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Monday, January 21, 2013
Can Texas keep Big Dance streak alive?

By Joe Kaiser

Texas has made it to the NCAA tournament for 14 seasons in a row, but the Longhorns (8-9) face a serious uphill battle to venture back to the dance floor this March.

Statistically, the Longhorns are complete opposites on each end of the court. While their defense ranks among the very best in the country (they actually rank No. 11 in adjusted efficiency), Rick Barnes' young team remain a serious work in progress on the offense end.

Check out some of these stats:

No. 265 in the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (93.6 points per 100 possessions)
N0. 303 in the nation in effective field goal percentage (44.4 percent)
No. 294 in the nation in turnover percentage (23 percent)
No. 294 in 2-point shooting (43.6 percent)
No. 268 in 3-point shooting (30.8 percent)
No. 326 in free throw shooting (62.9 percent)

Texas will get a major boost on the offensive end once Myck Kabongo returns from suspension, and he's eligible to return to the Longhorns on Feb. 13 against Iowa State with eight games remaining in the Big 12 schedule. But unless Texas can find a way to scrape together some wins between now and then, the return of Kabongo could very well be too late to matter.

Here's Andy Katz with more.

Andy Katz

Kabongo's return will likely come too late

"This Texas season has been probably Rick Barnes' most frustrating in Austin. The Longhorns have had multiple chances to win marquee games and, outside of North Carolina at home, have swung and missed. The Big 12 winless 'Horns get Myck Kabongo back on Feb. 13, but it's hard to believe there will be enough time/games left for him to make enough of a difference for a tourney run."