There have been 7 Texas games this season that have been decided by 6 points or less. The Longhorns have lost all of them. For a team that's in peril of playing in the NIT for the first time in 13 years, there's a pressing question: Can Texas close a game?

Several of these close finishes - including Baylor, K-State, and Kansas - would have been badly needed marquee wins for the Longhorns. On Monday night, Texas dropped a heartbreaker to Mizzou by one point. The ‘Horns were trailing by 10 points with less than five minutes to go before going on a 13-2 run. A layup from Mike Dixon put the Tigers ahead with 31 seconds left. Texas' efforts, including a last-minute baseline jumper attempt by Myck Kabongo, weren't enough to seal the deal.

There's a lot to debate about the final seconds of the Texas-Mizzou game. Was Texas stymied by the Tigers' switch to zone defense after the final timeout? Should Matt Pressey have been whistled for a foul on Kabongo's final shot?

Less debatable is the pattern that's emerging in the Longhorn's conference games. An underwhelming first half is followed by an improved second half and a rally to even things out. Then, when the W is within their grasp, the ‘Horns let it slip away.

"Everyone in that locker room wants to win so badly," Kabongo said after the game. "Unfortunately, for some reason, they aren't turning into wins right now."

Whatever that reason is, it's keeping Texas fans up at night. A lot of blame was thrown Rick Barnes' way after the game. His name was trending on Twitter and message boards were lighting up with indictments of his coaching style. I'm not ready to jump on the "Fire Rick" bandwagon. Is it the coach's fault if the players aren't executing on the floor? If Kabongo had made the shot... . If Mike Dixon hadn't made his... . Well, it's a different outcome and the Twitter trending topics go back to being about Justin Bieber.

I think the most likely culprit is a lot of freshman mistakes and a little dumb luck. Experience counts in the final seconds of a game. Would Kabongo-the-junior have made the shot even though there was contact? With so many freshmen on the floor, is J'Covan Brown doing too much to be fresh at the end of the game?

Of course, the obvious answer is to just play better from the start of the game instead of 15 minutes into the second half.

Monday's game marks the end of a punishing 6-game stretch for Texas. No one expected the match-ups with Kansas, Baylor, or Mizzou to be so close. Even if it doesn't show up in the results, this team has improved from the non-con losses to NC State and Oregon State. What can we expect from the Longhorns over the next few weeks? If they hope to make it to the tournament again, it has to be finishing the close games.

Dumb freshman mistakes? Bad luck? Coaching? Are they simply outmatched? Let us know what you think is ailing Texas in the comments.

The young Texas Longhorns (4-2) face their first true road test this Saturday as they travel to Los Angeles to take on UCLA (2-4). The Bruins, coming off a much-needed victory over Pepperdine, appear to be back on track after a disappointing start to the season. Will it be enough momentum to take down J'Covan Brown and the 'Horns?

Both teams lost key players to the NBA over the summer - Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph, and Jordan Hamilton for Texas; Tyler Honeycutt and Malcolm Lee for UCLA. Both teams are still finding their identity. Texas is young and inexperienced, still fitting the pieces of their offense together. UCLA is struggling to overcome a dismaying series of losses. There are a lot of uncertainties with both squads, but one thing is sure: After Saturday, we'll know a lot more about the strengths and weakness of each program.

More about the Longhorns vs the Bruins after the Jump.

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Rick Barnes is no fan of an easy non-conference slate and this year is no exception. The Longhorns have a schedule that includes road games against North Carolina and UCLA, as well as a match-up with Temple in Austin.

Texas kicks off the season with the Legends Classic. With decisive wins over Boston University and Rhode Island under their belt, the Horns head to New Jersey to take on Oregon State and either N.C. State or Vanderbilt. In December, Texas faces a number of standard non-conference opponents like Sam Houston State and North Texas. The marquee match-ups are UCLA in Los Angeles on December 3, Temple in Austin on December 17, and UNC in Chapel Hill on December 21.

The Horns meet the Rice Owls in a New Year's Eve showdown before beginning regular Big 12 conference play. The entire schedule, after the Jump.

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In 2008, J'Covan Brown was a young guard with a bad attitude. He was suspended from his high school team and failed to qualify academically for the University of Texas. Now, three years later, Brown finds himself the elder statesman and de-facto leader of a Longhorn squad that has lost all of its starters. But his performance in Texas' season opener sent a clear message: J'Covan Brown is all grown up and ready to take charge.

The 6'1" junior had 28 points and 8 assists in the Longhorns' 82-46 win over Boston University on Sunday. The impressive display earned him the Big 12 Player of the Week award. Brown was also selected for the preseason All Big 12 team. Last year, he averaged 10.4 points and 2.1 assists from off the bench.

Brown isn't the fastest or the most athletic player on the court, but he has a creative, inherent feel for the game. He can also flat-out shoot. In his arsenal are a lethal long-range jumper and free throws that, at 87%, are almost a sure thing. In terms of playmaking, Brown thinks big. High-risk, high-reward passes are one of his hallmarks. When they work, they're visionary. When they don't... well, Rick Barnes pulls him out faster than you can say "dumb pass."

The good news is Texas fans are seeing less and less of those turnovers. Over the last year, Brown demonstrated improvement in both pass and shot selection. Barnes, whose relationship with Brown hasn't always been smooth sailing, lavished preseason praise on the junior, saying that he has what it takes to lead the team.

What Brown does not have is a poker face. When he's unhappy, even the nosebleed seats know it — a fact that has landed Brown in Barnes' doghouse on more than one occasion. Although Brown has become more adept at reigning in his temper, he's still a volatile player. The flip side of this is his passion. Brown lives and dies with the game. He's defiant when the Horns are down and downright joyful when they're up — something that should help galvanize this young team.

The most key new player for Brown is highly touted freshman guard Myck Kabongo. Whether or not the two guards are able to gel and run the team together will be integral to Texas' success this season. With one game down, it's so far, so good.

No matter how Texas fares against tougher opponents down the line, Brown — with his passion and unpredictability — will be a blast to watch.

Welcome to Five Questions for... Texas Longhorns.

Here you'll see five of the most pressing questions for the Longhorns and our response to them.  Feel free to contribute your answers in the comments section.

1. What happened to Texas at the end of last season?

2. Rick Barnes gets a lot of heat for being a mediocre coach, but after these articles from Burnt Orange Nation, does the public need to change its tune?

3. How legit is Myck Kabongo?

4. Texas made its money last year with great defense. Who are the key players on the defensive end for the Longhorns this year?

5. A lot is frankly unknown about this year's Texas team. What are the floor and ceiling for this team?

See the answers after the jump...

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As one could expect Texas forward Tristan Thompson has decided not to return to school but to keep his name in the NBA draft. What might comes as a surprise to some people though is his now former teammate, PG Cory Joseph, has decided to remain in the draft as well.

Thompson is regarded as a sure-fire first round selection so his staying in the draft should not raise any eyebrows. In the case of Joseph he is anything but a certainty for the first round. In fact, ESPN's draft analyst Chad Ford currently only projects Joseph as his 46^th best draft prospect which would place him in the second round which as everyone knows is the land of no guaranteed contracts.

The decisions by both Thompson & Joseph combined with the loss of Jordan Hamilton to the draft will no doubt have a ripple effect on the projections of how good the Longhorns will be this upcoming season.

No one though will feel bad for Rick Barnes as there will still be plenty of talent on the Texas roster next year. Replacing Joseph will be incoming 5 star PG recruit Myck Kabongo from Findlay Prep in Nevada, the same prep school as Joseph & Thompson came from. In addition to Kabongo the Longhorns have three other 4 star recruits committed for next season.

Confirming earlier reports, Texas Longhorns sophomore Jordan Hamilton has declared for the 2011 NBA Draft, per UT spokesman Scott McConnell (h/t Burnt Orange Nation).

Hamtilon now joins fellow Horns Tristan Thompson (article) and Cory Joseph (article).

Hamilton's departure should come as the least surprising of the three.  For most of the season, the 6'7 forward was playing like the best player in the Big 12.  This comes a season after the highly touted recruit had a sub-par rookie campaign. Hamilton's stock is probably as high as it will be, coming off an 18.6 points per game average, which ranked fourth in the conference, and 7.7 rebounds, which also ranked fourth in the conference.

Of the three, I feel that Hamilton has the best case for going pro.  I feel that Thompson needs another year to develop his inside game and that Joseph needs a few more years to truly establish himself as a premier point gaurd.

Players who do not sign with agents have until May 8 to return to school.

Texas Longhorns freshman Cory Joseph is reportedly declaring for the NBA Draft, according to the Toronto Sun. Joseph's decision comes on the heels of  fellow Canadian -- and longtime teammate -- Tristan Thompson's similar choice.

Joseph's declaration is so far out of left field, both because nobody saw it coming and because nobody feels like it's the right decision, that neither draft websites NBADraft.net or Draft Express have Joseph going in either of the two rounds of the 2011 NBA Draft. (Draft Express does list him as a 2012 second round selection).

It could -- and hopefully is -- just a ploy for NBA teams to provide insight into what Joseph needs to improve upon when he actually does make the leap to the next level.

As long as they don't sign with an agent, Joseph will likely join Missouri Tigers Kim English and Laurence Bowers in removing their names from consideration and returning to school next season. Players who have not signed with an agent have until May 8 to retract their decisions and return to school.