Horns’ foes ride sense of urgency
AUSTIN — Texas coach Shaka Smart likens desperation to a gift. When channeled properly, that state of distress can push a team to reach new levels.
But desperation is a tricky thing. Feed too much into it and you end up ragged, burnt out. Over the past few days, No. 15 Texas (15-7, 9-6 Big 12) has faced two teams thirsting to snap severe slumps.
No. 18 Texas Tech had dropped three straight games when it hosted the Longhorns in Lubbock last Saturday. The Red Raiders used their gift properly, handing Texas a 68-59 loss and limiting Smart’s group to 34.7 percent shooting.
Iowa State roared back from an 8-0 hole Tuesday night even without guard Rasir Bolton (ankle), who leads the team in points,
rebounds, assists and steals. But the Cyclones’ urgency wasn’t enough to halt the program’s miserable losing skid — Texas extended it to 16 straight losses with an 81-67 win at Hilton Coliseum.
On Thursday, Texas gets a shot at another program steeped in desperation. No. 16 Oklahoma has dropped three straight games by a total of 13 points, including two straight to surging No. 17 Oklahoma State.
“Two ballgames there that were obviously very hotly contested,” Sooners coach Lon Kruger said Wednesday. “Disappointed in the outcomes in each of them. But the fight was there, the connectedness was there.
“This group, they kind of progressed to the point where their expectations and the standards
they set for themselves is really high. So when you lose three in a row, you’re extremely disappointed. And they’re appropriately disappointed, they’re still fired up about playing.”
Texas reeked of desperation in its first matchup with Oklahoma at the Erwin Center back on Jan. 26.
COVID-19 protocols had whittled the Longhorns’ roster to just eight scholarship players, and Smart wasn’t even allowed in the arena — associated head coach K.T. Turner served in his stead that night. Valuable reserve Brock Cunningham and starters Courtney Ramey and Jericho Sims were all held out of that contest.
That night, the Longhorns lost themselves in the fight, as Smart likes to say. Though Oklahoma won 80-79, Texas played some of its most inspired basketball of the season despite the long odds.
“Don’t overcomplicate it,” Smart said. “The team that has five guys that have a desperation, in a good way, for winning is going to have a major advantage over the team that does not. And again, that’s been us in a lot of moments that has affected our team in a positive way.”
But that sort of fanatical effort has ebbed and flowed all season. Some of that is due to uncontrollable events, like the ongoing pandemic and a devastating winter storm that ravaged the entire state. Some of that inconsistency is due simply to human nature.
“You might say, well, do it again, do it again,” Smart said. “We say that as coaches, too. But there’s probably a variety of reasons that go into it. My default is always that in order to do that, you’ve got to be 1,000 percent committed to the people around you and that common cause.”
Texas and Oklahoma are both
fighting for seeding in next week’s Big 12 tournament, which begins March 10. The top six seeds earn a valuable first-round bye and won’t have to slog through four games in four days in pursuit of a championship.
As of Wednesday, Texas was fifth and Oklahoma was sixth in the standings. This is OU’S final game, while the Longhorns have one remaining regular season game scheduled for Sunday at TCU (12-11 5-9).
“Obviously, we still have a significant stretch here in our regular season before we get to the postseason,” Smart said Monday. “I think sometimes you get to this time of year, there’s certainly a tendency on the part of players to want to get to the postseason. But these games are critical for us as it relates to both the Big 12 tournament and the NCAA Tournament.”
Smart wants to see his three starting guards play more “desperate” and “urgent” before the elimination games begin. This team goes as Matt Coleman, Andrew Jones and Ramey go, and of late those three have not all been at their best.
Against Iowa State the trio combined for 35 points on 50 percent shooting with 13 assists but also committed 11 turnovers. In the loss to Tech, the trio put up just 24 points on 6-for-24 shooting.
“We need to be more consistent with that, those guys are the engine that makes us go,” Smart said. “And making sure that they really lead from the standpoint of getting their teammates opportunities on the offensive end and setting the tone on the defensive end for who we want to be.”