ALMOST UPSETTING – LONGHORN’S MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Longhorns’ Men’s Basketball season ended March 16 with a 65-59 loss to sixth-seeded Cincinnati at the Bridgestone Arena in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The game lingered as Texas’ (20-14) ninth loss by six points or fewer  this season. The Longhorns’ 14-loss record marks the most in the 14 years under head coach Rick Barnes. The previous high of 13 occurred in 1998-99, his first season at Texas. Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead, helping them withstand a late rally by No. 11 seed Texas. The Longhorns opened the game one of 14 from the field, shooting a mere 16 percent for the first half. After trailing 31-17 at halftime, the Longhorns attacked, hitting five of their first seven from 3-point range and shooting 50 percent. J’Covan Brown led Texas with 19 points, and Clint Chapman had 10 points and 14 rebounds. “We knew at halftime…we needed to come back and fight hard,” Brown said. “We’re always going to play hard, and it showed how much heart we have. We need to learn how to finish our games.” Brown later announced his decision to enter the 2012 NBA Draft foregoing his senior season.