Chaminade upsets Texas; Barnes’ second loss to Silverswords

On the 30-year anniversary of Chaminade beating then-no. 1 ranked Virginia, the Silverswords get another upset victory in the tournament they host, upsetting Texas 86-73.

Greatest irony of the game: This is Rick Barnes second loss to Chaminade in the Maui Invitational. He was the head coach of the 1991-92 team that lost to the Silverswords in the first round. That Providence team finished 14-17.

In the 28th edition of the tournament, it was their first victory in the tournament since a 68-64 win over Oklahoma in the seventh place game in 2010 and just their fourth win in the first round of the tournament ever. They’re now 7-76 all-time in the tournament with all of their victories coming in either the opening round or seventh place game.

Of the three previous teams that have lost to Chaminade in the first round of the Maui Invitational, only one made the postseason. Villanova made the NIT in 2003-04.

Chaminade lead for a majority of the game, running out the clock in the final seconds and the team stormed the floor as the final seconds ticked off.

DeAndre Haskins had the game of his life for the Silverswords with 32. Javan Felix led Texas with 17.

Well, whoa. That’s about all you can say for Rick Barnes’ team. They got totally outclassed by a Division II squad. There’s no silver-lining for the Longhorns (pun intended). They miss Myck Kabongo dearly, and without him they don’t have a true second option at point guard. But that aside, losing to a Division II program isn’t something any high-major Division I program should do in a game that matters. Period.

The Longhorns shot 19-percent (4-for-21) from three-point range. They were out-rebounded 41-33 and sent Chaminade to the free throw line 39 times (the Silverswords made 34). Texas only hit 17-of-30 (56.7-percent) free throws of their own and committed 18 turnovers. Any one of those things can lead to a loss. All of those things together equal a loss to a Division II team.

Barnes has been able to get by with a lot in recent years in Austin. A few lame-duck recruiting classes in a row, some under-performing teams, etc. But few things are excusable at a school like Texas when they come in the form of a loss to a team in a lower classification of athletics. This is a glaring example of how deficient this Longhorns team has become. They allowed 55 points to Chaminade in the second half. What’s more, they only got the deficit to single digits once in that half. That’s flat out awful.

On the other hand, tons of congratulations go out to Chaminade. This program, year-in-and-year-out, hosts this tournament mainly to serve as a gift-wrapped victory for any team that plays them. A win for them is a special occasion. Not this time. They should truly be proud. Haskins was a former Division I player at Valparaiso and he played like he belonged on Texas’ team tonight. The Silverswords didn’t need a buzzer-beater or a big stop. They ran out the clock on a Division I school. And a big-time one at that. That campus should be rocking hard tonight.

But man, Rick, you’re team wasn’t just exposed in this game, they were made a laughing stock. A team that plays in one of the best basketball conferences in America just got beat by a team that finished 11-14 last season, again, in Division II.

Yes, teams take time to gel. No one expects greatness this early in the season, but Texas got flat out owned by a team they clearly had superior talent over. This is most definitely a cause for concern for the fanbase and the program. No one is going to call for Barnes’ head just yet, but if it does come to that, this would be a starting point to look back at.

There’s no excuse, Longhorns. That was bad. Just bad. Kabongo is a huge part of the team, but if taking one player out of the equation makes them bad enough to lose to a sub-.500 Division II school, then the Longhorns shouldn’t make any plans for a postseason trip in March. Anywhere.

David Harten is the editor of The Backboard Chronicles. You can follow him at @David_Harten.