In case you’ve forgotten, Texas has an NIT title to defend, and I need to sneak my way into Shaka Smart’s inner circle so I can use his favor to commandeer a niche in the college basketball media landscape, securing my financial and career stability and ultimately finding joy and fulfillment in my life.
The stakes are high.
The Game
Texas vs. UT-Rio Grande Valley
The Time
7:00 PM Texas Time
The Television
Longhorn Network
The Opponent
UT-Rio Grande Valley sounds like it isn’t a Division-I team, but it plays in what’s left of the WAC, meaning it is, indeed, a Division-I team. This might imply UTRGV is a lackluster opponent, but before you commit to that narrative, consider these two things:
1. UTRGV’s nickname is the Vaqueros.
2. When you google UTRGV on a computer, the thumbnail image that comes up next to the map is of a mob holding aloft the flaming letters, “UTRGV.”
Not going to be easy, folks. They’ve got access to flaming letters. They can do things with those.
What Texas Needs to Do
Win. The topic of conversation in the The Barking Crow group chat today has been how high-major teams need to win a lot in nonconference play, because making the NIT might require being at least near .500 overall, and conference play means losses for NIT contenders.
We can discuss at a later time (and we will discuss this) whether the better thing for an NITexas dynasty and my own personal satisfaction with my time on this earth is Texas repeating as NIT champions or lulling less refined fans (donors) into a long-term extension for Coach Smart which will in turn enable him to build the aforementioned NITexas dynasty, but I think Texas fans of all ilks can agree that a win tonight’s a good call.
On the Court
Texas legitimately needs to protect the ball. UTRGV’s routinely ranked highly in turnovers forced under Lew Hill, and while yeah, they play in the WAC, Texas also struggled to protect the ball during the abbreviated 2019-20 campaign.
Beyond that, eyes will be on Greg Brown’s debut. Expect a lot of dunk attempts. We’re going for montage content tonight, both for him and for Texas. The phrase “posterized an unfortunate Vaquero” may be thrown around in the game recap.
Hook ‘em.
