OTF Premium Texas basketball 2026-27 season thread

[TexTheHorn24]

 

[TexTheHorn24]

Granted for Kansas I did not see TKR at all tonight or in this box score. They’re probably top ten with him in the rotation.

[TexTheHorn24]

Rough. Bill Self was pissed. 

[GQ03]

1 hour ago, TexTheHorn24 said:

Granted for Kansas I did not see TKR at all tonight or in this box score. They’re probably top ten with him in the rotation.

Kansas isn't supposed to be that good this year and I don't see TKR taking them from barely a top 25 team to a top 10 team.

[SL Xpress]

4 hours ago, TexTheHorn24 said:

Rough. Bill Self was pissed. 

You can't have passionate fans without having passionate fans. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

7 hours ago, GQ03 said:

Kansas isn't supposed to be that good this year and I don't see TKR taking them from barely a top 25 team to a top 10 team.

It's such a crap shoot this year ... I could see Kansas being better than Texas with the additions of Council and TKR.

St. John's could easily be better than Texas Sunday. Texas is younger with freshman on that stage for the first time vs some guys with pro experience.

This season is a total guess by everybody this year with the 5th year guys and overseas pros being eligible ... other than Duke

[SL Xpress]

39 minutes ago, JohnGalt said:

We have a top tier coach. 
we have a top tier NIL for bball now too

just like the many said we would when we have the right coach 

just like we said we would when we fired Terry. The guy that should NEVER have been the coach 

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/nil-roster-spending-value-tiers-ncaa-hoops-2026-27-season/

What are you going to do? I posted on Surlyhorns my regret about Terry being named the interim coach when it happened, in the sense if the team did well that year - and the roster absolutely was created to do well - he was going to have to be named the permanent head coach. Folks replied that I needed to just enjoy the season and not worry about that stuff...which, fair. But I knew Terry wouldn't be a good head coach, but I also knew he could still have a successful season with Beard's roster and Beard's staff. 

To Terry's credit, that team did make the Elite Eight. Those don't exactly grow on trees around here. Since the field of 64 was first instituted, Texas has four - FOUR! - of them, which is bonkers for a program that makes the tournament as often as Texas does over the last 40 years. To me it was worth the short term of Terry simply to get that Elite Eight. It's not like we kept Terry on for 6 years like we did with Shaka Smart. That TRULY drove me crazy. 

BTW, I'm firmly convinced with Beard as the head coach that team gets to the Final Four. Especially past that Miami team. But IMO you can't be arrested as the head coach for domestic assault and still remain the head coach. Not at Texas. Beard had to find a way to not get arrested that night, but he didn't. Blithely answered the door with the cops, convinced he could talk to them about his innocence, "Look! I even recorded the whole thing! Listen!" That is not how it works. The moment she called the police, go get a hotel room. Get the heck out of there. 

In any case, I'm glad we have Miller. But we're not out of the woods, yet. We need to keep momentum, hopefully string together a series of second weekend seasons. If we make it farther, great, but at least make it to the second weekend. We're not like Florida which can lose in the second round and not really miss a beat. They have already established their track record. Miller is only beginning to establish his at Texas. And a Final Four would be a definite chef's kiss. It's there for the taking. Grab a #2 seed. Play in Dallas in the first two rounds, San Antonio in the next two rounds. The team is constructed to be Final Four material for sure. But the nonconference record is a big factor in the eventual seeding, with only 4 games on the slate that matter. Florida comes super early in conference play, which is not to our advantage. Then it's the gauntlet through the SEC and the SEC tournament. Got to find a way. Get better over the course of the season. Play their best ball in March. Limit injuries after the Mikey Lewis setback. Get to Detroit. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

31 minutes ago, SL Xpress said:

What are you going to do? I posted on Surlyhorns my regret about Terry being named the interim coach when it happened, in the sense if the team did well that year - and the roster absolutely was created to do well - he was going to have to be named the permanent head coach. Folks replied that I needed to just enjoy the season and not worry about that stuff...which, fair. But I knew Terry wouldn't be a good head coach, but I also knew he could still have a successful season with Beard's roster and Beard's staff. 

To Terry's credit, that team did make the Elite Eight. Those don't exactly grow on trees around here. Since the field of 64 was first instituted, Texas has four - FOUR! - of them, which is bonkers for a program that makes the tournament as often as Texas does over the last 40 years. To me it was worth the short term of Terry simply to get that Elite Eight. It's not like we kept Terry on for 6 years like we did with Shaka Smart. That TRULY drove me crazy. 

BTW, I'm firmly convinced with Beard as the head coach that team gets to the Final Four. Especially past that Miami team. But IMO you can't be arrested as the head coach for domestic assault and still remain the head coach. Not at Texas. Beard had to find a way to not get arrested that night, but he didn't. Blithely answered the door with the cops, convinced he could talk to them about his innocence, "Look! I even recorded the whole thing! Listen!" That is not how it works. The moment she called the police, go get a hotel room. Get the heck out of there. 

In any case, I'm glad we have Miller. But we're not out of the woods, yet. We need to keep momentum, hopefully string together a series of second weekend seasons. If we make it farther, great, but at least make it to the second weekend. We're not like Florida which can lose in the second round and not really miss a beat. They have already established their track record. Miller is only beginning to establish his at Texas. And a Final Four would be a definite chef's kiss. It's there for the taking. Grab a #2 seed. Play in Dallas in the first two rounds, San Antonio in the next two rounds. The team is constructed to be Final Four material for sure. But the nonconference record is a big factor in the eventual seeding, with only 4 games on the slate that matter. Florida comes super early in conference play, which is not to our advantage. Then it's the gauntlet through the SEC and the SEC tournament. Got to find a way. Get better over the course of the season. Play their best ball in March. Limit injuries after the Mikey Lewis setback. Get to Detroit. 

Don't worry about that dolt... he's actually of the clueless opinion that i wanted RT to be the HC at Texas. That is his worthless schtick ... when he has no clue how the business works on my end. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

 

[Jordan91]

1 hour ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

Don't worry about that dolt... he's actually of the clueless opinion that i wanted RT to be the HC at Texas. That is his worthless schtick ... when he has no clue how the business works on my end. 

We have a great coach and team. Why Beard and Terry’s name come up are baffling to me. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

CBS top 100 players this season...

28. Punch

35. Matas

44. Isaiah Johnson

91. Marcus Spears Jr.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-top-100-and-1-players-2026-27/

[Gerry Hamilton]

Texas down one to No. 6 ... Gary Parrish top 25

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-kansas-in-top-25-and-1-trey-kaufman-renn/

[ChanmanV]

10 minutes ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

Texas down one to No. 6 ... Gary Parrish top 25

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-kansas-in-top-25-and-1-trey-kaufman-renn/

Preseason rankings don't matter. I just want to see us find our identity and rotations earlier than last year. We have the shooting and athleticism. We just need to develop all of their toughness that will translate into stronger defense and rebounding. We'll be scary by midseason. 

[SL Xpress]

3 hours ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

He's actually of the clueless opinion that i wanted RT to be the HC at Texas.

That's idiotic. What are you supposed to do? You have to cover the team. And frankly, you've always liked Rodney Terry. I LIKE Rodney Terry. But you can't come out and say you don't think he'll be a good coach after he's been hired. 

I can say, just for the record, that Gerry has always felt like Sean Miller would be a great hire. Even the first go around when Terry got the job, he liked Sean Miller. That's not to cast aspersions on Terry. Gerry simply thought Miller would be a good fit. So far it's looking like he was right. 

[SL Xpress]

2 hours ago, Jordan91 said:

We have a great coach and team. Why Beard and Terry’s name come up are baffling to me. 

They're part of the history of our program. My experience as a fan is in part defined by the head coaches who have coached our athletic squads. I'm liable to bring up Black, Lemons, Wetlich, Penders, or Barnes, as well. And certainly Smart, who managed to exceed Wetlich as a complete disaster of a hire. 

Same in football. Royal, Akers, McWilliams, Mackovic, Brown, Strong, Herman, and now Sarkisian, plus whoever comes next. They're all a part of it. 

I'm hopeful we're about to enter the sort of golden age we experienced in the 2000s. I thought that was going to last until I died. But it didn't. I'd love to see us put together a string of Sweet 16s and better. We'll see. 

[LonghornFan4Ever]

 

[Jordan91]

3 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

They're part of the history of our program. My experience as a fan is in part defined by the head coaches who have coached our athletic squads. I'm liable to bring up Black, Lemons, Wetlich, Penders, or Barnes, as well. And certainly Smart, who managed to exceed Wetlich as a complete disaster of a hire. 

Same in football. Royal, Akers, McWilliams, Mackovic, Brown, Strong, Herman, and now Sarkisian, plus whoever comes next. They're all a part of it. 

I'm hopeful we're about to enter the sort of golden age we experienced in the 2000s. I thought that was going to last until I died. But it didn't. I'd love to see us put together a string of Sweet 16s and better. We'll see. 

I would have enjoyed it more if I knew it was going to end. Barnes fell off a cliff. Specifically, at Texas I have Smart over Wetlich. At least the crowds were bigger. During the Wetlich era, you could sit on the lower level of the Erwin Center and hear crickets chirping in bathrooms on the second level. 

[Gerry Hamilton]

 

[GQ03]

11 hours ago, SL Xpress said:

What are you going to do? I posted on Surlyhorns my regret about Terry being named the interim coach when it happened, in the sense if the team did well that year - and the roster absolutely was created to do well - he was going to have to be named the permanent head coach. Folks replied that I needed to just enjoy the season and not worry about that stuff...which, fair. But I knew Terry wouldn't be a good head coach, but I also knew he could still have a successful season with Beard's roster and Beard's staff. 

To Terry's credit, that team did make the Elite Eight. Those don't exactly grow on trees around here. Since the field of 64 was first instituted, Texas has four - FOUR! - of them, which is bonkers for a program that makes the tournament as often as Texas does over the last 40 years. To me it was worth the short term of Terry simply to get that Elite Eight. It's not like we kept Terry on for 6 years like we did with Shaka Smart. That TRULY drove me crazy. 

BTW, I'm firmly convinced with Beard as the head coach that team gets to the Final Four. Especially past that Miami team. But IMO you can't be arrested as the head coach for domestic assault and still remain the head coach. Not at Texas. Beard had to find a way to not get arrested that night, but he didn't. Blithely answered the door with the cops, convinced he could talk to them about his innocence, "Look! I even recorded the whole thing! Listen!" That is not how it works. The moment she called the police, go get a hotel room. Get the heck out of there. 

In any case, I'm glad we have Miller. But we're not out of the woods, yet. We need to keep momentum, hopefully string together a series of second weekend seasons. If we make it farther, great, but at least make it to the second weekend. We're not like Florida which can lose in the second round and not really miss a beat. They have already established their track record. Miller is only beginning to establish his at Texas. And a Final Four would be a definite chef's kiss. It's there for the taking. Grab a #2 seed. Play in Dallas in the first two rounds, San Antonio in the next two rounds. The team is constructed to be Final Four material for sure. But the nonconference record is a big factor in the eventual seeding, with only 4 games on the slate that matter. Florida comes super early in conference play, which is not to our advantage. Then it's the gauntlet through the SEC and the SEC tournament. Got to find a way. Get better over the course of the season. Play their best ball in March. Limit injuries after the Mikey Lewis setback. Get to Detroit. 

I have a ton of respect for you as a poster as you & Gerry are basically the Godfathers of Texas sports forums especially when it comes to talking Texas hoops. For awhile I wasn't if this was the original SLX from back in the day but reading some of your recent posts has confirmed. Super glad to have you in this community.

I respect your take on Terry and still feel he's not given enough credit by the fanbase for that great Elite 8 run especially considering we don't have a ton in our history and it had been 15 years since we had. Everyone keeps parroting the idea that the team Beard & co put together would've gone as far as they did with anyone coaching. That was a good team but there wasn't undeniable talent on that team and even then this fanbase saw Rick Barnes take an even more talented team to a 17-0 record and number #1 ranking and then immediately freefall to damn near a bubble team (and 1st rd exit) with the same coaching staff and no major injuries. 

I'm not sure that team makes it further with Beard for a couple of reasons. 1) I don't know that he would've been able to overcome all of the injuries that crept up at the end of that run to Disu, Carr & I think even Rice. 2) I'm not sure we ever get that version of Dylan Disu under Beard as he didn't start to look anything like the Vanderbilt version of himself until well after Terry took over. I also remember Disu making a comment about how much the change at the top was able to effect his game. 

Super excited about this season as I love the roster even though I might worry a little bit about PG depth. Mikey Lewis' injury has helped me temper expectations to some degree as well as knowing that teams with this many new faces don't usually make real runs like this in year 1. Either way, I'm looking forward to the growth and feel it'll be much better than football has been so far.

Anyways, great to see you SLX posting here and I look forward to reading your posts. 🤘🏾

[SL Xpress]

3 hours ago, GQ03 said:

I have a ton of respect for you as a poster as you & Gerry are basically the Godfathers of Texas sports forums especially when it comes to talking Texas hoops. For awhile I wasn't if this was the original SLX from back in the day but reading some of your recent posts has confirmed. Super glad to have you in this community.

I respect your take on Terry and still feel he's not given enough credit by the fanbase for that great Elite 8 run especially considering we don't have a ton in our history and it had been 15 years since we had. Everyone keeps parroting the idea that the team Beard & co put together would've gone as far as they did with anyone coaching. That was a good team but there wasn't undeniable talent on that team and even then this fanbase saw Rick Barnes take an even more talented team to a 17-0 record and number #1 ranking and then immediately freefall to damn near a bubble team (and 1st rd exit) with the same coaching staff and no major injuries. 

I'm not sure that team makes it further with Beard for a couple of reasons. 1) I don't know that he would've been able to overcome all of the injuries that crept up at the end of that run to Disu, Carr & I think even Rice. 2) I'm not sure we ever get that version of Dylan Disu under Beard as he didn't start to look anything like the Vanderbilt version of himself until well after Terry took over. I also remember Disu making a comment about how much the change at the top was able to effect his game. 

Super excited about this season as I love the roster even though I might worry a little bit about PG depth. Mikey Lewis' injury has helped me temper expectations to some degree as well as knowing that teams with this many new faces don't usually make real runs like this in year 1. Either way, I'm looking forward to the growth and feel it'll be much better than football has been so far.

Anyways, great to see you SLX posting here and I look forward to reading your posts. 🤘🏾

I think that's the right way to think about it. It's not how I think about it, but it is the right way to think about it. 

What I will say is that Beard wasn't an option. For Terry to keep the team together and focused on their team goals was a significant accomplishment. I'm grateful for the Elite Eight run. I'm also grateful we now have Miller. I hope for great things for the basketball program under his watch. 

Also thank you for the nice words. 

[Beldar]

23 hours ago, Gerry Hamilton said:

It's such a crap shoot this year ... I could see Kansas being better than Texas with the additions of Council and TKR.

St. John's could easily be better than Texas Sunday. Texas is younger with freshman on that stage for the first time vs some guys with pro experience.

This season is a total guess by everybody this year with the 5th year guys and overseas pros being eligible ... other than Duke

Guys with pro experience. Thought that crap got shut down. 

 

[THookem]

 

[SL Xpress]

3 hours ago, Beldar said:

Guys with pro experience. Thought that crap got shut down. 

 

There is nothing in college sports that gets shut down that can't potentially be opened up again in a court room. And I literally mean nothing. Until there's some kind of federal legislation - and this is not me being a proponent of the bill that the Senate passed - which gives the NCAA some kind of antitrust protection and creates a body of law around college sports - then every rule put in place by the NCAA is subject to litigation. In fact, every court ruling is subject to litigation, such as what we've seen with the competing lawsuits in Louisiana versus federal court in the battle between the SEC and LSU. 

The problem with federal legislation is that they're always going to give you more help than you wanted or needed. There's no way the current legislature in a political climate today is going to be able to come up with a common sense way to address college sports. It's always going to be agenda filled, creating as many problems as it solves. But that's how it all works. Or doesn't work, depending on perspective.

[Gerry Hamilton]

1 hour ago, THookem said:

 

Fall for that nonsense at your own peril. 

He playing games with his team and motivating them to listen to him 

[Gerry Hamilton]