BobInHouston

How bad do you have to play to get that kind of help?

Horns up for him.

Realized after the game that all the care about it (outside of the Kentucky fans) was on the Arkansas side. Calipari, plus the players he had recruited to UK but left with him. They raised their game and won easily.

Wonder if Texas can handle the second half the way Missouri handled the first half.

It's not like Texas can't make its own way.

And that's why Indiana won't do anything.

It was IU five fouls to PU's one and now it is 6-6.

I meant in terms of actually playing quality ball. But I suppose that's a step.

I think I have a thing going and will continue to call this play until it doesn't work anymore.

Indiana's not gonna do anything this year, are they?

I would love more basketball talk. I am asking you to explain your opinion *because* it will make for a solid conversation. If you don't want to answer because you've chosen to take my comment personally, that's on you.

I asked first. What do you mean? Edit: Let me clarify. There has to be a measurement between a team that is ranked across the board and a team that is "very average." What makes you say that? What qualities does Ole Miss have or lack? The other part of this to me is a broader assessment that teams that aren't more highly ranked actually kinda suck. In other words, Texas winning that game -- a road win against a ranked team -- probably wouldn't have changed your assessment of them that much. Is that correct? Further, where is your line on good teams (particularly as opposed to excellent or great teams)? For example, Oregon is ranked, has several good wins on the board, but they've managed to lose at Minnesota, soundly, and got pounded again last night at UCLA. I easily could call them very average and have a basis for it, even though they are very highly ranked in Bart Torvik's measurement of Wins Above Bracket. They have some really good wins (although not since Thanksgiving), and now a couple of pretty ugly losses. All I'm asking is for you to tell me why you think Ole Miss is very average. It's an honest question, not a troll or a gotcha?

Yes, a road win against a higher-ranked team is always going to help you. It's a tough loss but that's why road wins are treated like gems.

LSU is a danger spot. Short turnaround after a late game on Wednesday. Similar to the OU-Florida trip, in which they had a tough game (but won), then went to Florida and ran out of gas late. It's one thing to get stomped by Florida at home, and another to get whipped at LSU. I always could be overthinking this but I don't like the situation for Texas.

About this... if it were a really bad loss, it would have shown up in the metrics this morning. It didn't.

This team is not awesome, but it's solidly competitive in the SEC and will make the tournament if it continues to play as it has the last couple of weeks. LSU is a difficult hurdle IMO. A couple of weeks ago, Texas beat OU in a very late slot on a Wednesday, took a mandatory day off on Thursday, had one practice before leaving for Florida, and ran out of gas late. LSU isn't as good as UF but the timing again is bad if they have to take the day off today.

This is what puzzles me and frustrates me when it comes to college hoops fans. Ole Miss is ranked pretty much across the board in the low to mid-20 in polls and metrics. Texas is just a little below, but close. High D-I basketball is extremely competitive. What does "very average" really mean to you?

Allen, in particular, was not ready to contribute at the college level. One more season from him would have been marvelous.

Texas breaks through in the Bracket Matrix to a 10 seed.

Yeah, I was going to go with, lost a NPOY-level guy. Lanier is good but not quite to Knecht's quality. But the roster is still solid. Last night, they couldn't hit their threes, and in the second half they actively looked for threes over twos. Cost them the game IMO. Were they a step slow on defense? Probably. The game they played Saturday probably will be the most physical, defense-oriented game this year (unless they repeat it in the SEC tournament). Edit: I just looked this up. They took 45 threes. In the handshake line, Mark Pope said, "Too many threes, Rick."

You'll have to help me out a little.

If you're defense-oriented, you might have recruited good shooters, but you tire them out on the defensive end. Beard has the same issue. But this was a tough turnaround for Tennessee, playing Auburn and then coming home to Kentucky. Texas wins tonight, they're tied with Tennessee (and Ole Miss, for that matter).

I've noticed that these games regularly last 2:15-2:20. As a conference, it just lasts longer.

Obviously that would change things a bit.

mred's SEC basketball standings generator says Texas will get to 10 wins, tied for eighth. But the schedule is such that they could win them all or lose them all. I expect something in between.