Texas Longhorns have no answers for slump after loss to Oklahoma

By MIKE JONES

jjones@star-telegram.com

NORMAN, Okla. -- North of the Red River, the infamous "Texas sucks!" chant is as familiar and predictable as the color of the dirt.

Seldom has it had more of a ring of truth than when it showered down on the suddenly lame Texas Longhorns in the final 30 seconds of Oklahoma's 80-71 victory Saturday afternoon.

Yeah, the same team that opened a promise-filled season with 17 straight victories has now lost four of six -- three of five in a most-competitive Big 12, of which Texas (19-4, 5-3 Big 12) for the moment refuses to be a part.

Recall that coach Rick Barnes sounded the warning back when his team rose to the country's No.1 ranking (Jan.11) that nobody would remember when the eventual national champion was crowned who was so ranked at that point in the season.

Indeed, even the memory of that team is as distant as a 14,000-point Dow Jones.

"I have no idea [what's now missing]," junior forward Gary Johnson said after posting the team's only double-double Saturday afternoon. "I want to say free throws, but we've been dealing with that all season and we were still able to win games.

"I don't know what's happening."

This team's performance at the free-throw line continues to smell like a wet German shepherd.

If you're counting -- and Barnes is -- the Longhorns missed 17 of 27 from the line Saturday. Of course, in a nine-point loss (OU made 20-of-28), you see the significance.

"There's no excuse for missing them," Johnson said. "Our guys are skilled enough to make them -- they're free, you know?"

Maybe. But the Longhorns can't buy 'em. They've made 47 of 96 in their four losses. Not even half.

They made 6 of 7 in a victory Monday at Oklahoma State.

The significant point, if you're looking for one, is that as it did a week ago in an Erwin Center loss to Baylor, Texas had a chance Saturday to win a badly played game.

And they are playing badly for so long that their rallies fail to overcome their lack of offensive continuity and their half-long defensive lapses.

"On the offensive end we're playing way too fast," Barnes contended. "And I don't think any of us know sometimes what somebody is going to do with the ball. We don't follow through with our scouting report.

"And you can't say we're young anymore. Even the young guys."

Sooners freshman guard Tommy Mason-Griffin and backcourt mate Cade Davis combined to take Texas out early Saturday by scoring 32 points in a first half that ended with OU up 48-30.

They couldn't keep up that pace, going a joint 1-for-5 in the second half, which helped offer false praise for Texas' second-half surge that fell short each time it had a real chance to put the game in doubt.

Plain fact is, OU stepped up and Texas didn't. And recall these Sooners (13-9, 4-4) have struggled all season, and until the Longhorns became February's flop were the most disappointing bunch in the Big 12.

Compounding the situation, OU guard Willie Warren played only 16 minutes on a sore ankle and scored only three points. Rookie big man Tiny Gallon played only 10 minutes. And journeyman senior Ryan Wright scored 11 points and outmuscled the Longhorns for a game-high 14 rebounds.

(Insert retching sounds.)

"We're practicing really hard," Texas point guard Dogus Balbay said. "I mean really hard. But we can't carry the same intensity into games. That's our only problem we're facing right now."

No one alludes to internal problems.

"No, we still have great friendships and everybody likes each other," Balbay said. "There's no selfishness or anything like that. The coaches treat us like sons."

Johnson in essence said the same thing Barnes did -- that there is too much periodic free-lancing.

"We have a lot of egos," Johnson said. "Guys who feel they have to go out and do things by themselves from time to time for some strange reason... and that's not what it's been about during the [other part of] the season.

"It's panic, not letting the game come to us, things of that nature."

Texas' swoon has cast Monday's once highly anticipated visit by Kansas into a shadow of what-might-have-been a battle between two of the country's top teams (they once were ranked 1-2) for conference supremacy.

"I don't know, man," UT forward Damion James responded when asked what had happened to that team. "I wish I could tell you.

"I don't think a team in the country works as hard as we do. But to come out here and do this is bad."

Whatever your choice of phraseology.

Mike Jones, 817-390-7760

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