Texas Basketball: Why it's time to panic about Rodney terry

Problematic trend emerging against middle-to-top tier competition

Last season, Texas made a name for itself by winning the big game when it mattered. According to TeamRankings, Texas was the only team in the nation last season that had double-digit teams against the top 25 teams in Division 1.

Terry specifically had a winning record against top 25 opponents last season as the interim head coach for the Longhorns after the midseason firing of former head coach Chris Beard. He also led the Longhorns to that magical run in the postseason to win the Big 12 Tournament crown and make it to the Elite Eight for the first time in over a decade.

All of those big-time wins for the Longhorns last season against top competition led to Terry's group getting a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament. The clutch performances from seniors such as guards Marcus Carr and Sir'Jabari Rice led the Longhorns to reach the Elite Eight.

I would be remiss if I overlooked the insane run from the Big 12 Tournament MVP Disu during the conference tournament and in the first two rounds of the Big Dance last year.

So far this season, though, Terry and the Longhorns have been unable to find that same juice against quality competition. After ranking top five in the nation in net ranking against Quad 1, 2, and 3 opponents last season, Texas ranks 80th this year.

Terry's squad boasts the third-worst record in the Big 12 against Quad 1, 2, and 3 foes this season at 3-6.

Texas, a team picked to finish third in the Big 12 preseason media poll and ranked in the top 20 in the major preseason polls, shouldn't be struggling against Quad 3 opponents.

The Longhorns struggles have made NCAA Tournament expectations an afterthought for the fans only halfway through the regular season and just four games into conference play.