has been about since Colt graduated. (WaPo link let me get through first page but prompts me to register for remainder of article, found this link that continues story but not sure is entire thing since I don't register at many sites just to read content for one time).

The point of the article is that real leadership is different than formalized authority. The whole Gilbert/Ash/McCoy debate that's engulfed the fans of the program as it's struggled these past few seasons is what it could relate to. But it could also have applied to the Applewhite/Simms debate of a decade ago. I've called it "intangibles" here on a few occasions, but this article gives a more thoughtful presentation of the concept I've intended to convey.

"Leadership only works when other people find you credible and grant you their cooperation."

More after the jump.

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With the Big 12-2 season closing out and bowls ready to be announced after this weekend's games the Longhorns are ready to get back to bowling after last year's absence.  It looks like it will come down to an invitation to one of three bowls: Holiday, Alamo or Insight.

Okie Lite and OUSucks will likely be going to the Fiesta and Cotton Bowls, though an OU win could result in the conference receiving an At-Large invite to another BCS bowl, as would an OSU win - if they found themselves in the NC game.

After that, the Alamo Bowl is considered the next highest tier bowl where the P12 fields an opponent and the payout is larger.  It's also in San Antonio where a clear home field advantage will be likely.

Then comes the Insight Bowl, where the B1G conference will have the other selection waiting in Phoenix.  And it's on a Friday night when more fans are able to enjoy it without having to worry about going to work the next day.  And can anyone say Nebraska or Ohio State?

Followed by the Holiday Bowl, where another P12 opponent waits in San Diego.

I'm breaking down the poll below by where you reside, understanding there will be a natural bias to keep the Horns in Texas close to player families and fans who plan on attending so they can drive to it.  Just a curiosity thing to see how many of us who won't be able to attend have a preference that's different than the ones who will travel to it.

Each bowl is played during the same week from Wednesday to Friday, December 28-30.  Here's the schedule:

• Wednesday, 12/28, 7pm, Holiday Bowl
• Thursday, 12/29, 8pm, Alamo Bowl
• Friday, 12/30, 9pm, Insight Bowl

In reflecting on our current quarterback conundrum I recall reading an old article from sometime during the 2004-2009 stretch that compared UT recruiting to OU's recruiting.  The story described how Mack had spent his first few years at UT recruiting the highest rated talent, and loaded up on 4 and 5-start recruits, whereas OU had fewer of the highest rated kids.  But it turned out the higher rated kids were soft in the face of adversity, leading to losing to OU five games in a row - two of which remain among the worst defeats in the history of the program when all the top talent on Texas quit on Mack.

The article continued to describe how Mack changed his recruiting philosophy to bring in more of the kids with less talent but more character, while Stoops flipped and began focusing on winning the war of most 4-5 star recruits.  It noted how UT went on to win 4 of the next five matchups and become a stronger contender for national championships than OU.  The message of the story was that chasing the top-rated talent can easily end up chasing fool's gold and that landing tough character that has been put through the fire, overcome adversity and naysayers to compete at the top levels and prevail leads to better results.

Sometime after that story, or perhaps even as it was being written it seems like Mack & Co. reverted to the form he first had upon his arrival at UT, while Stoops learned from his mistakes and reverted to his original recruiting preferences.  To be sure, both coaches still got their share of top recruits when they were chasing character more than ratings, but the mix has been the variable.

Just how much is chasing the top rated recruiting classes, with a focus on chasing the top rated QB position a factor in the current predicament the Longhorns find themselves in?  Why do you think MB so quickly forgot the lesson we thought he had permanently learned?   Is this year's incoming class that's received top honors for most highly rated recruits another step in the wrong direction?  How can coaches better evaluate HS talent for the character that has proven it can overcome adversity as preferable to talent that comes from a system (GG) where a kid's never had to overcome difficulties through his own grit and determination but puts up glorious numbers that seem too impressive to ignore?  Why does a coach who's compensated above most every peer have to re-learn such obvious lessons in assembling the right mix of raw talent and character that refuses to lose?

Just to be clear, I don't believe this year's squad is as entitled or full of quitters as we had in those ugly OU loss seasons.  But they certainly were last year.  And not having a QB with wiles and moxie since Colt (but with FABULOUS arms to show off on the practice field!) may very well be the harbinger of the end of the Era of Mack Brown Love in Austin.  If any of you remember the article I'm referring to feel free to link it here, I wouldn't know where to start to search for it.  I place our difficult state of affairs on the failure of our coaches (MB, GD, etc) to learn from history and dooming themselves to failure.

The old Southwest Conference isn't looking too shabby these days:

• Houston #18 (7-0).  L's - None; Notable W's - None
  
• Arkansas #8 (6-1).  L's - Alabama #2 (8-0); Notable W's -Texas A&M, Auburn #38* (5-3)
  
• Texas A&M #16 (5-2).  L's - Oklahoma St #4 (7-0), Arkansas ; Notable W's -Baylor, Texas Tech, SMU
  
• Texas Tech #22 (5-2).  L's - Texas A&M, Kansas St #12 (7-0); Notable W's -Oklahoma #9 (6-1)
  
• Texas Christian #28* (5-2).  L's - Baylor, SMU; Notable W's - None
  
• Southern Methodist #35* (5-2).  L's - Texas A&M, Southern Miss #25 (6-1); Notable W's -TCU
• Texas #26* (4-2).  L's - Oklahoma St #4 (7-0), Oklahoma #9 (6-1); Notable W's -BYU #34* (6-2)
  
• Baylor #29* (4-2).  L's - Kansas St #12 (7-0), Texas A&M; Notable W's -TCU
• Rice (2-5).  L's - Southern Miss #25 (6-1), Texas, Baylor, Tulsa (4-3) , Marshall (3-5); Notable W's - Purdue (4-3)
  

I'd hazard to say they're having their combined best records ever this late in the season (43-18.  NOTEWORTHY: The only current conference non-conference losses ALL of these teams - including Rice, six total - have are to other former SWC opponents!!).  With four teams in the top 25, and four other teams currently receiving votes (*unofficial ranking from "others receiving votes" in USA Today coaches poll) it should be interesting to see how many will finish the season ranked and if every team besides Rice will be going bowling.

Of the old SWC teams not on our schedule (Houston, Arkansas, SMU & TCU), which ones can you honestly say UT would have a better than 50-50 chance of defeating this season in their house?  And same thing goes for the schools we will play (TAMU, TTU & Baylor)?

It will be interesting, and hopefully not too disappointing to see how we stack up against the other three we'll see for sure, in this, another challenging season for Longhorn faithful.

They say that love and hate are two sides of the same coin, and I've gotta say, I'm in hate right now with the Texas Longhorns.  Another late season collapse, losing three out of four games to unranked opponents, after all that talk about how great they've been all season.  What gives? Not only do they lose to Corn, they've gotta blow a great going away party we had set up in Boulder Saturday.  And another loss to K State - what is that losing 20 out of the last 21 contests (football, basketball, baseball) now to those f'ers? (maybe exaggeration but might as well be the real number)

I hate that this team teases us all season long only to become pathetic shadows of their earlier selves, fated to lose in the 1st or 2nd round of the NCAA's yet again. So much promise, so little delivery on that promise.  I hate this program a lot right now.  Will always root for them, but they deserve the scorn and heaping of "you suck Texas" as they can have heaped on them right now,'cause they truly do.  A loss at Baylor is on tap next, that means losing four out of the last five, limping into the Big 12 tournament (early unexplained, baffling loss will happen there, too) and another blah, wtf happened to 2011 will stick with us.  I hate, really hate them right now.  Then again, the other side of the coin...could happen again, just not feeling it any more - kinda like the girl I was dating since December!

With the new Longhorn Sports Network coming on line I just had a vision of the future that I'm not okay with.  Now, I'm a free market guy, I understand why college athletics needs to make as much money as it does so my next comment is not meant to take on that discussion or the wisdom of the contracts. 

But I just flipped on ESPN Game Day from Villanova and spotted students enthusiastically waiving State Farm signs as a backdrop for the show.  They were scattered among the 'Nova signs and other typical sporting event posters.   They weren't just the logos in corners we've grown accustomed to, but full on sole purpose advertising signs

Maybe they've been doing that all season, maybe for several seasons, but this is the first time I've noticed it (probably with the new LSN contract in mind) and I'm a bit disgusted.  I remember when they made all the field goal nets in football into massive advertisements in recent years and found that a distasteful intrusion into the game, not just the sidelines.  But that required no complicity by fans of the game to become corporate props.

I think good Longhorn fans who want to honor the little bit of genuine fan involvement supporting teams left in major athletics should tell the producers of television who pass out corporate advertising that fans are supposed to waive around to screw themselves, they can do that in other less prideful institutions, but UT fans don't need to be, nor can they be bought.  The University can do whatever they want to go along with the new Longhorns Sports Network, but they ought not look at their fan base as advertising props.

But I don't live in Austin and don't get to go to games very often.  What would you do if you were told to get into a Game Day-type event you had to waive corporate advertising around? Are you okay with being a corporate shill if it gets you in the door? Or does your Longhorn pride run so deep that you'd help organize the revolt inside the venue, that NOBODY should comply?

We readers of BON get amazing analysis by PB, awiggo, all of the contributing authors, posts by folks who know a lot more about the game than I'll ever.  That said, I'm still a fan and I have some thoughts on the season as it's developed so far.  Enjoy!  Add your own.

The 2010 season still hurts - a lot, tonight's NC game officially puts an end to the miserable football year that it was for Longhorn fans.  Can any team ever duplicate the epic collapse and futility we witnessed following our NC game appearance last January?  Oregon has their QB coming back, Auburn is also supposedly built for another good year next season.  But, just for fun here's a little poll.  Feel free to explain why below.

Watching college football bowl season pass by without a Longhorn squad playing somewhere for the first time in forever is beginning to sink in.  With 70 teams getting extra time to play and excitement from the fans that follow them it's hard to believe Texas sunk as low as it did in 2010.  While the coaching change carousal has consumed most of the attention of fans with recruiting news taking up the remainder I had another thought: What are the players who are returning thinking about and doing this longggg bowl season while they're at home?

My first hopeful thought is that some player, some leader is emerging behind the scenes who is going to use the loss, misery and uncertainty as a motivator for himself and his teammates to get through this unexpectedly difficult part of the year.  Wouldn't it be nice to find out that someone has Vince Young-like leadership and inspiration to challenge and rally (Wanna win it all? I'll be practicing, who wants to join me?) his teammates to something better next year.  Without knowing who will be coaching them at their positions it would be appropriate for the players to rally to each other, become closer, adopt a "it's on us now to pull ourselves together if we want to have good college careers and wash this taste out of our mouth's next year" attitude.

After the kind of season we had with the player personalities we were introduced to in 2010 I'm honestly at a loss as to if that kind of camaraderie exists in the locker room we currently have.  Where would it come from?

With speculation of a 5-7 bowl appearance by UT pretty much over the only thing good about the 2010 football season is that it's mercifully over.  And while I'm always hopeful for my alma matter to improve and look forward to each new season I've gotta say that finding an area of the team, any area, a player, any player I'm excited about seeing make great contributions that lead to the championship-level football we've grown accustomed to on the 40 acres is difficult, to say the least.

I can't remember another season I've followed a football team in my entire life, be it at the college or professional level, that there's been literally nobody returning I looked forward to see play and know they'll make a positive impact.  But, I refuse to be hopeless, we've got lots of great (or so they say) incoming freshmen.  It'll be a struggle and will involve lots of Jack Handey pep talks, though.  Help me find something to look forward to seeing next fall by taking the following poll, and feel free to mention individuals you're particularly enthusiastic about:

Saw a post on a FAU fan site that said Texas is in the middle of the pack among BCS conference schools.  There are 65 teams in BCS conferences.  So I checked out the records to see if that was the case.  Sadly it isn't.

Only six teams from BCS conferences have lost more games than UT this year:

Minnesota, Washington St: 2-9

Vanderbilt, Wake Forest: 2-8

Kansas, Duke: 3-7

Only eight teams from BCS conferences have worse records than UT this year:

Above plus Cincinnati, Washington: 3-6

Only fifteen teams from BCS conferences have same or worse records than UT this year:

Above plus Colorado, Arizona St, Virginia, Tennessee, Mississippi, Purdue, Indiana: 4-6

To top that off, only two teams from BCS conferences have a longer current losing streak than UT's 4:

Vanderbilt: 5, Wake Forest: 8

The 2010 Texas Longhorns are flat out bad.  Not average, not even close.  Bad.  The company we're keeping says it all.  Can we just flash forward to 2011 yet?

I hope Rick Barnes has his kids back from last year's epic collapse, not only to have a major sport to be happy about, but to lead the way back from the brink as an example for the gridiron guys.  'Til Gabriel Blows His Horn! }-

Maybe I had unrealistic expectations of the season and Will Muschamp's ability, but this season's biggest disappointment to me has been how the Longhorn defense has not been the shut down strength most of us hoped for.  Sure, the offense and special teams have put them in tough situations more times than we would care to remember, but a shut down defense finds a way to...shut down offenses.

Last season the Alabama offense was truly pathetic until the final few weeks of the season when they started coming together, but their defense kept them in every game and shut down every opponent enough to win it all, no matter how many tough situations their offense and special teams put them in.  After three years of Will Muschamp, Coach "Boom M* F*" I certainly expected better schemes, more aggressive, passionate play, not an ounce of quit in them regardless of what situation they faced.

You can blame the offense for letting them down against UCLA and being tired from being on the field most of the first half, but they were rested enough coming out of halftime to not have allowed UCLA an opening drive straight down their gut for a score. And being tired from being on the field all game certainly couldn't be the culprit for surrendering a similar opening TD drive to OU to start the game in Dallas.

I'm not suggesting Muschamp sucks.  He clearly doesn't, he's a top tier DC in the NCAA.  But IMHO he's not the extraordinary, must-have DC or Head Coach-in-Waiting messiah I and many of us gave him credit for being to start the season.  He's good, but not great - otherwise we'd have seen a much different squad this year, a squad that shut down opponents.  Whady'all think?  All y'all that is!

There's nothing, nothing positive to take away from the field of play in the debacle against UCLA.  That was a flat out terrible performance in every element of the game by these 2010 Longhorns.  The only positive take away that can come from it is that these kids wake their asses up and start playing the talent they were recruited, come together as a team from the humiliation they all experienced and develop the passion that's needed to be a Texas-caliber squad.

But the indicator I noticed that makes me think that's going to be a hell of a challenge for this coaching staff to overcome is the showboating by Kirkendoll after that junk time TD.  Showboating when you're getting your ass kicked all over the field with two and a half minutes left in the game demonstrates a lack of maturity and no comprehension of the game he was involved in.  I'm afraid we've got a collection of "I's" on this team who aren't listening to their coaches.  The lack of focus that five turnovers indicates combined with the failure to execute basic fundamentals like illegal substitutions and showboating after a meaningless TD calls to question if the 2010 assembly of Texas Longhorn football players have any character, heart or the selflessness needed to be a winning program.

How they rebound against OU will let us all know if they're a 5-6 loss team that never clicks over the entire season or a team that just needed to get an ugly wake up call to show who they are.  The showboating that Kirkendoll thought was appropriate and would not earn the scorn of his teammates makes me think the former is more likely than the latter to occur.  But I'll always hope the latter is the reality.

So, what to call the new Pac 10 if the Big 12 South follows CU? Hmm, how about the Big Pac, you know, the BP Conference?

And if I were Don Beebe looking to save my job (or some semblance of it) I'd reach out to the Mountain West and sell them on the merits of them joining the Big 12 (bringing along newest MW member Boise St) , giving them the benefit of getting the auto-BCS bid they've sought for so long and preempting the BP Conference from making dibs on it.

Just some thoughts.

Bohn says Big 12 "best for Colorado"

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — If Texas leaves the Big 12 Conference, it won't happen unless the conference crumbles first, Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said during the Big 12 spring meetings Wednesday.

He said that also goes for Colorado.

"We're not going to go first," Dodds said. "We can go places, but we're not. We're not — unless somebody else leaves. We're not going to lead that train."

Texas, boasting the biggest athletic department budget in the country and one of the biggest football draws, is a huge piece to any realignment puzzle. There has been speculation the Big Ten will try to lure the Longhorns, then have other Big 12 members follow.

Dodds said he thinks the only way Colorado would leave the Big 12 is if other members bolt first.

"If the Big 12 lost members, I think Colorado would look strongly at the Pac-10," Dodds said. "I just don't see Colorado leaving the Big 12. I just think they're better off here."

There's no doubt that the first half (2009) of the season featured such spectacular wins that not only were the Longhorns destined for the NCAA tourney, a #1 seed seemed predetermined.  But since the second half (2010) screams of a team that would be happy ecstatic to get a bid to the NIT tournament.  I mean, really, what have the Longhorns done THIS year to warrant a bid to the NCAA's?

Now, to be sure, barring a complete and total collapse the Horns will go to the NCAA's in March.  They just have to limp in with a .500 conference record with such a strong non-con lead in.  But that kind of team is one, maybe two and done.  But there's no way on God's green earth that a single BON poster can say that Texas would deserve a NCAA bid based on 2010's performance, even with the burntest of orange glasses on.

Tonight is truly gut check time.  What does this squad have inside?  Will the coaches and players be able to recapture the winning attitude and team play to get back on track and become the kind of team we all thought they were in 2009?  Or will they lose (and any loss is a loss - no moral victory will suffice at this time) and be yet another underachieving squad that we all hope will learn valuable lessons for next season as they play out the string the rest of the season in anticipation of a first or second-round loss?

We'll all see.  Tonight's game will leave no doubt as to what the remainder of the season holds, it's about as crystal clear what it means as any game ever in history of the program!  I'm hoping, more like praying for the big win, but if I had to put my money on it I'd lay it on KU.  And that sucks to even type that, but it's what comes when able to separate the heart from the head.

Urban Meyer leaving college football is a loss to the sport, hopefully a temporary one.  That said, all the love he's receiving now, along with Patterson's AP selection has me wondering if/when Mack Brown will ever get the love he's earned as a hugely successful coach - OUR hugely successful coach in Austin.

I admit I was a part of the "FireMackBrown.com" chanters back in the early 2000's after watching so many of his talented teams fail to reach their potential, as I was particularly disgusted by the 60-something to single-digit-something throttlings we received from OU.  But long ago I made my mea-culpa and began to truly appreciate what we have on the 40 Acres.

But it seems like the national media and those who confer these awards on coaches haven't begun to appreciate his contributions to college football.  It's always the "Mr. February" or "with all that talent they SHOULD win" commentary that scuttles the recognition the man is due.  Do they really think the talent comes to Austin on its own?  Do they really think MB hasn't been impacted by revolving door assistant coaches moving on to greater things like Stoops, Saban or others who regularly get recognized?

It will be a travesty of historical proportions if Coach Brown were to put in another 3-5 years in Austin, win more NC's and continue the streak of 10+ win seasons without being recognized by his peers, sports media and fans for the immense talent he's become.

I've voted in the http://www.coachoftheyear.com poll (only open till this Tuesday, 12/29 midnight) like the Texas Exes have asked us to do.  We can vote daily - know that all Meyer's supporters are going to direct their sympathy votes towards him in the next two days.  This is just one of the possible COTY awards out there.  I wish AP had recognized him, no slight to Patterson, but c'mon!?!?

Mack has earned our love, respect and admiration for consistency and results.  We all hope he delivers another glass football to Austin in a few weeks.  He's not going to get much national love this season regardless of the results of January 7th.  But if we have another 10+ win season next year with a new QB he will have earned it.  And it's not too early to start the drumbeat for a man who turned around one of his biggest skeptics who now sees just how under-appreciated his leadership in his profession (new contract millions aside) is.

I caught the following quote from Jamaal Charles in my local paper (Denver Post) today (12/1/09)about his fumble near the goal line last week that hurt the Chiefs:

"The Chiefs destroyed any remote chance of winning with four turnovers. The most momentum-changing was Jamaal Charles' fumble when the Chiefs were driving early and appeared poised to tie it 14-all.

His quote sounded way too familiar to Longhorn fans:

9/23/07 (Rice game):

On fumbling on the second play: I tried to do too much with the ball. All of a sudden, someone came behind me and knocked the ball out. I just tried to do too much. I was kind of down that I fumbled the ball on the second play of the game

On bouncing back: After the fumble, I started to focus and hold the ball in tight. I got my mind focused and told myself that I have to come back and concentrate..

10/6/07 (Oklahoma game):

On his fumble near the goal line: I just saw the end zone and tried to do too much. I tried to score and I thought I scored and the defender came around with his other arm on my left hand and knocked the ball out. I was holding the ball well, he was just a good tackler. I have to give credit to their defense.

I know there's more just like that from Jamaal, was his excuse every time he put the ball on the ground, just not enough time to scour the internet for the other game quotes.

With Jamaal's nasty habit of being responsible for inopportune turnovers I submit the following question to BON fans:

Is Jamaal's presence on an otherwise great, solid football team a net plus or a net negative?  I couch the question that way because I do believe there is a difference between teams that have to make up for a lack of talent by taking chances to overcome their overall deficiencies and teams that have a solid surrounding cast who can match up with most anyone else.

And I tie that presumption to the Texas Longhorns being a team that consistently has a solid surrounding cast.

Full disclosure: I'm of the mindset that for great solid teams it comes down to not making mistakes moreso than quantity of "explosive" plays to beat other great solid teams.  Being deep and having the talent will keep you in games, even just making first downs and playing field position. Capitalizing on the other guys mistakes is the difference maker, as is giving the other guy opportunities to capitalize on yours.  Outclassed teams roll the dice to get results, sometimes winning big, other times crapping out.

And I, for one, wasn't saddened to see Jamaal go pro early even with the disappearance of a running game without him in the backfield last year (or even if he could have been eligible for this season).  I envision him putting the pigskin on the ground at least once during the course of either season that would have cost a game here or there.  So, I'm a "Net Negative".

What do you think?

Fortunately, Texas looks to be in a strong enough position this season that the BCS formula shouldn't impact them like last season.  Win and let everything take care of itself.

But, last season the difference between NC teams was minuscule and the Longhorns ended up on the short end of the BCS formula.  At the time I made the assertion that because both OU and UF scheduled lower division teams that don't count in the formula (Tenn-Chatt & Citadel respectively) they had an advantage over Texas.  I believe this to be true in that UT's win over UTEP (the worst non-con opponent) ends up being a net negative for their strength of schedule, while OU and UF wins over non-division opponents were a net neutral.

This week we get to see two very closely ranked teams in the same conference play it out during the same weekend and I'll be curious to see how it works out.  Alabama plays FCS Tenn-Chatt while Florida plays FBS FIU.  Florida's rout of FIU should hurt their S-o-S, while Alabama's destruction of Tenn-Chatt should have no impact on their S-o-S.  Yes, sure, there are other factors that may make it hard to tell, like how the teams they've already played did today.  And, both Bama and the Gators will now share FIU as a common opponent, as well as Florida already laid waste to their FCS opponent to start their season.

But, I will be curious nonetheless about how much playing a terrible FBS team hurts the overall BCS formula rating, while playing any FCS team doesn't do anything.  And I'll always wonder if last season could have turned out better for us if we had played a FCS team instead of UTEP.  As long as the BCS formula has this quirk it may make sense to schedule one FCS team a season instead of the obligatory doormat FBS team.

Whad'ya think?

If the pressure of being in a National Championship hunt where the biggest challenge remaining is themselves isn't enough, the 2009 season will determine what school gets team of the decade bragging rights.  By most any measure the Texas Longhorns belong in the middle of that conversation, along with Florida, Louisiana State, Southern California, Oklahoma and Ohio State.  No other schools got anywhere near this elite level in the first decade of the 21st century.

The facts 2000-2009*:

Continue reading this post »

The Rocky Mountain Texas Exes are posting information for Longhorn fans who are looking for tickets to the game in Laramie this Saturday on our Facebook group page (click here).  We're doing our best to screen out ticket brokers, but we're not selling them as an alumni chapter and make no guarantees on the exchange, it's not our official deal at all. 

We're only helping our members and fans traveling to the area unload extra tickets and directing members and fans to a source as we learn of them.  This is a tough ticket to get since the stadium only holds 31,000 and there's so much interest in the game.

You don't have to be a Facebook member to view this page, but only Facebook members can make wall posts to it.  We're only putting seller info on there, not buyer.  If you're not a FB member and want to list your tickets shoot me an email through my BON public profile.

This is the first set of Cowboys we'll dispose of this season, glad the Horns are coming to our area for the tune up!

Hook 'em}-

If you're going to be in Denver on August 8th c'mon out with the Rocky Mountain Texas Exes (official alumni org) to meet Texas Longhorn (and Colorado Rockies) Huston Street at our Freshman Sendoff Picnic.  The Picnic goes from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. (but Huston's only going to be with us from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. because of the game against the Chicago Cubs later in the day).  It's going to be a great event, complete with Houston's BBQ ribs, Shiner Bock beer and Blue Bell ice cream for only $7 members/$10 non-members.  Check out details on our chapter website by clicking here.

In looking back at the just completed UT Men's BB season it obviously was a disappointing one in the Rick Barnes era.  Only once before under his leadership have the Longhorns not been ranked in a final poll ('04-05).  We won't know for sure if UT is ranked for a few more weeks, but I think it's safe to say the chances are slim.

Also, only one season ('98-99, RB's 1st at UT) had more losses (13), with only one other season tied at twelve ('01-02).  And there have been only three seasons with fewer wins ('98-99, '01-02, '04-05).

NCAA tournament exits under RB:

• 1st round - '98-99, '00-01, '04-05
• 2nd round - '99-'00, '06-07, '08-09
• Sweet Sixteen - '01-02, '03-04
• Elite Eight -'05-06, '07-08
• Final Four - '02-03

What makes this season the biggest downer for me is that the two of the three comparable seasons had an easy excuse to assign blame to:

1. '98-99 (19-13, 20th AP), was, well, Barnes' first year.  
2. '04-05 (20-11, NR) UT lost Aldridge to season-ending injury and Tucker to poor grades.

The third comparable season, '01-02 (22-12, 18th Coaches) Texas made the Sweet Sixteen to redeem an off regular season.  Of course you could say that three more seasons had premature tournament endings that could qualify as disappointing seasons ('99-'00, '00-01, '06-07) if that's a part of the equation.

But, all in all, the just-completed season will go down as one of the least impressive bodies of work for a Rick Barnes coached Texas team.  Other squads faced high attrition from prior years but they found a way to be better than this team was.

It's not my intention to be overly critical of Rick Barnes in this post.  In fact, the poor seasons cited here are relative to the higher expectations of UT hoops this coach has created for the program.  All but five to eight programs in the nation would pay dearly for the outcomes we've had since he took over.

It is my intention to raise expectations of '09-10.  With the talent coming in and RB's history of success much greater than this past season I'm down right giddy about it.  Barnes will have every opportunity to teach and coach the players who are teachable and coachable, and with the addition of great recruits and a solid transfer Coach can't help but improve the team chemistry and proper positioning/lineups of players.

PS - I know I had issues with some BON fans during the season, accusing many of being "homers" for not acknowledging the deficiencies until late in the season.  My apologies for rubbing you the wrong way.  I am so excited about the prospects for UT sports these next thirteen months, though and look forward to continuing to read, learn and share thoughts along the way.  The baseball team is capable of great things this season, I'm chomping at the bit for August and football season to rectify last year's atrocious wrongs inflicted on them, and the men's and women's hoops will both be primed for deep runs.

'Til Gabriel blows his horn!

I know we're supposed to be pulling for Big 12 pride and if all the teams in the conference do well it helps in good exposure and recognition of the quality of hoops we have in the middle of the country.  I think the Kansas State coach got it right when he gripped about it in the conference tourney.

But if OU were the only Big 12 team that lost in the 2nd round I really wouldn't care, in fact, I'd cheer that outcome.

From their WVP (Whiner Valuable Player) Griffin's year long pouts about OU not being respected - even when they were ranked number 2, to their cries about their WVP getting hurt by a supposedly cheap shot by Dexter that no video ever showed - even though Pittman gets cheap shotted in the same game and all season long and he never cries about it, OU really, really sucks and I hope they stink it up in each and every game they ever play in any sport EVER!!!

This team SHOULD be in the NCAA tournament, but they’ve not played like an NCAA tournament team since conference play started. And if they play the next month like they’ve played the last two months they WON’T be in the NCAA tournament, even though they have more than enough talent and the early season record to be there. Therein lies the rub: an under-performing team, out of character for RB (at least as far as the regular season goes).

RB should:

- Sit Atchley instead of trying to be Counselor Troi to him. He won’t be back next year and he’s not contributing to this season, so let him ride the pine and let Chapman and Hill compete for the time. Give them both a set of criteria they’ll be evaluated on and whoever is better starts, the other plays off the bench.

- Dogus is in the Dog(ho)us(e). He’s young, he’s wholly unfamiliar with US-style hoops. He may have future potential, but until he decides to follow his coach’s instructions to the letter he rides the pine. He’s not good enough to freelance, especially when his teammates aren’t on the same page and he ends up turning the ball over recklessly, multiple times each and every game. He’s a fast dribbler and passes the bb around faster than most, but he’s inattentive and a horrible shooter. Since he’s young RB may be able to develop him into something better. But he’s earned nothing yet, certainly not a starter role, the other young guys should get as much, if not more time on the court to develop, learn and earn the roll.

- Abrams has the most combined talent and experience on the team this season. But for the team “shooter’ to have a 37% season average, 33% in conference is inexcusable. I know coaches always say you need to let shooters shoot through slumps. But when does a slump become a player’s season par? Whether or not teams are doubling him and in his face AJ has not been on the mark all season long, with few exceptions. Expectations of Conner were raised last year when he had a handful of breakout games; but nobody confused him for a shooter. AJ has had as many "breakout” games this season as Conner did last; but he’s still considered the shooter? AJ had NBA fantasies at the end of last year and broke up the team chemistry when he and his daddy wanted their egos stroked by prematurely testing the NBA. If he thinks defenses in the NBA will be easier to overcome than what he’s facing right now he really is delusional. NBA talent is able to fight through what the other guys throw at you. If I’m RB I tell AJ "look, it may seem like a raw deal that other teams are able to double you up and defend you almost to the exclusion of the rest of the team, but if you really want to play in the bigs you’ve got to elevate your game that much more – ‘cause in the NBA the other guys are all bigger than you, all just as fast, all of ’em know how to play defense better than anything you’re facing today. Your future is in your hands, either you find a way to get it done and prove to the scouts you’ve got it; or you go play in the European leagues; or you sell life insurance. In the meantime I don’t leave him in 40 minutes, Ward gets in for at least 7 minutes that AJ’s not.

- Dexter should play much more. And he should be allowed to foul out. If he gets into foul trouble early RB should leave him in. If he fouls out so be it. He needs to learn how to play without fouling so much, yet still be effective and not unnecessarily avoid contact. Let him get his 5th playing ball, not waste away on the bench with 4. He’s gotta learn and what better way than learning under the pressure of a real game with real foul out consequences. Pittman seems like a real good kid who wants to please his coach and teammates as much as he wants to feel good about his own effort. Let him fall off that bicycle and get some cuts and bruises. He’ll get the hang of it.

- Gary Johnson is an animal when he wants to be. I’ve watched him dominate the middle and his eyes glow red when he gets in a groove. If there’s a tonic RB can brew that brings out the Mr. Hyde in him for 25 minutes then he needs to be a’brewin. An angry Gary is a good Gary as far as I’ve seen. RB has to be Patches and Gary has to be Gordon (Dodgeball).

- Mason & James. Both these guys have regressed without a true team leader. In the absence of a leader on the floor RB has to fill that void with his own leadership. M&J have the talent to provide quality minutes in their respective rolls. But if RB has defined clearly what those rolls are it’s not obvious. RB needs to narrow down what he expects of them, but then expect they’ll perform those duties flawlessly. They’re trying to do too much, and not succeeding at doing anything well. They need focus and more definition.

- Ward has a ton of potential. The season is such that Texas can afford to develop him for next season now. The team is not going anywhere this year, and losing to OSU on Tuesday or CU on Saturday will send them to the NIT, regardless. It’s time to get Ward the playing time and experience he’ll need to be an impact player next year when the posse arrives. He can be a young leader to next year’s freshmen and incoming transfer IF more is expected of him this year. Sure, he’ll make his share of mistakes, but as long as he is learning from them, and not making the same mistakes over and over (like Balbay continues to) he should get more and more playing time – even let him get a big taste of the conference tournament so he learns what stepping it up to the next level looks like.

- Chapman & Hill. Let ‘em compete for Conner’s minutes.

- Smith. Still a great unknown to me. Does he have anything? If not it must be nice to ride the bench and get four years of free school with no expectation of contributing anything in return. When UT was a weak program we had plenty of these guys littering the bench. As RB has succeeded he’s had fewer and fewer of these guys with splinters and bruises in their asses. If RB is asking himself what he’s paid for in reserving a spot for Smith he needs to find out. If he’s got game he needs to play like it when he’s in. If he approaches his minutes like they’re only junk minutes he’s filling then we’ll get more of the same. If he believes coach expects more maybe he’ll give more. RB should leave it crystal clear that he expects more. Otherwise, Harrison gets a four-year degree paid for just by being a junk minute cleanup guy. Every team has one like him, heck, that’s what we all thought Conner was until last season surprised us (but this season he’s back to form). Does Smith have a spurt in him to help?

First of all, this football team needs to man up, focus all the energy and anger they have into practice and the weight room.  They need to come out on January 5th and just destroy tOSU from the opening gun until the closing gun.  It should be downright ugly and embarrassing for tOSU what happens in the desert.  Nothing personal Tressel, since he and Mack are buds, but it's just what needs to happen.

Then, immediately after the game when the players and coaches are interviewed they need to permanently and forever cast doubt on whoever wins in Miami by asserting that the best team in the country won in Glendale.  They need to loudly and proudly declare that everyone on the squad, every fan, most of Texas and a huge part of America knows that UT is better than OU and that whoever wins in Miami will forever have an asterisk next to their title.  And they need to explicitly say that the voters who hosed UT can kiss their collective asses.

While some are claiming that UT should just get over it and it benefits the Big XII if OU wins, possibly benefiting Texas since they beat OU, I will be praying for Florida to destroy those dirt burglars (also Australian slang for...rump rangers).  There's no way in heaven or on earth that Stoops and Co. should hoist another trophy of any kind over their heads this season.  It's a fraud and miscarriage of justice what happened to UT.

I know some Tech fans are claiming they should be in the hunt, too.  They had a great season, their best season ever.  But while they knocked off Texas in the last second of a game and at home, their strength of schedule was pathetic, far worse than UT's or OU's.  I mean, c'mon TWO Div 2 teams?  And getting thumped by 40 points by a team UT defeated by double digits?  Beating UT  was a nice win for you TT, it messed up the Horns season.  But it doesn't make you an equal in this debate.  The only reason the head-to-head matters for UT/OU is because everything else, from SoS to the road/home/neutral site is tied between the squads.  UT/TT head-to-head doesn't matter because the disparity between the rest of the body of work hugely favors UT.

But, just to be consistent and so we don't have to listen to anymore taunts about "whining" from OU or TT, this bowl season I've abandoned my support for all teams Big XII.  OU and TT both need to lose their bowl games to shut them up and let the world know that UT is the best team in the Big XII.  I don't care if this season the SEC would get bragging rights by beating both OU and TT.

After the Big XII telling UT two years in a row that all tiebreakers go to OU (last season in a potential tie the conference told UT they were going to ignore rules 3 & 4 that would have given the title to UT and go straight to rule 5 to benefit OU) I have no loyalty to the conference any more.  The coaches in the Big XII have dissed UT and MB repeatedly in the voting for team rank and COTY.  If our fellow teams in our conference want to treat UT like a pariah then why should UT give a flying fuck about them?

So, in order of January cheers:

Go Ole Miss, win one for your former team Jevan!

Go Texas, punk those Buckeyes like they're OU!

Go Gators, expose the Big XII "Champion" as the pretenders they are and make Bradford cry like the little girl she is!

Then I'll be content to wait for October, 2009, when MB & Co. get to bury the thieves - AGAIN!

Texas vs Colorado in Boulder Events - October 3rd & 4th

The Rocky Mountain Texas Exes has many events planned for UT alumni in Boulder on Friday night, October 3rd and Saturday pregame events on October 4th.

We'll be at the Foundry near Pearl Street in Boulder (map) for Friday night (7pm-10pm) fun with local and visiting Texas fans. And they'll have "beer pong" for UT fans to play CU fans. Contact Jim for more information.

The RMTE Party Bus Saturday at 2:15pm: from downtown Denver at the Giggling Grizzly (map) in LoDo. Tickets are $30, price includes beer on board. And for an additional $10 you can get a commemorative UT v. CU Party Bus RMTE T-shirt. Space is limited to first 75 paid. To make your reservation and pay by credit card please go to the RMTE Chapter Website Calendar and click the October 4 "UT v. CU Party Bus from Denver to Boulder". Bus & Beer Rules are displayed and at the bottom of the page that opens is the registration area. Save the hassle of finding and paying for parking around Folsom field in Boulder, and enjoy a few beers with fellow Longhorns without worrying about the drive from Denver.

Once in Boulder we are co-hosting Saturday's Pregame Tailgate Party from 2pm - 4:45pm with the University of Texas Ex-Students Association at the Outdoor Pavilion behind the Millennium Harvest House (map) in Boulder, from 2pm - 4:45pm. For $15 (members) or $20 (non-members) advance sales or $30 walk-up you'll get hot dogs, burgers, bbq pork, veggie burgers and sides, Mack Brown's pregame video announcement on a big screen TV, a silent auction (items include: UT v. Missouri game package (game tickets and lodging at UT Executive Education Hotel suite from 10/18/08 -10/20/08, airfare not included), a Shiner Calloway Golf Bag and Longhorn memorabilia), raffles and camaraderie with hundreds and hundreds of burnt-orange clad Longhorn fans. We MAY even be visited by the Longhorn band and cheerleaders to rally us. And this game is for bragging rights with our Buffalo fan co-workers and friends over the next year. Click here to pre-register for Longhorn Tailgate .

Beat CU - Hook'em Horns!