Texas impresses in the Big Apple despite the loss

NEW YORK - I could sit here and rave about the Pitt Panthers all night long.

I could write 1,000 words about how Ashton Gibbs runs off of a screen. Or how Brad Wanamaker is so much more important than the stats he puts up. Or how "winning ugly", a typical description many in the twitterati use for Pitt's style of play, isn't a problem when you are winning. Like Jamie Dixon said after the game: "winning ugly is better than losing ugly." You might want to listen to him. He's the coach who has the fifth most wins in the country since 2003, accomplishing that feat without the benefit of a first round NBA Draft pick.

But we knew all of this coming into the season. There may be some new faces in the rotation and some guys may be better than we remembered, but when push comes to shove, there really isn't much about this team that is different from the group Dixon had last season. Or the season before that. Or in 2005.

Pitt is a well-coached team that thrives on its defense and rebounding. Its how they won in the past, and its how they won the last two nights. The clutch shooting of Ashton Gibbs didn't hurt, either.

What I took away from the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic is that Texas, who beat Illinois 90-84 in overtime on Thursday night before losing to Pitt 68-66 tonight, is much farther along than I thought they were coming into the season.

"We do some things that young teams do," Barnes said. "In terms of not listening coming out of a time out, executing. We had a chance to get some momentum going, and we can down and went one-on-one a couple times."

"As a group, this team has a chance to be pretty good. That was the fourth ranked team in the country."

In 2009-2010, Texas was considered a national title favorite. This was a team that was as deep as any in the country. They had size, they had scorers, they could rebound the ball, and they could defend. But something was missing from that team. They lacked leadership, a true point guard, and ... intestinal fortitude.

With guys like Dexter Pittman, Damion James, and Avery Bradley all leaving after the season, expectations were tempered for the newest version of the Longhorns. There's talent on the roster, but were two freshmen and a sophomore without a sense of shot selection really going to be able to provide what last season's roster lacked?

After watching the Longhorns the last two nights, I can unequivocally say the answer is ... maybe?

Its obvious the Longhorns aren't quite there yet.

"We are just trying to make improvements every day," Thompson said after the game. "We don't think we are a finished product yet. Its just four games into the season and we got a lot of new guys."

"We just try to get better every day. After this game, we'll make some adjustments. Its all just a learning experience."

Their freshman point guard, Cory Joseph, spent the week learning the difference between guarantee games and high-major competition. He heads back to Austin having shot 3-13 from the floor, averaging just 6.0 ppg and 2.5 apg in 33 mpg the last two days.

Freshman center Tristan Thompson showed out against Illinois, looking unstoppable at times in the post. Against Pitt, the Panthers sat on the 6'10" left-hander's right shoulder and really slowed him down. That isn't a difficult scout if I can pick it up.

Sophomore Jordan Hamilton still has too many possessions where he allows his inner-gunner to come out.

And despite being a team with all of this room to improve, Texas knocked off a very good Illinois team on Thursday (going to overtime in the late game, nonetheless) before giving No. 4 Pitt all they could handle on Friday night, losing 68-66 when the Panthers dug out the loose ball off of a last-second Cory Joseph miss.

That has to be a good sign, right?

Because Cory Joseph won't struggle this much all season. He is too talented of a player. Tristan Thompson will eventually develop a post move going to his right hand. Even if he doesn't, he is still a shot blocking force that helped draw four fouls on each of Pitt's top three big men. And keep in mind, 11 points on 4-8 shooting against a front line as good as those three big men are is not a bad night, especially for a freshman.

Which brings us back to Jordan Hamilton.

There may not be a player in the country that is more improved that Hamilton. It has nothing to do with his skill, either. He was a gifted scorer as a freshman. What he is starting to develop is a sense of shot selection. He still over-penetrates and goes 1-on-3 too often, he's not doing it every time he touches the ball, like he did last season. He's also the go-to scorer for Texas this year; that's why he is taking 17 shots per game. Telling him not to attack the rim takes away from his aggressiveness, and that aggressiveness is part of the reason he's such a potent scorer.

With a player like Hamilton, you want to focus that aggressiveness, not eliminate it.

Tonight was Texas in a nutshell.

In the second half, the Longhorns would take a couple of bad shots or turn the ball over a couple of times and Pitt would build an eight or nine point lead. But Texas had a counter punch for every Panther haymaker. Whether it was Thompson blocking a shot, Hamilton knocking down back-to-back threes, or J'Covan Brown scoring on three straight possessions, the Longhorn's were in the game until the end. And that's impressive considering the opposition.

To make a boxing comparison, Texas was Antonio Margarito tonight. They were talented enough to get into the ring with Pitt. They were scrappy and tough enough to hang in for 12 rounds.

The Panthers outclassed them tonight, but that will only last for so long with this group.