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Texas Longhorns: Shaka Smart’s Impact At The Halfway Point

By Cole Mentzel

Dec 29, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart reacts against the Connecticut Huskies during the first half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2015; Austin, TX, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Shaka Smart reacts against the Connecticut Huskies during the first half at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Texas Longhorns are at the halfway point in their season and Shaka Smart has been effective, despite setbacks.

After a fast exit in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the Texas Longhorns fired 17-year head coach, Rick Barnes. Just a few days later, they made a power move by hiring VCU head coach Shaka Smart, arguably one of the best coaches in the nation.

Smart coached at VCU from 2009-2015. During that time period, he managed to lead the Rams to six-straight seasons of at least 26 wins, including a trip to the Final Four in 2011.

Though Smart saw tons of success at VCU, his new job at Texas was going to be a much tougher task. For example, at this point in the year, the Atlantic 10 has no ranked teams while the Big 12 has five ranked teams, including Kansas, who is the No. 1 team in the nation.

So far, Texas has played 15 out of their 31 games this season and they sit at 9-6 with a 1-2 conference record. Let’s take a deeper look at the impact Shaka Smart has had on the team in his first year down in Austin.

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Games 1-5

In the first stretch of the season, Smart guided the Horns to a 2-3 record, beating Texas A&M-CC and Washington but losing to Washington, Texas A&M and Michigan. Though they lost to a few decent teams, the Horns were never blown out and got big games from Isaiah Taylor and Eric Davis Jr. The last three games of the stretch were part of Battle 4 Atlantis and were located in the Bahamas.

Games 6-11

The next stretch of the season was the best yet and it featured a six-game winning streak. The Horns began by beating a very talented UT-Arlington team that has not lost since. Next, they took care of business against Samford and obliterated UT-San Antonio 116-50.

The fourth game of the streak was Shaka Smart’s first big win as the head coach of the Longhorns. They invited No. 3 North Carolina into Austin for a thrilling 84-82 victory where Javan Felix hit a last-second jumper to seal the victory. All the elements of the game pointed to Smart’s great coaching and provided a glimpse of what he is going to do with the team in the future.

To finish off the six-game win streak, the Horns knocked off Appalachian St. and defeated Stanford, thanks to a huge game and a late lay-up from Isaiah Taylor.

Games 12-15

The Longhorns opened up their third and final stretch with some terrible news: center Cameron Ridley would be out with a broken foot. It served as a huge blow to the team since he was easily their best player, averaging a double-double and patrolling the paint every game.

Texas started off with a loss to Connecticut then began conference play losing to Texas Tech and TCU and beating Kansas State.

Shaka Smart’s Impact

Throughout the first half of the season, it’s obvious that the Longhorns could be a little bit better, but Smart is doing his job and looks just as good as he was at VCU.

It’s going to be hard to continue to stay afloat in the Big 12 when a player like Cameron Ridley is not playing. There is a chance that he could be back at the end of the season but by then, it could be too late.

Smart is helping the Longhorns stay competitive. Though they have lost six games this season, they have not been blown out. Their worst loss was an 84-73 loss to Texas A&M, but besides that, they have lost by no more than eight points. Smart’s great coaching and situational adjustments are proving to be worth it for a team that has continued to show fight all season long.

Smart has helped the Longhorns become better at trapping and applying pressure on opposing guards. There has been a countless number of times this season when the Horns ability to trap has helped them create key turnovers and given them a second chance.

Next: Cameron Ridley's Absence Has Been Noticeable

Overall, with the loss of a key player, the Longhorns are going to be battling against the odds for the rest of the year, but having Shaka Smart on the sideline offers hope in every situation, and that has created a very bright future for the Texas Longhorns.

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