Rick Barnes' Texas team came into a Rivalry Week matchup against Texas A&M needing a big win to make sure they didn't find themselves on the oh-so-slippery NCAA Tournament bubble.
Instead, they got straight up punched in the mouth by their much disregarded rival as the Aggies used a balanced attack -- five different scorers hit double figures -- to down the Longhorns 81-66 Monday night.
A&M's leading scorer, Josh Carter, got 11 points but shot poorly from the floor (3/14) and beyond the arc (3/9). Fortunately for the Aggies, the front court had his back as Chinemelu Elonu and Bryan Davis each scored 15 poins while combining for 15 boards.
Despite being outrebounded by the Longhorns, 32-25, the Aggies were more efficient from the floor and the free throw line, hitting at an impressive 85.7% from the stripe as a team.
This was a game, too, that wasn't really ever close; the Aggies started to pull away near the end of the first half, taking a seven point lead into the locker room. A few brief runs to open up the half let the Aggies really pull away, leading by as much as 19 with about 13 minutes to go in the game.
The Longhorns were able to cut the lead down to four with seven minutes to go, but the Aggies pulled away again on the strength of their free throw shooting and Texas found themselves bouncing quickly onto the bubble.
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It seems crazy to think that the Longhorns won't make the tournament (Digger Phelps called them an "Elite Eight Team" at halftime!) but a win over the Aggies would have put them in the pole position for fourth in the Big 12. And if you look at their schedule, which features Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas Tech down the stretch, and you're Rick Barnes, there is most certainly a sudden cause for concern.
Texas A&M Upends Texas Monday originally appeared on NCAA Basketball FanHouse on Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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