The Texas Longhorns were thoroughly outclassed, outdunked, and ultimately outscored 82-63 by the North Carolina Tar Heels in Chapel Hill Wednesday evening. From the outset, things didn't look good for the Longhorns, especially by way of point guard Myck Kabongo's sloppy effort. In his dozen college games thus far, Kabongo has become known as a slow starter who plays his best basketball in the 2nd half. But against North Carolina, complaining of back pain and illness, Kabongo's start was much worse than slow. It was horrendous. Texas coach Rick Barnes would wind up benching Kabongo for the entirety of the 2nd half, which made perfect sense considering how out of his element Kabongo looked in the Dean Dome. But what didn't make sense was Barnes following up the benching by explicitly slamming Kabongo in the media after the game. Barnes did the same thing to J'Covan Brown after the North Carolina State game earlier this season, again in a case where he had clear reason to criticize. But since then J'Covan hasn't necessarily responded in positive fashion, at times looking like a mere shell of his full potential on the court. It's yet to be seen if the public tongue lashing will have a motivating effect on Kabongo, a kid known for having a good attitude in general. But at a University where football coach Mack Brown always makes it a point not to call his individual players out in interviews, Barnes may be stepping himself right into some hot water if this young team winds up imploding just like his '09-'10 team did under similar circumstances.
If Wednesday night did prove anything, it's that the Longhorns have a long way to go before being able to hang with a top-tier team such as North Carolina. And the Big12 Conference arguably sports 3 top-tier teams in Kansas, Baylor, and Missouri, each of which Texas will have to play twice during conference play. Texas isn't deep enough to have a key player such as Kabongo have off nights. Granted, that's a lot to expect from a freshman. But the very same will be expected of fellow freshmen Jonathan Holmes, Julien Lewis, Sheldon McClellan, and Jaylen Bond. Holmes and McClellan each, along with junior J'Covan Brown scored 16 points against North Carolina, but much of it was in trash time. Freshman Sterling Gibbs did a decent job filling in for Kabongo at the point. But it seems that it only takes one wheel falling off its leg for the entire Longhorn cart to ditch itself. Barnes, with all his tenure and success, hasn't necessarily proven himself able to coach a team up through trying times. His brazen style is more apt to breed dissension and apathy. So in many ways, it will be up to players themselves to make the most of this season. With McClellan and Bond coming on strong as of late, there are signs of improvement that could potentially augment the core of J'Covan and Kabongo in their attempt to rise above the dark clouds Barnes has cast upon them. But it will have to be a full team effort. Otherwise, the Big12 will eat us alive.
