This is probably pretty knee jerk after watching tonight's game, but I'm gonna write it anyway.

I love Rick, and we all know how much he has done to bring Texas to the college basketball forefront.  He puts together stellar recruiting classes, some of  the best in Texas basketball history, and his teams do usually play good hard-nosed defense. Plus he's just a likable guy to boot.

However, even as Texas' prestige and recruiting classes get bigger and better every year, I can't help but feel like he is more and more deserving of some criticism. In his entire tenure at Texas he hasn't developed a sound offensive strategy.  Way too much of his offense revolves around the superstars being superstars and making plays happen.  The only problem is that when for whatever reason the superstar on the team can't make plays, our offense seems to just become a bunch of guys standing around waiting for the superstar to do something amazing.  The same is true when there is no true superstar on the team (see this season).  When Durant was here,  it was the Durant show, and it worked pretty well, but whenever his game was off, the team just went flat.  Same is true about Augustine the year without Durant. 

I almost feel like Barnes is having the same kind of troubles that Mack Brown was accused of for so many years.  He can bring in a ton of talent.  He can put together a really solid season (10 win season!, NCAA tourney).  But he can't win the big one with his current offensive system unless a once in a lifetime athlete comes through( Vince Young, ???).

I know that this years team isn't spectacular, but it is better than it has played in the last stretch of games.  We are better than Kansas St. and we are better than Mizzou. I think we all agree we are under performing.  Thankfully for our football team, Mack appears to have grown enough in his approach to coaching that he can finally avoid the under performing stigma.  I am sure it is possible for Rick to do it too, but I think it is getting to be about time for him to start.  I don't know if it means bringing in new coaches to contribute new ideas, or just a change in philosophy on his part.

To end on a positive note, the next couple of years in Texas basketball appear to be primed for something amazing.  We've got a ton of talent coming our way.  Maybe it can be the catalyst that Rick needs to take his coaching to the next level.

It's been a long night, and I've had a lot to drink. I never do the fanpost thing here, but I've got some stuff I want to share, whether you want to hear it or not.

1) In my opinion, the refs tonight were chumps, but a championship caliber team overcomes bad calls, so that's all I will say about this.

2) Roy Miller and RAK getting hurt in the same game is disaterous.  RAK's injury looked to be pretty bad, but I couldn't tell about Roy's.  Hopefully they can both make a return this season, but if not, mad props to both of them on a truly dominant season. 

3) Tech's O-line was really good...like really, really good. I know our d-line was banged up and tired, and there were definitely some missed holding calls in there, but all in all,  there offensive line was a brick wall in pass protection, and opened holes when they needed to run.  I didn't realize how massive their line was until they showed their stats, and those behemoths can play. In my opinion, the best line we've played all year.

4) But seriously though, did the Big XII remove offensive holding from the rule book?

5) That Malcom Williams sure is starting to look like another Williams that wore the burnt orange.  This freshman/red shirt freshman reciever corps is going to be magic in the next two years.

6) Wait, seriously, you threw 53 passes and you never held once?  Sorry, I'm really done now.

7) We should have unveiled the Fozz earlier.

8) As devastating as this loss was, we fought hard, and made a respectable statement in the end.  This team has a grit about them that I can't recall ever seeing in my years of Texas fandom.

9) Don't be too hard on the young secondary over this outcome.  We had two legitimate chances to end this game on the last two plays of the game, but we didn't. End of story.  We lost as a team, and shouldn't have let it get as close as it did in the end (Cliche much?, it's true though and you know it!).

 10) As much as it hurts, I think I should congratulate Tech on a great game.  You throw tortillas, and rush the field too early, but you are a legit top ten team (this year).  Seriously though you're king in the castle now in the Big XII (and the Nation?), ride it as long as you can.

10 + 1) Don't give up hope yet BON faithful. We still have an excellent chance of playing in the Big XII championship, and with a little luck, we will rise to be in contention for the BCS title game once again.