Burnt Orange Nation

Rick Barnes and Minnesota coach Tubby Smith go way back.

Texas coach Rick Barnes and Minnesota counterpart Tubby Smith are old friends, having played, coached or recruited against each other since their college days, and they have remained close friends.

Although Barnes will have to do some information gathering on the 10th-seeded Gophers before their NCAA Tournament first-round game Thursday (6:10 p.m.), he knows the way Smith coaches.

"I know they will run on you if they have the opportunity," Barnes said Sunday. "I know they definitely will guard you and they will rebound the basketball and play in a very physical league.

"We’re going to have to answer that."

The Gophers are the No. 10 seed and looking forward to the match-up against Texas.

While they will never say it publicly, the Gophers have to be thrilled to find out they got a No. 10 seed in the tournament.

On top of that, their first-round match up against the Texas Longhorns will be at a neutral-site in Greensboro, N.C. and is predicted to be a very winnable game for head coach Tubby Smith and the Golden Gophers.

It will be the classic-contrast of styles- Big Ten versus Big 12 -the young Gophers will try to grind it out against the up-tempo Longhorns.

But they do have one advantage over the Gophers: Coach Rick Barnes.

 

Mack Brown is thinking about dropping out of the USA Today Poll.

Brown is thinking about withdrawing from the coaches’ poll for this fall. "Do you want to remove yourself from a system you do not believe is working, or do you want to stay in it and try to improve it?" Brown said. "You are torn over what is the right thing to do for your team."

Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports, has the college teams that produce the most NFL draft picks. Texas is No. 6 on the list.

6. Texas

Draft picks since 1999: 38

First-round picks: 12

Skinny: Despite lacking the bulk of overall picks of some college programs, Texas has made up for it in top-shelf talent. The last three classes – with a total of 18 picks – have yet to fully flesh out in the NFL, so the Longhorns have the potential to be in the top two or three on this list. But they are also hurt by the enigmatic performances/attitudes of guys such as Benson, quarterback Vince Young, safety Michael Huff and several others. But talent is hardly a concern amongst the NFL’s personnel crowd. Instead, it’s the flow of information.

"We don’t get much help from [Longhorns coach] Mack Brown," an NFC coach said. "A lot of coaching staffs will deal with you and share information on their guys, but he’s not one of them. If I had a complaint about the way they do things, that would be it."

It would appear that Mike Gundy's rant has helped recruiting. Well, we can top that. (NSFW)

Big 12 coaches are mad as hell, and they aren’t going to take it anymore: Part Two. Everyone feels disrespected now.

Disrespect was the theme, and national media the target, in which ESPN’s talking heads got the brunt of the hit.

The subject was the Big 12 seeding in the NCAA Tournament, and no doubt Kansas State’s NIT assignment was undoubtedly sticking in Martin’s craw. He believed the Big 12 deserved better than the No. 2 seed of Oklahoma and No. 3 seeds of Kansas and Missouri in the NCAA Tournament.

In celebration of St. Patty's Day yesterday, Tim Griffin has what makes Big 12 schools green with envy.

Texas: Mack Brown has taken the Longhorns back into contention in the Big 12 title race after inheriting a program that was in shambles. But even with the top run in program history since the days of Darrell Royal, the Longhorns still have recorded only one Big 12 championship during his coaching span. Even worse, the Sooners have scoreboard, 6-1, in Big 12 football championships during the time that Brown and Bob Stoops have coached their programs.

Oklahoma: The recent losing streak in BCS games has taken some of the national appreciation away from the Sooners' recent unprecedented string of three straight Big 12 titles. But Boise State, West Virginia and Florida have kept the Sooners from duplicating their success on a national level. It's made those titles pyrrhic victories for Bob Stoops.

Texas A&M: But it could be worse. The Aggies have been rendered a non-entity in recent seasons in the Big 12. And it's even more galling that arch-rival Texas has finished ahead of A&M each of the past 10 seasons.

Griffin also had players and coaches that need some luck.

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma: A veteran offensive line helped power Bradford to the Heisman Trophy last season. How much different will it be in 2009 with four new starters along the offensive line? Bradford hopes he won't have too much green in the form of grass stains on his jersey from opposing team's hits, as his young protectors must grow quickly into their new roles.

Jordan Shipley, Texas: Injuries have cost him two seasons of eligibility. When healthy, he plays like one of the most explosive wide receivers in the nation. He will be particularly important this season as Colt McCoy's veteran receiving threat and a potential kick-return menace every time he touches the ball. Just ask Oklahoma.

The greenest units...

Texas defensive line: The major question dogging the Longhorns' national title hopes will be rebuilding a defensive front that loses All-American defensive end Brian Orakpo, defensive tackle Roy Miller, defensive tackle Aaron Lewis and defensive end Henry Melton from last season.

And the best and worst use of Big 12 green... money.

Open Sports ranks the best QBs in the nation.

Checking in on former Longhorn coach Gene Chizik. Todd Jones, writing for Dr. Saturday, has Chizik's recruiting plan all figured out.