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Texas Basketball: Shaka Smart coaching departure looming?

By Andrew Miller

(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Mohamed Bamba #4 of the Texas Longhorns grabs a rebound from Jordan Caroline #24 of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TN – MARCH 16: Mohamed Bamba #4 of the Texas Longhorns grabs a rebound from Jordan Caroline #24 of the Nevada Wolf Pack during the game in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

How he can escape the season

What Smart did during his time with Texas basketball thus far won’t cost him his job like it did the current Tennessee Volunteers head man Rick Barnes. The doom that spelled Barnes from the Forty Acres was due to a weird translation of recruiting success and falling dramatically short of expectations in general in the NCAA Tournament in his time with Texas.

However, it’s interesting to see Barnes do so well with Tennessee right now. But, that’s likely due to the talent that he has available to him in Knoxville. In the case of Smart, most fans should assume that his situation for a looming departure should be a question more of “when instead of if”.

The similarities between what happened with Smart and Barnes is that neither could make far enough runs in the NCAA Tournament to make Horns fans happy. Barnes just couldn’t help put it all together on the floor for some of the top talent for Texas in general. Smart’s teams stood out on the defensive end of the floor at least consistently.

Yet, the factor that would help Smart keep his job with the Horns at least through the off-season is making a decent run through the tournaments this team has left. The Big 12 Tournament should bring more urgency for the Horns right now since a berth in the NCAA Tournament could be on the line after the loss to TCU.

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