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Thoughts on Texas Basketball’s loss to OU

Posted by Trips Right on January 12th, 2009 under Basketball

I’m not doing grades because it’s rinse repeat with the personnel. We know what we’re going to get. James disappears, AJ shoots us out of games, Pittman gets in foul trouble, Mason plays out of position as a lead guard, and Connor Atchley missed the plane again. As a change up, let’s just talk about team basketball. This ain’t And 1 pitting the Professor against Sauce. Let’s treat the post mortem that way. And in doing so we’ll use the keys to the game from the preview. The rest we’ve talked about all year ad naseum. If you had your own keys, post ‘em and talk about how they contributed to the loss.

Here are the keys and their corresponding effect on the outcome.


Tempo.
Let’s just ink this key in to the previews for every game, the rest of the season. It’s a code word for guard play. But in this game tempo will be especially important. The Sooners biggest strength is their competitive advantage over the Horns generating offense in a half court setting. They have Griffin and Warren to manufacture points if this becomes a half court street fight. Texas has sets and shit. The Sooner’s weakness is depth. Their depth is actually embarrassing. Texas has depth in spades. We go 5 deep in the frontcourt and 5 deep in the backcourt with interchangeable parts. Texas must play fast when the opportunity presents and try to get as many possessions as possible to either tire out the Sooners or get them in foul trouble.

Offensively we can accomplish this by getting out and running on the primary break, and then running quick sets to find open shots in our secondary break. Defensively, I would pressure and trap fullcourt, and then game Griffin with some quick trapping and slow trapping in halfcourt. But Texas must play fast for good portions of this game to have the best chance at a win.

I thought Texas played at a tempo that could have led to a victory had the Horns done some other things well on the offensive end. Oklahoma is not deep and they don’t particularly like to guard, so playing at a little faster pace could potentially wear down the Sooners in the long run, but in short run provide good looks by not allowing the Sooners to set their defense. The unintended consequence was a bunch of uncharacteristic unforced turnovers that robbed the Horns of precious looks. Every look is precious for a team that shoots as poorly as Texas. But I do think playing faster worked to the extent of wearing out the sooners, and allowed some dribble drives that created easy shots.


Play two different games.
Texas can put pressure on Oklahoma and at the same time play to its own strengths by playing two personnel groupings. What I mean by that is when Texas wants to pound with Dexter in the 4 out, they would be well served to play a personnel group of Atchley, Mason, Abrams, and James. Offensively, Texas would be able to spread the floor with 4 legitimate shooters and pound Dexter who would probably be guarded by Taylor Griffin so as not to expose Blake to foul trouble. This group would also force Blake out to the perimeter where he can be prone to pick up cheap fouls heding ball screens and defending dribble penetration. On defense, Texas could stay in its base M2M. Texas would have to play slower, but Dex has to be a part of this ball game, and the change in tempo and style might be a source of confusion for OU.

The second group would be my athlete, pressure, and get out and run group. I’d go with Johnson, Abrams, Mason, Ward/Balbay, and James. This would consist of full court pressure M2M, some token trapping, and then some quick trapping as a change up. In the halfcourt, Texas would have to switch and rotate like their hair was on fire to make up for the mismatch inside presented by Griffin. A press and drop back into an active zone would not be out of the question, and would serve to hide the glaring mismatch in the paint for stretches at a time. It’s also one more thing for the freshman Warren to think about.

This key never came to fruition because Damion James was awol the first half and Pittman was so effective neutralizing Griffin, who else could Barnes have in there defensively? With James’ absence, Barnes was forced to empty the bench and just find players that came to play. Sad, really. It’s f’n oklahoma. I do think the bench was crucial in getting the Horns back into the game, but this is a team that is going to have a difficult time employing complicated game strategy. Hell, we have trouble executing a simple ball reversal to an entry pass offense. It’s tough to to be multiple, if I can steal a term from Willy M.


Ring the Bell.
I had a coach that used to tell us at some point in every game to, “Do the things that it takes to win basketball games.” Yeah. Well. Of course. But looking back, I understand what he meant. You sometimes get caught up in the minutiae of bumping the flex cut, switch the scissor screen, hedge the two guard but trap the one, etc. and so forth. The fact of the matter is, when you shoot the basketball or ring the bell, you can cover up a lot of ills. If Texas can simply hit shots they’re capable of hitting, a lot of everything else takes care of itself. And the Sooners aren’t nearly the world beaters on defense that they were under Sampson. Capel’s group will make shots available, layups and open 3’s alike, and Texas has to hit them or it will be a long night.

Yeah, shooting the ball is pretty important, and it’s the reason we lost the game. From Pittman missing bunnies to AJ channeling his inner Adrian Dantley down the stretch eventhough he was ice cold, this team is atrocious at ringing the bell. Our best point guard can’t shoot, our best shooter can’t create, and our big men shoot under 50% from inside five feet. And at crunch time or winning time, an abysmal 3-16 down the stretch allowed the Sooners to stretch their lead from 4 to 16. Connor Atchley is still a non-factor and he’s our second best shooter. AJ’s shot selection has reverted back to the atrocious level. Mason hit a bomb, but he still lacks confidence as does Dogus. Dogus is intriguing especially if he can convert the 17 footer he hit tonight. It still was disconcerting to watch Dogus’ man run to the block to double Pittman without regard to where Balbay was on the floor. That can’t happen. But overall a pretty piss poor shooting effort.

Guarding Griffin and Warren.
First off, these two are going to score. It’s how they score that’s key. What we don’t want from Griffin are easy drop step dunks and put backs off misses. If he wants to take a big off the dribble from 15 ft fine. Turn around jumper from 10 fine. Texas must do a good job taking Blake out of his comfort zone with a variety of doubles quick and slow. From a variety of angles, guards and forwards. If he catches is on the block, coordinate a double team from the other block that has you small forward anticipate the interior pass to Taylor, your guard staying on Warren, leaving Crocker and Johnson to catch and generate offense.

On Warren, you can’t give up open catch and shoots or drives to the goal that get your bigs in foul trouble. Close out aggressively to his shot and then breakdown and sell out on his penetration forcing a midrange game. Warren doesn’t look to drop dimes, so if bigs shouldn’t be afraid to step in to cut off drives as long as the other forwards mind the weakside glass.

Just don’t let these guys sleep walk to their season averages. Make them show you they’re lottery picks by making NBA caliber moves.

I thought we did fine here especially when Pittman was in the game guarding Griffin. He really made Blake work for his offense. Blake stepped out and hit a 3, hit a couple of tough half hooks, but generally speaking Dex made the superstar work for his. He even frustrated Blake into a couple turnovers. With Dex out, Blake face raped GJ down low. Hell even Matt Hill had more success guarding Griffin.

As for Warren, I thought Texas did a poor job of cutting off his dribble penetration. They let him get to the rim way too much without resistance. I would have liked to see them force Warren to knock down a couple threes before allowing penetration, but oh well. Austin Johnson going off couldn’t have helped because it gave ou a third scorer. All in all, this key was a success in my opinion and could have led to a win if Texas shot the ball at all.

Bottom line is that Texas lost this game because it didn’t have a playmaking guard or forward when things became tough down the stretch. There was no go to guy to draw a foul or get a drive and dime for an easy score to break the scoreless possession string. We are who we are. If we shoot it well we usually win. In streetfights, we’re fighting with one hand tied behind our backs.

Thoughts?

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30 Responses

  1. srr50 said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm

    Our best point guard can’t shoot, our best shooter can’t create, and our big men shoot under 50% from inside five feet.

    That about sums it up Trips. I had marked this down as a loss before the season started, and everything leading up to it screamed ugly.

    OU was primed to break the six-game losing streak at home, our issues have been exposed enough that even Austin Hi! could figure them out, and frankly Barnes’ teams have several of these kinds of efforts each year.

    We are who we are

    Yep.

    Help is on the way. Not this year, but it is on the way.

  2. DJ said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    This team has become really difficult to watch for me. I get so frustrated with the offensive stagnation and the constant inability to finish around the rim. The defense used to be fun to watch, but even that has lost its appeal. I might have to take a couple-game hiatus from the team lest I throw my remote through the TV.

  3. Scipio Tex said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 9:27 pm

    Great analysis. I have nothing to add except two things:

    Props to Dogus for showing up. 8 pts, 7 rebs, 6 assists with a block and a steal. If that gained him a measure of confidence, that’s a good thing.

    For some reason unknown to me, I began counting the number of points that Damion’s assignment scored on him throughout the game – Austin Johnson primarily with a little Crocker. They had 21 points on James by my count. And three layups where Damion didn’t move his feet and allowed someone to go right past him and lay it off the glass.

  4. Lapu Lapu said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    Sadly, it’s going to be a long off season for football. We can probably take OU at home but we really need a point guard in a bad way.

    Hook’Em

  5. M said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 9:39 pm

    Just a simple observation. Every team has weaknesses and strengths. When ours are added up, the summation is not a top 25 team.

  6. exuLt said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    Watching a 19 pixel screen in spits and lurches on justintv is mostly guesswork and frankly demotivating, especially when we’re losing, but it seemed our defense was allowing post entry passes to Griffin almost at will towards the end. If defending bigs is dependent on Dex, then his foul troubles are going to doom our defensive efforts, too.

  7. EggNog said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 9:53 pm

    We have depth only in the sense that our top 10 guys run at about the same level. We don’t have 10 guys that can blow a team up, we have ten that can struggle to score points from all over the floor in every conceivable manner. We had a stretch in the first half AND the second half where we went 6 minutes or so without a single point. Not a basket, a point! It happened twice! In different halves! Exclamation!

    Barnes does not have a group of guys that will get him points, I don’t care what offense he tries to install, this group is too limited. We have talent and skills that don’t intersect properly. We have puzzle pieces that do some things great and some things poorly, but not in a manner that covers for each other.

    Our biggest weapon on offense is AJ, like it or not. He is also pretty easy to contain merely because of his height, so that kinda sucks for us.

    I hate to say it, but I’m starting to get the feeling that this group just doesn’t have the fight in them to win games for us. I don’t see these guys getting angry. I couldn’t tell you who our floor leader is, or who our locker room leader is. We have a bunch of spare parts but we are lacking the main piece.

    In the other thread I saw people defending James’ NBA potential. He has raw physical ability, but that wasn’t enough to get him in the lottery up until now. He hasn’t gained any physical tools over time. His skill set is lacking to be generous. I watch a ton of NBA these days (the league has improved in the last five years) and I can tell you even if he does go in the lottery he will not stick around in the league. If AJ had James’ body he would be a top five pick.

  8. Kafka said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 10:05 pm

    What Scipio said.

    Damion could not cover Austin Johnson. I should have seen that coming. Johnson is a guard and Damion simply wasn’t quick enough to cover him. Maybe the horns should have played zone.

    Exacerbating the situation was that the horns did not make OU pay by inverting the offense and having Damion post up Austin Johnson. I don’t actually know if Damion could do that very well anyway but that is how you are supposed to punish that kind of mismatch.

    It is kind of weird that the horns don’t have a small forward or guard of intermediate height between Damion (6′7″) and Mason at small forward (6′2″), somebody who match up better with Johnson.

    Balbay played great. I liked that he shot a set shot for the shot he hit outside. The kid has a lot of heart.

    The horns climbed backed into it and were something like 4 down when Dex got his 4th foul. Barnes took out both Dex and Damion and the chemistry of the run was gone.

    Good point by the announcer about Dex needing to use his left hand when spins to his right. Dex was pretty nervous when guarded by Blake Griffin and missed a lot of easy shots. He was still able to draw 3 fouls on Blake Griffin and frustrate the crap out of Blake.

    Taylor Griffin is a lot better than Gary.

    Warren looked like he is about 30 years old.

    Sometimes the horns are pressuring defensively way out of shooting range for the guy they are guarding. It seems counter productive to me because it makes them vulnerable to easy layups.

  9. scagnetti said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 11:03 pm

    You covered it all Trips. Scipio and Kafka as well.
    I wonder if it’s time to have an intervention with Ricky Barnes. Can we get him to fire these guys up. Dogus brought his heart but nobody else did. This is OU man!
    I’d like to see dogus dime around to Dex AJ GJ and Connor and have Damion sit till he brings his game and his heart. But Ricky should lead by example.
    He really hasn’t ever been the one to bring the brimstone to the bench but this is a team unlike any other in the recent past without the go to guy. I forget who said it but there was no one who was or has been the guy who either wants or seems comfortable being the go to guy.
    I wonder if ricky should such push the future now if his senior leaders continue to cost the teams win. Something needs to change.

    I predicted a point deficit of at least 10 points but I wanted to be surprised. But this team doesn’t surprise anyone.

  10. Crown & Coke said:

    January 12th, 2009 at 11:32 pm

    Trips,

    Although I wish the news wasn’t so disconcerting, there is not a soul on the planet covering this team better than you right now (no homo?).

    If you ever want to set up a paypal fund I will be happy to send along a donation.

    I’ve learned more about hoops reading this blog over the past year than I had the previous two decades combined.

    Thanks again for all the great contributions.

  11. jinx said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 6:07 am

    This is the best Horns website going by far. It is now the first place I go every morning for the latest in Longhorn news.

    You guys do a great job and I love the personality. When I’m pissed, I want analysis that says it like it is, not watered down BS. You guys bring the attitude and analysis in spades.

    I know this is irrelevant to the basketball game (mostly) but I’ve been reading for a while without commenting.

    Keep it up guys!

    Jai Lucas can’t get here soon enough…

  12. jc25 said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 6:36 am

    “James disappears, AJ shoots us out of games, Pittman gets in foul trouble, Mason plays out of position as a lead guard, and Connor Atchley missed the plane again.”

    So true…has any one starting four group suffered so much from the loss of the fifth (Augustin)? AJ looks like the only guy out there that doesn’t miss DJ leading the show, and that just leads to nights where he shoots 8 for 27 and Coach Fran thinks he’s playing well.

    Speaking of Fran, it’s good to hear from him again. He always uses the same anecdotes (did you know that Dex lost 80 pounds?), but he’s very knowledgeable about CBB, the overseas game, and the Big XII. Welcome back, Fran.

    “Taylor Griffin is a lot better than Gary.”

    Think you hit the nail on the head, there. Austin Johnson is a lot better than Justin Mason. Crocker gets wide open spaces while AJ gets smothered. Warren runs amok while our super-frosh is stuck in academia hell. Their bench is far worse than ours, yet wholly irrelevant. All this comes back to confidence, which comes back to it being nice when the best player is on your side. Blake Griffin just makes this team a better basketball club. Whoever said he’s a second banana may be right about his NBA skills, but he’s definitely the leader of this team, plain and simple. He’ll get his, and Warren looks like a solid contributor as well. If you get production from just one of your guards, OU will stay in games. Get it from two like last night, the opponent is just about done.

    On the plus side, this team is developing really well for next year. Mason will look good moving to the 2-guard next to Lucas next year. It’ll give him the range to work on hustle plays on O, and be the primary perimeter defender on D. Having a scorer like Lucas running the point will do wonders for this offense. Balbay’s confidence also shot up. I expect he’ll be a solid back-up for 4 years here, although he’ll need to work on that 17-footer like a kajillion times this summer. It’s ok, I remember a freshman Rajon Rondo not being able to shoot a lick, either. Their games look rather similar to me. Pittman sucked on O tonight, but he played quality D against one of the top scorers in the game. Eye opening. I wasn’t buying Hill over Chapman, but that’s what my eyes told me last night. I think we’re missing Wangmene inside more than we think. He plays hard, the white guys play soft. Johnson is playing well, but someone needs to teach him it’s ok to pass or drive on a well-defended 15-footer. Can’t wait for next year’s team, plus recruits. I think it’ll be a doozy.

  13. Art Vandelay said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 7:08 am

    Great stuff Trips and others.

    I know I’m being repetitive but this team screams for DJ. We have a number of good pieces to the puzzle, but the hard truth is that we don’t shoot very well, dribble very well or pass very well. DJ and Durant covered those issues up for the most part.

    The only saving grace that I see to this season is if Conner comes around. 10-15 points a night from him will spread the defense a little bit. Other than that we struggle to make sweet 16.

  14. Work said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 7:14 am

    “Taylor Griffin is a lot better than Gary.”

    No. Gary’s skill set is much broader than Taylor’s. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see much of it last night.

    “Austin Johnson is a lot better than Justin Mason.”

    Really no. Austin played well last night, but give me Mason any day of the week (as long as hes not playing out of position).

    If we can ever get these guys playing on the same page with confidence, then we will be hard to handle. Until then, its more ugly wins and uglier losses.

  15. BEHorn said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 7:35 am

    Where is Ian Mooney when you need him?

  16. TexasFan101 said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 7:38 am

    Good as always Trips.

    Seems to me confidence is a huge issue right now. From one handed rebound attempts, to bricks from inside five feet, the guys just aren’t comfortable. I wonder if they are trying to do too much? Where is the team that played Villinova and UCLA? I was listening to the radio this morning and AJ was talking about being a leader, but only being able to do so much. He was talking about confidence and how that has to come from each individual before it can come from the team. Troubling.

  17. Trips Right said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:00 am

    srr50, help is indeed on the way. I’m working on posting a 2009 crystal post that talks about all of the ingredients complete with scouting reports. We’re going to be filthy.

    DJ, don’t do that. If you have a dog, buy a cat and then kick it. Never kick a dog.

    Scip, someone mentioned it, but I think we were asking Damion to double Griffin and he was caught in between a couple times. Still, he played lazy on defense until Barnes kicked him in the ass.

    Lapu, yep. How would you feel about having 3 point guards on the floor next year? The kind that can dribble, shoot and pass. Two of which defend wings like junkyard dogs.

    M, we’re a hodge-podge of skillsets and weaknesses. We need to grab on to a philosophy and stick to it. If it alienates certain players in not fitting with their particular skillset then so be it.

    exUlT, Austin Johnson’s emergence had a lot to do with the easy passing angles. Our plan was to help off of him. He made us pay.

    EggNog, couldn’t have said better. That’s exactly what is going on. We don’t have that playmaker that can tie everyone together. The closest thing we have is Balbay and he’s a liability offensively. Next year we’ll add 3 playmaking perimeter players to the squad. The floor should open up like we are playing on a football field.

    scag, I have a feeling this will be addressed in practice. We’re not that talented, but there is no excuse to come out flat against the sooners. None.

    C and C, I appreciate that, bro. It’s fun for me when we win, and cathartic for me when we lose. Thanks for reading.

    jinx, jai is going to thrive when he’s flanked by two playmakers that can handle, pass, and shoot. It’s the the perfect mix.

    jc25, Augustin covered for a lot of our deficiencies and accentuated a lot of our skills. That’s the beauty of having a creator and a playmaker. It’s cliche, but it’s true. Players that can make other players better are gold.

    Art, it’s hard to tell what is wrong with Connor. He’s blowing it in a big way.

    Work, they were better last night and that’s all that matters. But I do see your point. Gary Johnson and Justin Mason aren’t in the ideal situation for their talents.

    Ian Mooney was the only person in the building whiter than Griffin’s mom. That lady is practically translucent. If you looked hard enough you could see her medulla oblongata. She frightened my children.

    Texasfan, thanks. Confidence is key. On a positive note, it was good to see Mason and Balbay hit a J.

  18. jc25 said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:04 am

    Work: Sorry, should have the caveat. CURRENTLY, Austin Johnson > Mason / Taylor Griffin > GJ.

    It stands to reason. One, the OU boys are seniors, ours are not. Two, they’re playing with the best player in the country, or at the very least, the best player on the court last night. That’s providing them a lot more freedom to work with. Three, this is leading to a much higher confidence level in OU’s players than in Texas’. This showed itself in spades last night, as Austin Johnson completely dominated the PG matchup against Mason. Likely by the end of their careers, GJ and J-Mase will have been better than Austin Johnson and Taylor Griffin, but for this year, I’m not seeing it happening.

  19. RansomStoddard said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:14 am

    This team is a collection of spare parts where the parts are greater than their sum, interestingly. Added to the fact that there is no apparent leader and you get a nice team that is likely a one or two and done in the NCAA.

  20. The General said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:21 am

    Ransom Stoddard, I like the collection of spare parts analogy.

    It makes me wonder why Rick hasn’t made more of an effort to stockpile point guards. He said after TJ left that he wasn’t ever going to get caught without one again, but we seem to be recruiting an elite PG every three years instead of maybe every other year.

  21. Bob in Houston said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:31 am

    General, I think it’s hard to convince really good PGs to come to a school has one, unless said PG is convinced that the incumbent is on his way out.

    This is bad news for RB, since, as I posted last week, his offense only seems to run well when he has a A-A at the position.

  22. RansomStoddard said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:31 am

    It seems to me it works if you have a Durant, Augustin or Ford to build around. When you don’t, each part’s weaknesses get magnified and their strengths get obscured.

  23. Texoz said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:43 am

    Early on I thought we might be a lock for 2 or 3 seed, now I’m thinking 4 or 5.

    I have hope that Dogus might develop enough by tourny time that we could make a run to Sweet 16 and maybe FF. That’s pretty much our only hope.

    I’m also wondering if Barnes needs to lay off for a while. Some have commented that he can be really harsh on the players and that has its benefits, specifically defensively, but you have to wonder if it’s hurting the players’ offensive output.

  24. Bartoncreek said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 8:57 am

    Trip, you nailed it with the hodgepodge of skillsets comments. We do need to decide our style of play and stick to it. That is the problem though. What style of play best suits the gang that can’t shoot straight? I am at a loss. One minute I think go big and just pound it inside at all cost. The next I think to go small and just push the ball and take it to the glass as quick as you can. Problem is I don’t think either will work with this group.

    One thing is for damn sure, we can not try and be a balanced inside out team. It doesn’t work when your one good shooter shoots around 40% from the field and he is by far your best shooter. Hell, I would kill for a Kenny Taylor right about now.

    So what would be our best style of play?

  25. Art Vandelay said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 9:01 am

    I listened to Longhorn Sportsline on the radio the other night (I believe that is what it is called). Barnes said Conner had some type of injury to his mouth (said tongue had swollen three times it’s size). Was eating shakes, etc…. and had lost a lot of weight.

  26. The General said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 9:09 am

    Bob in H,

    I agree, but there are plenty of college basketball teams with adequate backup point guards. I am talking about a role player that puts a couple of things on the table and takes nothing off. A guy that may step up to something better as an upper classmen.

    Royal Ivey turned into that guy after Barnes Jedi mind tricked him into thinking he wasn’t the point guard even though he handled all the point guard duties, especially in crunch time.

    Maybe Varez is that guy. Maybe Barnes thought Mason would be that guy. And, of course, J’Covan isn’t going to make it to campus.

  27. Work said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 10:40 am

    This is probably common knowledge, but FWIW, the staff was very disappointed in the progress of Dogus as a PG before the season even started. There were very high hopes for him, and in preseason workouts he wasn’t adjusting to the speed of the game and everything Coach was asking him to do (defend every possession, score in 7 or less, run a random motion offense, etc). I still think he will be solid for us, its just taking longer than expected.

  28. exuLt said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 11:58 am

    Texoz, I was thinking the same thing. I think initial expectations were unrealistic all around for this year’s team, relative to last year. I think this team should be allowed to seek its own level and have fun while doing it. All work and no play… Confidence goes hand in hand with comfort, and Rick has been riding his players like an old sea hag. Or so it appears more transparently this year. It may be his expectations without all the requisite pieces, hence players not being utilized to their strengths or comfort zones.

  29. OUsniffsware said:

    January 13th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

    AJ is not a leader type. The fact that he has to try and be that speaks volumes. Something is not right with the team. Either AJ jacking it and the guys are pissed. Or Barnes has lost it trying to force an issue or they are not having fun because Rick is going ape on them? Just not right.

  30. Art Vandelay said:

    January 21st, 2009 at 12:57 pm

    Does anyone else think the Griffin brothers are using roids or HGH?

    I know this sounds disingenuous coming from an anonymous UT poster…… but they look textbook to me.

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    For instance, you can have a 40 inch vertical, be Iverson quick,

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  • Nate Heupel commented on the blog post Because We’re Dedicated To Doing Stupid Things – Tiny Gallon Reportedly Took Payout   4 hours, 28 minutes ago

    Patrick,

    Unless you’re completely retarded, you know precisely what I meant. The closest any Big 12 team has gotten to winning the infamous Fuller Cup is the 2007 Texas squad. I can’t remember a team being that horribly undisciplined as a whole aside from the insane OU teams of the 80’s. That’s not

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  • Nate Heupel commented on the blog post Because We’re Dedicated To Doing Stupid Things – Tiny Gallon Reportedly Took Payout   4 hours, 28 minutes ago

    Patrick,

    Unless you’re completely retarded, you know precisely what I meant. The closest any Big 12 team has gotten to winning the infamous Fulmer Cup is the 2007 Texas squad. I can’t remember a team being that horribly undisciplined as a whole aside from the insane OU teams of the 80’s. That’s not

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  • Sailor Ripley wrote a new blog post: This Is Sparta!   4 hours, 41 minutes ago

    Please make yourself welcome and Adam will be by shortly to keep you up to date on all Michigan State Spartan happenings.

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  • Nickel Rover commented on the blog post Barnes worst team   4 hours, 45 minutes ago

    I suppose anyone could be your “favorite Longhorn basketball player” but Ford did more than just about anyone…although Durant is clearly better. Ford’s supporting cast was better than Durant’s in his sophomore year. Durant’s had more talent (Augustin, James, Abrams) but Ford’s was more developed (Boddicker, Ivey, Mouton, Thomas) and had worked with him for

  • Nickel Rover commented on the blog post Bradley or Hamilton?   4 hours, 52 minutes ago

    Crazy Joe, your thoughts intrigue me and I would like to subscribe to your newsletter.

  • Nickel Rover commented on the blog post Bradley or Hamilton?   4 hours, 54 minutes ago

    This notion of Hamilton as being a disaster area on defense is all a bit much. He rebounds extremely well which, if it wasn’t obvious, is extremely important in this game since it secures possession of the basketball. Winning in basketball is achieved through the scoring of baskets and it’s necessary to possess the basketball

  • Ojnab Bob commented on the blog post Best Opening Round I Can Remember   5 hours, 5 minutes ago

    I posted earlier about how Collins’ effort just crippled Kansas today, but what amazed me the most was his complete inability to stay in front of his man on defense. UNI got a LOT of good looks out of penetration/pass after one of UNI’s modestly gifted athletes blew right by Sherron. The best

  • Scipio Tex wrote a new blog post: Best Opening Round I Can Remember   6 hours, 17 minutes ago

    At least it’s shaping up that way if Sunday delivers.

    As disappointed as I was in last year’s opening weekend of March Madness, this one is exceeding all expectations. Putting aside the fact that my bracket now resembles Kabul after the Taliban rolled through in ‘96 – a map of ordered failure –

  • J commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   6 hours, 44 minutes ago

    Thanks for the kind words, Trips.

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  • J commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   6 hours, 44 minutes ago

    You know who’s bitter and angry as fuck? This guy —> ME.

    I can only hope our returning players (whoever that may be) remember this and realize they need to play motivated EVERY FUCKING GAME and put forward 40 MINUTES of effort each game.

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  • Raoul Duke commented on the blog post Rumor Alert–TMG   7 hours, 16 minutes ago

    Kid seems like a fantastic collegiate player. I haven’t seen any NBA info. Is he a legit prospect?

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  • Raoul Duke commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   7 hours, 22 minutes ago

    Tough day for Sherron on O and D.

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  • GoHornsGo90 commented on the blog post Bradley or Hamilton?   8 hours, 7 minutes ago

    To leave or stay?

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   8 hours, 8 minutes ago

    KSU moving on led by a hot shooting Pullen. BTW, White Mormons can shoot FTs. 22 for 25, I think. Imagine if we could shoot like that.

    Wake’s coming back on Kentucky. They’re within 25 right now…..

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Bid Dance: Day Three   8 hours, 26 minutes ago

    Just wanted to say I feel for you guys. As a Texas fan I know how this feels even if it’s from a football perspective.

    I still think you’re the best basketball team in the country, and unfortunately you ran into a team that packed a Villanova circa 1985 type game today. Meaning they

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  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   8 hours, 35 minutes ago

    Wow. Wake won’t break 50. Not surprising really — we should have beaten Wake and they are not a very good team.

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   8 hours, 41 minutes ago

    Kentucky doing their best to beat Wake by half hundred. Close call….

  • RRR wrote a new blog post: Survive and Advance   8 hours, 44 minutes ago

    We really struggled in the first half, but battled through it to get a tough win against Jacksonville.  On to Oxford!

     Forget what conference they play in, Jacksonville is a very good basketball team, and they got to Lubbock not because of a crazy bank shot at the buzzer in Phoenix, but by playing aggressive, intense defense for

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  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 2 minutes ago

    The shamrock is on his left shoulder. The Griffin looking thing is on his right.

  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 11 minutes ago

    Everytime I see a Gumbel brother I think of “Gumbel to Gumbel”

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 24 minutes ago

    Kentucky starting to pile on Wake. That would have been our fate…..

    KSU just killing the Mormons on the glass…

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   9 hours, 51 minutes ago

    10 point lead for the Mormons again…

  • ghostofagroundgame commented on the blog post NCAA Tournament Open Thread: Weekend Edition   10 hours, 6 minutes ago

    This is the first-time Frank Martin has ever met a Mormon who wasn’t on a bicycle.