1. Texas is fine.
No, it wasn’t a great game for Texas. The Longhorns came out strong, but Texas Tech took control of the day’s ethos and Texas couldn’t talent their way out.
Texas isn’t in a great spot. They’re a talented team that isn’t always clicking. They lack a go-to guy, and they’re prone to mistakes. But they’re also not in a bad spot. They’re a talented team that often clicks. They play hard. They make some spectacular plays.
This is kind of what was expected of Texas heading into the year. The team is what it was thought they’d be. A good team. Not one of the best. They aren’t the team they showed signs of being early in the year, but then again, they kind of are. UNC and Indiana didn’t end up being much. Villanova isn’t world-beating, and Texas lost to Villanova. Kansas and West Virginia are good, but it’s not like Texas is incapable of beating good teams—they did it again on Tuesday.
Texas is in a boat right now in which they’d be expected to lose to most of the teams who’ll be on that other tournament’s top seed lines, but it wouldn’t be surprising if they beat any of them bar Gonzaga, and maybe Baylor or Michigan. Would it be more fun if they were up there with Iowa and Illinois and Ohio State? Yeah, definitely. But that’s just not what they are, and what they are isn’t a failure by any means, and they’re in good shape for this week ahead, so there’s no reason to think the sky’s falling just because they got overwhelmed by a Texas Tech who turned in one of its more competent chaos-inciting performances of the year.
Texas is fine.
