Stretch run could be memorable
Texas seniors know it’s their last chance to leave special legacy.
The faint musical score from the West Virginia Coliseum speaker system last month was meant as background noise. The public address announcer politely introduced Texas’ starting lineup, and that was it. Nothing really noticeable.
But that wasn’t elevator music playing in the background. It was unmistakable — “The Imperial March” from “Star Wars,” also known as Darth Vader’s theme music.
It’s been quite some time since Texas has played the villain, especially in basketball. All those February collapses turned a program once hated by league rivals into one that’s respected but certainly not feared. It’s just another night on the schedule. Texas hasn’t hung a championship banner since 2008.
There’s still time for these Longhorns (15-7, 6-3 in the Big 12) to carve their own legacy.
Saturday’s home game against Texas Tech starts the nine-game closing stretch. Halfway through the Big 12 schedule, the Horns are one game out of first place. What lies ahead?
“I can’t predict the future. All I know is we haven’t reached our potential yet,” senior guard Demarcus Holland said.
“Everybody comes to this school because they want to be winners, because of what the people who have been before them have done. We want to hang a banner, too. We want to go down in Texas history as a tough team, a hard-nosed team. I think we have the ability to do that, and we’re still in great position to do that.”
Holland, Javan Felix, Prince Ibeh, Connor Lammert and Cam Ridley came to Texas during a tumultuous time. They all lived through a losing season as freshmen, the year the locker room nearly tore itself apart. The next season, malcontents transferred out and the Horns actually had fun. The 2014 team finished third in the Big 12 and had a memorable last-second win against Arizona State in the NCAAs.
Last year’s team basked in preseason hype fueled by a top-10 ranking. But Texas stumbled to a 1-2 start in Big 12 play and had two four-game losing streaks, and coach Rick Barnes was fired.
So this season, nobody talks about what lies ahead. Nobody’s mentioned a date with No. 1 Oklahoma on Monday. The veterans take each game as it comes, and the three touted freshmen follow their lead.
Saturday is a chance to atone for the 82-74 loss to Texas Tech in Lubbock on Jan. 2. At that point, the Horns hadn’t figured out how to play without Ridley (fractured foot). All that’s changed now.
Texas has won six of its past seven games. The loss came at No. 3 Kansas.
“Nah, we’re not worried about the standings, because that can get your focus off something important,” Felix said.
This closing stretch could be quite a ride.
“It’s about creating memories that we can remember forever — not only us, but the people here, the fans, this school,” Felix said. “We want to make it something that people will remember forever.”