College Basketball

Shaka Smart and Texas Basketball Officially in Rebuilding Mode following TCU Loss

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:00 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Fansided, James Caldwell/FanSided via Hook'em Headlines

Shaka Smart and Texas Longhorns Basketball drop ugly home game vs. TCU Horned Frogs.

Shaka Smart is officially in rebuilding mode after the Texas Longhorns basketball team dropped an ugly game to TCU by the score of 64-61 at the Erwin Center on Wednesday night.

After building a decent lead in the second half, the Longhorns only scored ten points in the last ten minutes, eight points in the last eight minutes, and two points in the last two minutes.

The Horns guards threw up enough bricks in the second-half to build the new facility that will house men’s basketball at some point down the road. That’s part of the issue with what’s happening to the basketball team this season – enthusiasm is waning while the athletic department is making a crucial decision about the site for a new building.

Shaka Smart needs Texas Basketball to win now. But, if they can’t even beat a junky TCU team that turned the ball over just as many times as the turnover-prone Longhorns, how are they going to finish at .500 in the Big 12?

Please, shield your eyes from the upcoming schedule – Top 10 national teams West Virginia, Baylor, and Kansas are next.

Tournament? You want to talk about the Tournament?!

Right now, the thought of the Longhorns making the NCAA Tournament seems gone. This is a pure rebuilding effort for Shaka Smart without a true PG, with sloppy interior play, and a constant stream of turnovers.

Yes, tonight’s crew of vagabond Big 12 officials cost Texas points at crucial points in the game. One example was an obvious “and-1” for Andrew Jones late in the game that was called a foul on the floor. TCU followed up with points to extend their narrow lead. But, moments later, the curious case of Eric Davis missed a wide-open three-pointer with eight seconds left that would have tied the game. TCU’s Alex Robinson then channeled his inner Nick “the Brick” Anderson missing two free throws that opened the door for the Horns, but Texas was unable to get off a last-ditch three before the buzzer. For good measure, sophomore guard Kerwin Roach missed the shot.

The box score of this game looks very similar on both sides. The same number of turnovers (17), the same number of personal fouls (15), and similar shooting percentages. But, TCU made two more three-pointers, had six more assists, and had four more rebounds. Texas’s big men had no business being outrebounded by TCU’s frontcourt.

One of those big men, freshman center Jarrett Allen, finished with a career-high 18 points and nearly picked up a double-double with 9 rebounds. But, seems like every game he leaves points on the court. Same with Shaq Cleare.

Commence Shaka Smart Rebuilding Effort

The maddening inconsistency of the 2016-17 Texas Men’s Basketball team will make you feel hopeful when they put together five good minutes of great team basketball. And then completely helpless when the next five minutes includes bricks and turnovers.

This is now a rebuilding season for Shaka Smart. Similarly, the Erwin Center will eventually be torn down to make way for a shiny new building located somewhere around UT campus.

In the meantime, let’s reset expectations for this basketball team to consider this season a tear-down-and-rebuild project after Texas dropped an ugly game at home to an underwhelming TCU squad.

Next Up: Texas hosts West Virginia Saturday afternoon in Austin.

More from Hook'em Headlines

This article originally appeared on

share

Get more from College Basketball Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

College Basketball

TCU Horned Frogs

Texas Longhorns