Community Picks: Texas Tech 0% vs Texas 0%

No one can be counted on in college basketball this season. Very little seems to be going as it is supposed to. Inconsistency reigns. The sense of surprise is being dulled because surprises come in rapid fire succession like inappropriate comments from Donald Trump. Almost any team in the nation could be used as an example to back up the point, but No. 6 West Virginia is about as good a place to start considering its recent stretch and the outcomes produced, including a 56-49 loss to unranked Texas at home on Wednesday. Continue to Article

January 20, 2016 10:19:pm EST

No. 17 Iowa State is on the verge of falling out of the Big 12 Conference race before it even really begins. Iowa State's surprising 1-3 start in league play has put it in a precarious spot heading into Saturday's road game at Kansas State (11-5, 1-3 Big 12). The Cyclones (12-4) are already three games behind league-leading West Virginia, and two behind No. 1 Kansas and No. 2 Oklahoma. Continue to Article

January 14, 2016 5:58:pm EST

At a time when Cameron Ridley was playing the best basketball of his career, the Texas center suffered an ill-timed setback. Texas announced Monday that Ridley fractured his left foot in practice the previous day. He will undergo surgery on Tuesday and be out indefinitely.  The extended absence of Ridley is a huge blow to a Texas team that has given its fans reason to be excited in recent weeks. The Longhorns (8-3) have reeled off six straight victories entering Tuesday's matchup with UConn, a streak that includes an upset of preseason No. 1 North Carolina and a road win at Stanford.  Extending that success without Ridley won't be easy considering the contributions the 6-foot-9 senior has made so far this season. Ridley is averaging 12.7 points, 10.0 rebounds and 3.4 blocks, all career highs. He came one blocked shot shy of tallying the second triple-double ever at Texas in a Dec. 15 victory over Appalachian State. The absence of Ridley could cause Shaka Smart to play smaller and quicker more frequently with Connor Lammert as the lone true big man on the floor. Backup big men Prince Ibeh and Shaquille Cleare will also undoubtedly receive extended playing time, but Ibeh's production has never matched his talent and Cleare is at this point better suited to a backup role. While Texas will not have the luxury of easing a newcomer into its lineup during a soft portion of its schedule, the Longhorns can at least take solace that most of their toughest Big 12 games don't arrive for a few more weeks. Of their first five conference games, only one is against one of the Big 12's five teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25.  - - - - - - - Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @JeffEisenberg Continue to Article

December 28, 2015 1:28:pm EST

Guard play figured to make the difference Saturday when No. 3 North Carolina traveled to Texas and it played out in just such fashion with the last guard to touch the ball cashing the game-winning shot for the Longhorns. Texas senior Javan Felix led all scorers with 25 points the final two coming when he grabbed an offensive rebound and made a shot 15-foot jumper at the buzzer for a thrilling 84-82 triumph. It was the first big win of Shaka Smart's tenure at Texas and it came against a team many believe is the favorite to win the national title. Until Saturday, the Longhorns seemed to be struggling at times to adapt to Smart's system, or at least they didn't have a notable win to show they were making progress in the transition. Now they do and it's the kind of thing that should go over well with recruits and frustrated fans eager to see the Longhorns competing at a high level once again. [ Columnist's broken leg reignites annual court storming debate ] Officials immediately halted the Longhorns' celebration to review the shot, which left Felix's hand with .1 second showing on the clock. It was fitting for Texas to win after an offensive rebound. North Carolina couldn't seem to stop the Longhorns from getting second and third opportunities throughout the second half. Felix was one of a handful of guards on both sides to play well. Isaiah Taylor, whose missed game-winner Felix collected in the waning moments, scored 18 points with five assists for the Longhorns. Eric Davis Jr. scored 16 off the bench for Texas. The Longhorns made 12 of 24 3-point attempts. [ Ohio State is off to its worst start in Thad Matta's tenure ] Marcus Paige led the Tar Heels with 20 points and hit a shot in the final minute to tie the game. While guard play was the stroy, Texas couldn't have won withiout center Cameron Ridley and forward Connor Lammert more than holding their own against the North Carolina frontcourt that Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson. Ridley finished with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds and Texas outrebounded the Tar Heels by nine. - - - - - - - [ Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo Continue to Article

December 12, 2015 7:44:pm EST