Longhorns Closing In On No. 1 Spot

Sports fans, HOLLA!  Following is a guest post about the Longhorns.  Who YOU rootin’ for?

The Texas Longhorns are now 22-3 overall and 10-0 in the Big 12. They are currently ranked No. 3 and when you combine that with the fact that the No. 1 team, the Ohio State Buckeyes, lost this weekend and the fact that Texas has defeated the No 2 team, the Kansas Jayhawks on their own court, the Longhorns are without a doubt closing in on being the top-ranked team in the country.

So what’s the problem with that?

Those following the college basketball lines might recall what happened last year after the Longhorns became the No. 1 team in the nation and might wonder if it’s better that they stay where they are.

The Longhorns jumped into the top spot last season after a 17-0 start and fans in Austin were excited. But then the Longhorns proceeded to lose 10 of their final 17 games, which included a one-and-done effort in the NCAA Tournament and the taste quickly soured.

Regardless of where they are ranked, the Longhorns have to focus on one thing: what happens on the court.

As head coach Rick Barnes suggested after the team’s latest win over Baylor, focusing on the rankings steers you in the wrong direction. And plus, they have some things they need to work on anyways.

Texas posted an average win margin of 18 points per game through Big 12 play until their latest game where Baylor lost by nine. The Bears closed the gap to just four points in the waning moments because of inconsistent free throw shooting by the Longhorns. They made just 22-of-37 free throws in that contest. Their free throw percentage in conference play is 64.5, which is the worst in the Big 12.

While the Longhorns might be squeamish about returning to the top of the rankings after what happened last year, they better shift their focus to their on-court performance and fix their free throw flaws or their season will end up as disappointment like it did last year.