Texas Basketball: Everything culminating around Shaka Smart
![AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 19: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns talks with a official during the game with the Oklahoma Sooners at The Frank Erwin Center on January 19, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) AUSTIN, TEXAS - JANUARY 19: Head coach Shaka Smart of the Texas Longhorns talks with a official during the game with the Oklahoma Sooners at The Frank Erwin Center on January 19, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/6fbbec1b8abecbb930bab1bd83edb473dbe5e55826150200065984fb3ad6da2f.jpg)
A Jan. 26 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs helped raise the heat on Texas basketball head coach Shaka Smart with the record sitting at 11-9.
A loss to the Georgia Bulldogs on the hardwood on Jan. 26 for Texas basketball seemed to be one of the last straws in terms of patience for this fan base. The compiling list of disappointing results for Texas basketball seems to be getting out of control. Head Texas basketball coach Shaka Smart is going to have this pressure mount around him until this team sees a massive turnaround in the win column.
Of late, Texas basketball had a roller coaster start to Big 12 play and a letdown in the Big 12/SEC Challenge against a good, but not great, Georgia squad. For Texas basketball to move forward from here, the elephant in the room has to be addressed and the change needs to be swift. There’s no excuse for this amount of talent and depth to go to waste this season by missing the NCAA Tournament completely.
At this moment, it does appear as if Texas basketball is destined for a higher seed in the NIT. The latest release of ESPN’s Bracketology from Joe Lunardi did still have Texas basketball as a nine seed, against the NC State Wolfpack. But, Selection Sunday isn’t too far out and that projection seems a little too favorful to the cause of Texas basketball.
The resume for Texas basketball doesn’t match up to a single-digit seed in the NCAA Tournament. A team that loses by a double-digit margin to Georgia isn’t worthy of that high of seeding in the “Big Dance” this year.
Here’s a look at what the current coaching situation for the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team looks like, and where it could go from here with fourth-year head man Shaka Smart.