Texas Men\u2019s Basketball Falls to Tennessee, but March Madness Hopes Remain<\/p>\n
Texas concluded its pursuit of the Southeastern Conference Championship with a 72-83 defeat against No. 4 seed Tennessee.<\/p>\n
Over the past two days, Texas appeared to be a completely different team, and that pattern persisted against eighth-ranked Tennessee. The Longhorns managed to keep up offensively, but their defense failed to disrupt the Volunteers\u2019 flow.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought our offense was really strong,\u201d said graduate forward Kadin Shedrick, who reached his 1,000th career point during the game. \u201cThey have the best defense in the country. We just couldn\u2019t stop them. Against Tennessee, you have to get stops.\u201d<\/p>\n
Statistically, Texas lagged behind the nation\u2019s top defense by five rebounds, three blocks, and four steals. However, against a team like Tennessee, every possession matters, and the Longhorns didn\u2019t meet that standard.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just kept responding to their play instead of imposing our will,\u201d senior forward Arthur Kaluma said. \u201cOur defensive energy definitely has to improve.\u201d<\/p>\n
The lively atmosphere at Bridgestone Arena didn\u2019t help either. The crowd was dominated by Tennessee fans who made the trip from Knoxville, erupting in cheers for every successful play by the Volunteers and drowning out Longhorns’ moments with boos.<\/p>\n
But Texas embraced the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s great for the game when the environment has energy rather than feeling dead,\u201d Shedrick said. \u201cIt was a fun atmosphere to play in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the defeat, the postgame mood in the locker room wasn\u2019t one of disappointment but of anticipation and belief.<\/p>\n
Selection Sunday is just a day away, and Texas still clings to the hope that it will be included in March Madness. The team entered the SEC Tournament knowing it needed two wins to even have a shot at an NCAA bid. Having secured those victories, that hope only strengthened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we proved that we can compete with the best teams,\u201d Shedrick said. \u201cI believe we deserve a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes vouched for Texas\u2019 tournament worthiness. As a former mentor to Texas head coach Rodney Terry, Barnes has seen Texas twice this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt Texas is an NCAA team\u2026 They\u2019ve done more than enough,\u201d Barnes said. \u201cI think (the SEC) should have 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n
Terry and his team share that sentiment, especially given the level of competition in the SEC. SEC teams have faced more Top 25 opponents than teams in any other conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like we\u2019re playing in the toughest conference ever created,\u201d Kaluma said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got seven Quad 1 wins. We\u2019re a strong team with a lot of offensive talent, and we\u2019re going to be exciting to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaching the SEC quarterfinals already demonstrated Texas\u2019 competitiveness, and players hope the Selection Committee considers conference strength when making its decisions. Teams like North Carolina, which is just 1-12 in Quad 1 games, are ranked ahead of Texas in predictions.<\/p>\n
Regardless of Sunday\u2019s outcome, the Longhorns have one mantra\u2014\u201cISO.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn spite of,\u201d graduate guard Tramon Mark said. \u201cNo matter what happens, we stick together, keep playing, and fight hard. That\u2019s what ISO means.\u201d<\/p>\n
Terry has emphasized this message all season. Despite the outside narratives, the opinions of others, and this loss to Tennessee, Texas remains focused on its own path\u2014wherever it may lead.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Texas Men\u2019s Basketball Falls to Tennessee, but March Madness Hopes Remain Texas concluded its pursuit of the Southeastern Conference Championship with a 72-83 defeat against No. 4 seed Tennessee. Over the past two days, Texas appeared to be a completely different team, and that pattern persisted against eighth-ranked Tennessee. The Longhorns managed to keep up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1879],"tags":[2775],"class_list":["post-28070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-texas-longhorns","tag-kadin-shedrick"],"yoast_head":"\n