Texas Longhorns

AUSTIN, Texas -- Coaches always insist one game does not make or break a season.

In Texas’ case, however, that could be true. After all, had the Longhorns not lost a 17-point lead in the final minutes against N.C. State or lost a four-point lead in the final minutes against Kansas, or dropped a couple of two possession games to Baylor, or turned the ball over in the final minute against Kansas State or even not lost to Oregon State in overtime, they would have no worries and a 14th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament to look forward to.

But Texas didn’t do any of those things. So now the Longhorns (19-12, 9-9) are staring squarely into the face of a make or break game. Just don’t tell the coach that.

“Nobody knows that,” Texas coach Rick Barnes said. “That is media and speculation saying we got to win. Nobody knows that. I don’t know that. All I know is that I hope [the players] listen to us.

“We’ve got to worry about winning a basketball game. We don’t have to worry about the (NCAA) tournament. They can hear it, and if they get caught up in it, that means we’re not prepared and we’re not ready to win a basketball game and we’re not going to win a basketball game.”

It’s a simple and myopic view. One that could be sold to a veteran team perhaps. But Texas will most likely starter three freshmen and play three more against Iowa State Thursday in the Big 12 tournament. So to believe those players will not be caught up in the significance of the game might be just a tad naïve.

Still, that is what Barnes is attempting to do. Being that he has been successful in steering Texas to 13 straight NCAA tournaments, it might be short-sided of anyone to sell him short.

“This time of year we know that basketball is taking center stage and we know there are people out there talking and doing this and that but the bottom line is, and I have told them all year long, ‘If we’ve done enough we will be there,’” Barnes said. “We’ve got to worry about what we can do and that is simply win a basketball game.”

It’s not that simple. First off Texas is facing Iowa State (22-9, 12-6). The Cyclones have one of the most versatile players in the conference in Royce White.

“He is a very unique player,” ISU coach Fred Hoiberg said. “It makes it difficult to prepare for us when you have somebody like that who can do so many different things and play in so many different areas.”

Texas did have the perfect player to defend the 6-foot-8 White, Alexis Wangmene. The emphasis there is on did. Wangmene suffered a broken wrist against Kansas Saturday and is out.
“If you have done enough by now you can adjust and we have had to adjust in games when we have had guys in foul trouble,” said Barnes. “That’s how we look at it. Other guys just have to get ready to play and do their job. We have had to adjust to a lot of things this year and we will adjust to this too.”

Texas did not adjust very well at Kansas. Wangmene had limited Big 12 Player of the Year Thomas Robinson to 3 of 10 shooting before the injury. Robinson made seven of his next nine shots and finished with 25 points in KU’s 10-point win.

Without Wangmene, Texas will only have three post players, Clint Chapman as well as freshmen Jonathan Holmes and Jaylen Bond.

We're moving on with our 2011 postseason position rankings. Today, it's time for cornerbacks. If you missed it, here's how I ranked them in the preseason.

Here are the other position rankings we've done so far:

• Quarterbacks
• Running backs
• Receivers/tight ends
• Linebackers

Depth is somewhat of a factor here, but I weighted it heavily toward the top two starters at the position.

1. Texas — The Longhorns duo of Carrington Byndom and Quandre Diggs were by far the league's best at limiting the big play. Both are physical. Both return. Beware, Big 12 offenses. In just their first year as starters, they helped the Longhorns lead the league in pass defense. Diggs, a true freshman, led the team with four interceptions. Until the regular-season finale against Baylor, Texas and Alabama were the only teams that hadn't given up a touchdown pass longer than 20 yards. Obviously, that's way, way more impressive in the Big 12.

2. Kansas State — K-State overachieved in a lot of ways this year, and perhaps nowhere more than at cornerback. Juco transfer Nigel Malone led the league with seven interceptions. Known entity David Garrett was even more solid, making 88 tackles and 6.5 tackles for loss. I ranked this unit 10th in the Big 12 before the season. They finished second. I was wrong.

3. Oklahoma — The Sooners' corners were good, but not great, and underachieved slightly. Jamell Fleming and Demontre Hurst are supremely talented, but were susceptible to big plays this year. Granted, everybody in the Big 12 was, but the Sooners ranked fourth in pass defense. Fleming broke up 10 passes and intercepted two more. Hurst broke up 11 and had an interception.

4. Oklahoma State — At times, Oklahoma State's Brodrick Brown was a legitimate shutdown corner. Justin Gilbert turned in a solid effort in his first year as a starter, which was much more important after a season-ending injury to Devin Hedgepeth in September. Gilbert picked off five passes, second-most in the Big 12.

5. Iowa State — Leonard Johnson was quietly an NFL prospect that put together a huge year. He was a big reason for ISU's upset of No. 2 Oklahoma State, and helped shut down Justin Blackmon. He finished with 71 tackles, eight pass breakups and a pick. Jeremy Reeves added two picks and seven pass breakups.

6. Missouri — E.J. Gaines led the Big 12 with 16 pass breakups, and the Tigers ranked fifth in the Big 12 in pass defense. Fellow first-year starter Kip Edwards added a pick and three pass breakups.

7. Texas A&M — The team's top corner, Coryell Judie, was hampered by a hamstring injury all season, but production is production. It wasn't there for Judie, one of the league's top corners in 2010. Terrence Frederick had a good year with 13 pass breakups and a pick, but the Aggies were susceptible through the air all year. Lionel Smith and Dustin Harris filled in well in Judie's absence, but not well enough. A&M finished eighth in pass defense and helped five QBs set career highs for passing yardage in 2011.

8. Baylor — K.J. Morton played well down the stretch for Baylor, but the Bears defense left a lot to be desired almost everywhere. They finished last in the Big 12 in pass defense, giving up over 290 yards a game. Morton picked off four passes and broke up six more. All four of his picks came in the final three games of 2011. Chance Casey broke up six passes and made 48 stops.

9. Texas Tech — How's this for irony? The Red Raiders actually finished second in the Big 12 in pass defense. It doesn't matter much. Tre' Porter had the only interception for a cornerback all season, and broke up two passes. Injuries were a problem all season. Cornelius Douglas, Derrick Mays, Jarvis Phillips and Sawyer Vest filled the unit, but Tech faced 61 fewer pass attempts than Kansas and 111 fewer than the next team in the Big 12. That's what happens when you can't stop the run. Doesn't mean the corners played well.

10. Kansas — Greg Brown picked off two passes and broke up three more. Isiah Barfield made 35 tackles and broke up five passes. The Jayhawks ranked ninth in the Big 12 in pass defense. They didn't get much of a pass rush to help the corners, but the corners were very poor in 2011.

ESPNHS took a look at the most punishing positions in sports, and among them, to no one's surprise, is an offensive lineman.

For the exercise, they talked to 2013 Texas commit Jake Raulerson, the first official member of Texas' recruiting class that can begin signing with the school next February.

Says Raulerson:

"I've broken every finger, and all my nails are deformed from getting stepped on in the pile or getting them jacked up in an opponent's pads. I have no idea where I'll put my wedding ring. That's just the way it goes. I wouldn't call a broken finger an injury -- they come with the territory."

Now, this may come as a surprise, but as a blogger, I would consider a broken finger an injury. How else could I bring you daily musings on the Big 12?

It'd certainly be difficult.

Here's more from Raulerson:

"I go hard on every play, that's just the way I am. There was one game I played and I was just dog-tired after. I got on the bus, laid down in my pads and just passed out from exhaustion all the way home."

Nice.

Raulerson's one of the best offensive line prospects in the 2013 class, and he certainly talks a tough game. It'll be interesting to see him get a chance to earn that reputation on the field at Texas next year.

In this week's edition of the Verbal Commit podcast, our experts look at the team's that have been off to a fast start in 2013 recruiting.

Give it a listen.

The Texas baseball team got back in the win column Tuesday after dropping two out of three games at the Houston College Classic.

Senior outfielder Tyler Maitland hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Longhorns a 2-1 win over Dallas Baptist at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.

Before that inning, Texas had just three hits, but sophomore infielder Alex Silver’s bloop single in the 12th got the rally started. Taylor Stell pinch-ran for Silver and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Kirby Bellow. That’s when things got dramatic.

The Patriots tried to set up a double play by intentionally walking Jordan Etier, and Mark Payton appeared to oblige the move when he hit a slow roller to short stop. The sophomore Payton was able to beat the relay throw from second base to give Texas runners on the corners with two outs.

In stepped Maitland.

The senior bounced a 1-0 pitch towards DBU short stop Joel Hutter, but with Maitland’s speed, Dallas Baptist had no play at first. Hutter instead went to third to try and retire Etier before the winning run could score, but Stell crossed the plate first with the winning run.

Six Longhorns pitchers combined to allow just one run and five hits over 12 innings. Corey Knebel (1-0) earned the victory, pitching a scoreless 12th inning, allowing one hit while striking out one. Parker French, who entered in the 8th, pitched four scoreless innings allowing two hits and notching a strikeout. Nathan Thornhill and John Curtiss each tallied two scoreless innings.

Dallas Baptist (6-6) pounced on the Longhorns for a run in the top of the first inning. R.J. Talamantes doubled to the gap in right centerfield to start the frame and moved to third on a fly out to deep leftfield. Boomer Collins drew a walk to put runners on the corners and Talamantes scored when Collins drew the throw to second on a double-steal attempt.

Texas (5-7) knotted the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Silver was hit by a pitch and replaced at first base by Bellow who grounded into a fielder’s choice. Etier singled and Mark Payton walked to load the bases. Maitland was hit by a pitch to drive in Bellow with the equalizer.

Etier was the only player in the game to register multiple hits, going 2-for-4 on the day.

Michael Smith (1-1) was the hard-luck loser for Dallas Baptist. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out six over 5.2 innings. Andrew Elkins pitched 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits and one walk while striking out two.

The boys at the Solid Verbal podcast are new members to the Grantland network, and I jumped on with Ty and Dan this week to preview the Big 12's first season in its third configuration in three years.

Here's where you can have a listen .

Can WVU and TCU crash the Big 12 party and win the league? Is the window still open for someone other than Oklahoma and Texas to win the league? How will David Ash progress? Is K-State good enough to be better than 2011?

How far, if at all, will Baylor and Oklahoma State fall without their world-beating pass/catch duos?

Will Mike Stoops revitalize Oklahoma's defense? Can Paul Rhoads or Charlie Weis build something special at Iowa State and Kansas, respectively?

We touched on the whole Big 12. You won't be disappointed. All that and more on the podcast. Give it a listen .

We're chatting today. Spring football, the latest commitment, the start of the Big 12 hoops tournament -- it's all up for grabs.

Carter Strickland will be taking your questions at 2 p.m. CT today.

Submit your questions here.

If Texas is going to make a run at a 14th consecutive NCAA tournament, it will do it without forward Alexis Wangmene.

The 6-foot-8 senior suffered a broken wrist in Saturday's game against Kansas. He will undergo surgery to repair his dislocated left wrist.

After consulting with a specialist Monday, it was decided that surgery was the best option. The recovery time, however, will keep Wangmene out of any postseason play.

The Longhorns open the Big 12 tournament Thursday against Iowa State.