Horns Hooked: Baylor Upsets #6 Texas In OT 80-77

What is going on with the Texas Longhorns Men's Basketball Team? The Longhorns started out the season as the #2 team in the country and had a 17 game winning streak to start the season. When Big 12 Rival Kansas lost to Tennessee 76-68, Texas gained the #1 ranking, the first in school history.

Texas held onto that ranking for a few weeks before they were upset by Kansas St. 71-62 in Manhattan to give the Longhorns their first loss of the season. That following Saturday, the Longhorns traveled to Connecticut to take on UConn. They got outplayed by a team that they should have beat losing by 14 points, 88-74.

When the new rankings came out the following Monday, with the two losses Texas had dropped from #1 in the polls to # 6 overall. They beat Texas Tech 95-83 early last week that set up a match up on Saturday against the Baylor Bears, who had been playing good basketball but also had been coming up on the short end of the stick in those games.

Texas (18-3, 4-2 Big 12) didn't play well at all in the first half trailing Baylor (16-4, 3-3 Big 12) by a score of 38 to 29 at the half. Texas then showed what they were capable of when they are in a groove and outscored the Bears 35 to 26 in the second half to force overtime.

In the overtime period is when Texas' weakness done them in as it did in regulation, and throughout the whole game. The weakness of the Texas Longhorns is free throw shooting. Texas was unable to knock thier free throws down late in regulation and the overtime period, but Baylor did just the opposite helping them outscore the Longhorns 16-13 in the extra session and giving them the 80-77 upset of #6 Texas. Texas is one of the worse free throw shooting team in the country at 61.8 percent. They shot 19-31 (61.3%) from the charity stripe in the game while Baylor shot  21-27 (77.8%) for the game. 

Texas was led by Senior Damian James who finished with 20 points and a career high 19 rebounds. Baylor wa led by Senior Tweety Carter who had 27 points. Dexter Pittman for the Longhorns had his best offensive game in weeks chipping in 14 points.

Texas has lost 3 of its last 4 games since moving into the #1 spot in the country. With the loss to Baylor, Texas is looking at possibly the #10 ranking or even out of the Top 10 when the new polls come out later today where Kansas once again will probably take over the #1 ranking with its huge win over #13 Kansas St. 81-79 in OT on Saturday night.

Texas is also battling to stay atop of the Big 12 standings. Texas has some big games coming up that are huge and could be considered must win games when they play Oklahoma St. tonight, Big 12 rival Oklahoma on Saturday, and then play,which will be #1 Kansas at Austin a week from tonight.

If Texas does not solve its problems at the free throw line or coming out slow to start games it is likely that this could haunt them in the NCAA Tournament in March just like it has so far during this season, which could lead to an early exit for the Longhorns who are one of the 10 teams that could win it all this year.