Texas Longhorns Basketball: Horns Still Searching for Identity

With their heads hanging in disgust, the Texas Longhorns shuffled off the court Saturday after a last second 67-63 loss to Michigan State at the Toyota Center in Houston.

Spartan sophomore guard Durrell Summers sunk a 3-pointer with 18 seconds left in the game to send the Longhorns home empty handed.

Though the Longhorns held the lead for a majority of the game, it never seemed that they had control. Goran Suton and company gave the burnt orange fits all afternoon, forcing 15 turnovers.

Perhaps the most shocking numbers (or lack thereof) were those of Texas shooting sensation AJ Abrams. The senior guard went just 3-10 for eight points. Coming in to the game, Abrams was averaging just over 20 points per game.

Michigan State's Travis Walton harassed Abrams all game, making sure he never had a clean look at the basket.

For the most part, the Texas defense played well, but it collapsed in the final minutes when the game was on the line.

Rick Barnes had to have known a day like this was coming, as his squad has struggled as of late against inferior opponents.

On December 13th, the Longhorns pulled away from lowly Texas State in the last few minutes to win 81-73. A week later, Texas faced an 0-8 Texas Southern squad. The Tigers hung punch for punch with the Horns until midway through the second half. The Longhorns went on to win 88-72.

Texas has been doing just enough to win every week, walking a fine line between between victory and stunning defeat. The cautious, conservative play cost the Horns against Tom Izzo's Spartans.

Where have all of Texas' recent struggles stemmed from?

1. No proven PG

The Longhorns are missing DJ Augustin more than ever. Without his slashing ability and his passing prowess, the Horns have struggled to create a consistent offense. There is too much pitch and catch on the perimeter and not enough penetration in to the paint.

Justin Mason has served as the de facto PG this season, sharing time with Abrams and Dogus Balbay.

While Mason is a superb athlete and perhaps the best defensive guard in the Big 12, he is not a pure PG.

Abrams is better when he is able to catch and shoot. He isn't a sound decision maker when passing the ball around.

Balbay is another great athlete, but he isn't a good shooter. He provides no real offensive threat to opposing defenses, making him very one-dimensional.

2. Turnovers

Last season, the Longhorns only committed about nine turnovers per game, which was tops in the nation. This season however, the Horns are giving the ball away about 13 times per game.

This problems goes back to the lack of a real PG. Without a solid facilitator, the offense makes too many mental errors. The Longhorns must cut down on the number of times they give the ball away if they want to avoid more close calls.

3. Conner Atchley

Does anyone know where Conner Atchley has gone? He seems to have disappeared and the Longhorns are missing him.

A year ago, Atchley had a breakout season, averaging about 10 points and five rebounds per game. He also led the Big 12 in blocked shots. This season, Atchley only scores about six points per game to go along with just three rebounds.

A great deal of the Horns 2007 success came with solid play from Atchley, who proved to be an effective perimeter shooter and one of the better defenders on the team, but he has failed to be either this year.

He isn't nearly as effective from 3-point range and he often blows assignments on defense. It's simple: Conner Atchley needs to step up and start playing some better basketball.

Despite the recent poor play, Texas has very good squad filled with talent and experience.

Junior forward Damion James has been excellent all season, averaging 15 points and eight rebounds per game. He continues to develop his perimeter game and by seasons end, he should be one of the top players in the nation.

Sophomore Garry Johnson has made huge strides offensively this season, scoring 10 points a game to go with six rebounds. Johnson was the lone bright spot on the Texas squad against Michigan State, as he scored a career high 20 points.

Big Dexter Pittman is finally tapping in to his potential as a dominant inside man. He averages eight points and five rebounds per game. If he stays out of early foul trouble, he will be a force to be reckoned with in March.

Oklahoma is the class of the Big 12 at the moment, with the Baylor Bears cracking the top 25 for the first time in a very long time.

Texas has got to start playing at a high level week in and week out if the Longhorns want to compete with their rivals and win the conference.

Texas travels to Madison, Wisconsin to play the Wisconsin Badgers Tuesday night.