The most common complaint against Texas coach Rick Barnes has long been that his most loaded teams often don't play up to their talent level.*
This season Barnes is on the verge of providing his critics more ammunition.
A Texas team that spent most of November and December in the top 10 now stands eighth in its own league after a 65-63 overtime home loss to Oklahoma State on Wednesday night. The Longhorns have now dropped four straight and six of their last eight, an alarming trend even if each of the setbacks came against potential NCAA tournament teams.*
The Oklahoma State loss had to be the most galling of all because Texas fought to overcome a double-digit halftime deficit only to fall anyway. Three consecutive driving layups by Isaiah Taylor in the final 75 seconds of regulation capped the Longhorns comeback, but the sophomore guard missed a go-ahead free throw with 3.2 seconds left that would have won the game for his team.
Overtime turned in Oklahoma State's favor on its final possession in part because of Barnes' questionable decision to leave mammoth 6-foot-9, 285-pound Cameron Ridley in the game to defend LeBryan Nash rather than opting for a more mobile big man. Nash predictably set a top of the key screen for Phil Forte, Ridley couldn't move his feet quickly enough to stay in front of Forte and the Oklahoma State guard drew contact on his way to the rim and calmly knocked down to free throws with 2.1 seconds left in overtime to give his team the win.
If Texas didn't have a sense of urgency prior to its latest loss, the Longhorns (14-8, 3-6) certainly should in the wake of it. A dearth of bad losses and respectable wins over West Virginia, Iowa and UConn would likely have Texas in the NCAA tournament if the season ended today, but the Longhorns' position isn't so secure that they can afford to keep losing games.
That the Longhorns are in this position is stunning considering all the players they have back from a team that won 24 games and reached the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament last season. Every rotation player besides reserve guard Martez Walker is back this season and the Longhorns added elite 7-foot freshman Myles Turner to an already deep, talented frontcourt.
Exactly what has happened to Texas in Big 12 play is hard to explain because the issues seem to change from night to night.
Some of it is the strength of a league that features eight teams who have been ranked in the AP poll. Some of it is a defense that forces the third fewest turnovers per game in the nation and hasn't been as effective walling off the paint in recent weeks. And some of it is an offense that often must score against a set defense yet lacks consistent outside shooters or perimeter players besides Taylor who can create their own shot.*
It was Texas' offense that was the biggest issue against Oklahoma State.

The absence of guard Jevan Felix (concussion) and an ill-timed injury to second-leading scorer Jonathan Holmes left Texas without enough scoring threats. The Longhorns turned the ball over 13 times in the first half and then went cold in the second half once they began taking care of the ball, only scoring on Taylor's forays to the rim or unlikely threes from defensive stopper Demarcus Holland.* *
Disciplined defense nearly saved Texas on Wednesday night, but some late-game mistakes proved costly. As a result, a team that rose as high as sixth in the AP poll two months ago is now eighth in its own conference.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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