Texas Longhorns

Our top 25 has come and gone, but we're taking a deeper look at the list throughout the day on the blog.

As we do with every list, here are the guys who were probably good enough to be on the top 25, but didn't make the cut. After all, there's only so much room.

These are listed in no particular order.

Carrington Byndom, CB, Texas: Broke up 15 passes and picked off two passes, returning one for a touchdown. Also forced a fumble and of his 54 tackles, seven were for losses.

James Franklin, QB, Missouri: Threw for 2,865 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Also rushed for 981 yards and 15 touchdowns on 217 carries.

(Read full post)

We're chatting today. Send in your questions about recruiting, spring football or the Longhorns chances in the NCAA tournament.

Submit your questions here. Join us today at 2 p.m. CT.

The top 25 players list is finished, and it's time to look back and stack up the results. Here's how the list shook out:

BY TEAM

1. Oklahoma State: 5 players
2. Oklahoma: 4
2. Texas A&M: 4
4. Iowa State: 3
4. Kansas State: 3
4. Baylor: 3
7. Texas: 2
8. Missouri: 1 (Henry Josey)
9. Kansas: 0
9. Texas Tech: 0

• Both of Texas' players were defenders. Texas has actually never landed an offensive player in any of my top 25s, from the preseason and postseason top 25s in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, respectively.
• I'll list my honorable mentions later today, but Mizzou had a couple that just missed the cut. Josey probably would have been in the top five if not for his injury.
• The same is true for Texas Tech running back Eric Stephens, who simply missed too many games to warrant inclusion. He could have been top 10-15 otherwise.
• Texas A&M proves once again that it's one of the league's most talented teams ... and finished 7-6 after going 9-4 in 2010. Both years, the Aggies had as much talent as any team in the Big 12.

BY POSITION

Linebackers: 7
Quarterbacks: 4
Receivers: 4
Running Backs: 4
Offensive Linemen: 3
Defensive Linemen: 2
Cornerbacks: 1 (Nigel Malone)
Safeties: 1 (Kenny Vaccaro)

• I don't pay attention to this when I'm making my list, but the seven linebackers made my eyes pop. The Big 12 was pretty loaded at that spot this past season.
• Several cornerbacks and safeties were right outside my top 25.
• Of those four receivers, three were in the top five. All well-deserved. Ryan Broyles, Justin Blackmon and Kendall Wright are clear game-changers that scare the heck out of defenses.

BY CLASS

Seniors: 10
Juniors: 12
Sophomores: 3 (Josey, Joseph Randle, Damontre Moore)
Freshmen: 0

• Of those 12 juniors, the top two (Blackmon, Robert Griffin III) elected to enter the NFL draft. As did No. 22, Ronnell Lewis. The other nine are coming back. Should be a fun year in 2012.
• Very rare for a freshman to crack the list. Nobody really came all that close.

Offense: 15
Defense: 10

Players on the preseason list who missed the postseason list (14): WR Jeff Fuller (No. 7), LB Travis Lewis (No. 8), WR T.J. Moe (No. 11), CB Jamell Fleming (No. 12), CB David Garrett (No. 14), CB Coryell Judie (No. 15), S Markelle Martin (No. 16), LT Elvis Fisher (No. 18), LB Keenan Robinson (No. 19), S Tony Jefferson (No. 20), LB Shaun Lewis (No. 21), WR Kenny Stills (No. 22), DE Brad Madison (No. 23), LB Zaviar Gooden (No. 25)

Players on the postseason list unranked in the preseason (14): DE Frank Alexander (No. 6), QB Collin Klein (No. 7), LB A.J. Klein (No. 9), LB Sean Porter (No. 10), RB Terrance Ganaway (No. 11), RB Henry Josey (No. 14), WR Ryan Swope (No. 15), RB Joseph Randle (No. 18), LB Arthur Brown (No. 19), S Kenny Vaccaro (No. 20), C Grant Garner (No. 21), DE Ronnell Lewis (No. 22), CB Nigel Malone (No. 24), LB Damontre Moore (No. 25)

• Lots of turnover this year, much more than last year, when just nine players were shifted during the season. The preseason list, as I've stated several times, is not a predictor, but rather a measure of where the league stands in September. Injuries took a couple of these guys off the list, but there were a lot of underachievers and overachievers in the Big 12 this past season.

Once again, here's the list in its entirety. There's still time to send in your gripes, and I'll defend my picks in a mailbag.

• No. 1: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
• No. 2: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
• No. 3: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
• No. 4: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
• No. 5: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
• No. 6: Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
• No. 7: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
• No. 8: Levy Adcock, RT, Oklahoma State
• No. 9: A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• No. 10: Sean Porter, LB, Texas A&M
• No. 11: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor
• No. 12: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
• No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
• No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

It's been a long and winding road, but we've finally met the end.

Sitting at the top of our 25 best players in the Big 12 in 2011 should be no surprise. He won the Heisman Trophy as the best player in all of college football, following it up with one of the most memorable speeches in Heisman history.

Without further ado, time to crown the best player of 2011.

No. 1: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

2011 numbers: Completed 291-of-402 passes (72.4 percent) for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions. Ran for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns on 179 carries. Also caught one pass for 15 yards.

Most recent ranking: Griffin was ranked No. 5 in our preseason list of the top 25 players, but grabbed the No. 1 spot in the midseason ranking of the Big 12's top 25 players.

Making the case for Griffin: No quarterback accounted for more of his team's offense than Griffin, who produced 65.4 percent of Baylor's yardage. That's especially impressive considering the Bears' offense ranked No. 2 nationally in total offense. Every time Baylor needed a big play, Griffin provided it.

Need to convert a tough third down on a game-winning drive against TCU? Griffin will catch a pass in the middle of the defense and take a beating, get his wind knocked out and stay on the field.

Need to erase a three-touchdown, fourth-quarter deficit against KU? Griffin will break a long run and throw two touchdowns to force overtime, where, yes, he'll win the game there.

Need to go 80 yards in less than a minute to beat Oklahoma for the first time in school history? Griffin will scramble for almost 30 yards and throw a 34-yard game-winning touchdown pass with seconds remaining.

That doesn't even tell the full story of what Griffin means to the Baylor program he'll leave behind after this season. He changed the game and paved the way for others at Baylor. He restored some faith in the Heisman, proving that the award is a lot more than a figurative honor for the best player on the best team in college football. The best player in the game really does still win, even if his team has three losses.

Griffin's best attribute, though, may be his fierce loyalty to teammates and an unshakeable confidence which was strong and infectious. Griffin believed in his teammates. He knew what they were capable of doing. Time and time again, they proved him right, from his beefy, physical offensive line to Big 12 rushing champ Terrance Ganaway to receiving champ Kendall Wright.

The result was a historic season that made it easy to forget the difficult decade-plus in the Big 12 B.G. (Before Griffin). His arrival signified greater days were ahead. Now that he's gone, will they continue? That's the big question at Baylor, but a bowl win, a 10-win season and a Heisman Trophy assure that Griffin's time in Waco will never, ever be forgotten by the green and gold.

The rest of the list:

• No. 2: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
• No. 3: Brandon Weeden, QB, Oklahoma State
• No. 4: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor
• No. 5: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
• No. 6: Frank Alexander, DE, Oklahoma
• No. 7: Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State
• No. 8: Levy Adcock, RT, Oklahoma State
• No. 9: A.J. Klein, LB, Iowa State
• No. 10: Sean Porter, LB, Texas A&M
• No. 11: Terrance Ganaway, RB, Baylor
• No. 12: Jake Knott, LB, Iowa State
• No. 13: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
• No. 14: Henry Josey, RB, Missouri
• No. 15: Ryan Swope, WR, Texas A&M
• No. 16: Emmanuel Acho, LB, Texas
• No. 17: Kelechi Osemele, LT, Iowa State
• No. 18: Joseph Randle, RB, Oklahoma State
• No. 19: Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas State
• No. 20: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
• No. 21: Grant Garner, C, Oklahoma State
• No. 22: Ronnell Lewis, LB, Oklahoma
• No. 23: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M
• No. 24: Nigel Malone, CB, Kansas State
• No. 25: Damontre Moore, LB, Texas A&M

Texas is in the Big Dance, but it's a long week until the Longhorns face Cincinnati on Friday at 11:15 a.m. CT.

Here are a few links to get you ready for the NCAA tournament and help you fill out your brackets:

• Eamonn Brennan makes 10 bold predictions.


• After spending his time predicting who would get in, Joe Lunardi has turned his attention to the teams who actually will be dancing. Lunardi looks at all 68 teams and their matchups.


• There will be a few upsets. Peter Keating and Jordan Brenner do a little number crunching to look at which teams have the best chance at knocking off a higher seed. Here's the Giant Killers blog .


• If you don't want to make your own guesses, let the Bracket Predictor do it for you.

The Texas Longhorns (20-13) are in the Big Dance once again. For the 14th straight season, Texas has earned a bid to the NCAA tournament. The Longhorns are in the East Region as a No. 11 seed. They open the tournament on Friday against No. 6 seed Cincinnati (24-10).

The East Region features No. 1 seed Syracuse, No. 2 Ohio State and No. 3 Florida State. Texas

Texas is one of just six teams to make the tournament in each of the last 14 seasons. This will also be the Longhorns' 30th overall trip.

For more, here's the official bracket.

Or take on your friends and the nation with Tournament Challenge.

Here are Joe Lunardi's latest projections through Friday night. Check back Saturday for his full bracket.

SINCE THE LAST UPDATE

• Louisville becomes a top-four seed by advancing to the Big East title game.
• Dayton drops off the bubble with a loss to Xavier in the A-10 quarterfinals.
• No change for Miami or Texas.
• Colorado moves into the Next Four Out by beating Cal and advancing to the Pac-12 title game.

TOP SEED ORDER

Kentucky
Syracuse
North Carolina
Kansas

Next in line: Duke, Michigan State, Ohio State, Missouri

LAST FOUR IN

Washington
NC State
Mississippi State
Seton Hall

FIRST FOUR OUT

Drexel
Miami
Marshall
Iona

NEXT FOUR OUT

Ole Miss
Arizona
Massachusetts
Colorado

Also considered: Northwestern, Tennessee

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big East (10)
Big Ten (6)
Big 12 (6)
ACC (5)
SEC (5)
Mountain West (4)
Atlantic 10 (3)
West Coast (3)
Colonial (2)
Conference USA (2)
Missouri Valley (2)
Pac-12 (2)

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS

Belmont (Atlantic Sun)
Creighton (Missouri Valley)
Davidson (Southern)
Detroit (Horizon)
Harvard (Ivy)
Lehigh (Patriot)
LIU Brooklyn (Northeast)
Loyola-Md. (MAAC)
Montana (Big Sky)
Murray State (OVC)
Saint Mary's (West Coast)
South Dakota State (Summit)
UNC Asheville (Big South)
VCU (Colonial)
Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Moments before a final half of basketball that may have decided the fate of Texas’ season, coach Rick Barnes stood before a dry-erase board in the Longhorns’ locker room.

On one side, Barnes scribbled three letters: “N-I-T.”

Then he took a step to his right and jotted down four more: “N-C-A-A.”

Barnes put down the marker and looked at his team.

“Who are we?” he asked the Longhorns. “Which one would you put your name under?”

By the time Texas left the Sprint Center, the question had been answered.

In a game that so many predicted they would lose, the Longhorns fought back from an 11-point deficit and defeated Iowa State 71-65 in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament. Along with propelling them into Friday’s semifinal against Missouri, the victory significantly enhanced the résumé of a Texas team that entered the contest on the NCAA tournament bubble.

Now 20-12, the Horns feel much better about their chances of earning a 14th consecutive bid under Barnes, who isn’t the type to politick to the selection committee.

He shouldn’t have to.

Texas finished 9-9 in what is generally regarded as the second-best league in the country behind the Big Ten. The Longhorns’ strength of schedule is No. 20 in the country according to ESPN's InsideRPI, and they have only one defeat (at Oklahoma State) that can be viewed as a “bad loss.”

Thursday’s victory over Iowa State also should turn some heads considering the Cyclones -- who tied for third in the Big 12 standings -- entered the game touting wins in four of their previous five contests. Texas’ win Thursday came before 18,792 people, most of whom were in support of Iowa State.

“You love to walk into other gyms and quiet their fans,” UT guard J’Covan Brown said.

Texas led 65-59 with 2 minutes, 55 seconds left before Iowa State scored six consecutive points to force a tie. But rather than flounder in the face of adversity, the Longhorns flourished.

With 36 seconds left, Brown spun into the lane and swished a floater as he was fouled. He sank the ensuing free throw to convert the 3-point play to give Texas a 68-65 lead. It was yet another huge shot for a player whose career has been defined by gut-check moments.

Brown scored seven of his game-high 23 points in the second half.

“A few seconds before I hit that shot, Coach was like, ‘Are you feeling it?’” said Brown, a junior. “I told him I was, and he let me go out and do my thing. It gives you a lot of confidence when your coach has your back like that.”

Brown’s performance this season -- he averages a Big 12-best 20.1 points -- is even more impressive considering he’s on a team that features five freshmen among its top seven players. Opposing defenses are geared to stop Brown, yet he still finds ways to score. His game winner Thursday came against Iowa State’s Chris Babb, who is regarded as one of the top defenders in the Big 12.

“[Brown] is a gifted offensive player,” Barnes said. “He has such great vision. On that last play he had three or four different options, and he picked the right one to get the ball where it needed to be.”

The Cyclones still had a chance after Brown’s clutch basket, but standout Royce White lost control of the ball on the perimeter, and it ended up in the hands of Texas forward Jonathan Holmes. Iowa State immediately fouled Holmes, and the freshman made both free throws to make it 70-65 with 22 seconds left.

Ballgame.

As proud as he was of Brown, Barnes was also ecstatic about the play of freshman point guard Myck Kabongo, who has been on a steady incline all season. Kabongo finished with 11 points, five assists and no turnovers -- Texas had only six turnovers as a team -- and he played excellent defense on Iowa State 3-point ace Scott Christopherson.

A senior, Christopherson entered Thursday’s game averaging 21.8 points in his previous five contests and had made 19 of 36 3-point attempts during that span. Pestered by Kabongo, he scored just 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting and missed four of his six attempts from beyond the arc.

As a team, the Cyclones made just five 3-pointers Thursday. They came in averaging nine per game.

Texas now advances to play another strong shooting team in Missouri. The Tigers are shooting 49.9 percent from the field, a mark that ranks third in the nation. Mizzou defeated Texas 84-73 in Columbia on Jan. 14 and 67-66 in Austin on Jan. 30.

“We feel good about this win,” Brown said. “But we can’t let our young guys celebrate too much. We’ve got another big one tomorrow.”

Check back Friday morning for Joe Lunardi's full bracket, but here are his basic projections through Thursday night's action.

SINCE THE LAST UPDATE

• Texas moves above “Last Four In” (No. 47 overall) with its victory over Iowa State.
• Mississippi State drops to “Last Four In” with its loss to Georgia.
• South Florida stays in the field (No. 46 overall) despite its loss to Notre Dame.
• Oregon moves from "First Four Out" to the last spot on "Next Four Out."

LAST FOUR IN

Washington
Mississippi State
Drexel
Seton Hall

FIRST FOUR OUT

Tennessee
Northwestern
NC State
Miami (Fla.)

NEXT FOUR OUT

Iona
Arizona
Saint Joseph's
Oregon

Also considered: Dayton, Marshall, Ole Miss

CONFERENCE BREAKDOWN

Big East (10)
Big Ten (6)
Big 12 (6)
SEC (5)
ACC (4)
Mountain West (4)
Atlantic 10 (3)
West Coast (3)
Colonial (2)
Conference USA (2)
Missouri Valley (2)
Pac-12 (2)

AUTOMATIC QUALIFIERS

Belmont (Atlantic Sun)
Creighton (Missouri Valley)
Davidson (Southern)
Detroit (Horizon)
Harvard (Ivy)
Lehigh (Patriot)
LIU Brooklyn (Northeast)
Loyola-Md. (MAAC)
Montana (Big Sky)
Murray State (OVC)
Saint Mary's (West Coast)
South Dakota State (Summit)
UNC Asheville (Big South)
VCU (Colonial)
Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)