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Will Mack Brown's success ultimately shorten Rick Barnes time at Texas?

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On the surface, one wouldn't think Rick Barnes need to be worrying about his job security at the University of Texas. Afterall he took over a Texas basketball program in 1998 and has won 3 Big 12 Coach of the Year awards combined with a Final Four appearance in 2003. But if you take a look at his two most recent seasons some could argue that the best days for Barnes and the Texas program with him at the helm are behind them.

So the question becomes if Barnes & the Longhorns have another disappointing season how much of a hot seat could he be under at a place that doesn't accept losing well.

Let's delve a little deeper into this.

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At the start of the season, B12H.com ran a "Five Questions For..." segment asking the five most pressing questions of each team. In our continuing review of the season, here are the answers to those questions.

Five Questions For...UT basketball

1)       Who will play the majority of the year, the Dexter Pittman who dominated the end of last season or the Dexter Pittman who was essentially non-existent for the first half?

2009-2010 Dexter Pitman was essentially the same as the junior year version. There were games he he would go for 23 and 15, like he did against North Carolina and games where he would register 4 points and 1 rebound, like the following game against Michigan St. All told his numbers were decent, averaging 10 pts and 6 reb, but his consistency from night to night was off.

2)       Is freshman Avery Bradley as good as advertised?

Bradley was good, no doubt about it. Averaging 11.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg and 2.1 assists per game, Bradley was a main contributor. "As good as advertised" though was going to be tough. Some publications had him as a first team All defensive candidate, not just in the league, but in the country. So was he good? Yes. Great? Not particularly. But did he meet any expectation thrown at him? Id' say that only one frosh in the country did that, and he lives in Lexington, KY.

3)       Can the team get back to its first Final Four since 2003?

On the morning of January 18, I don't think anyone in the country could doubt that they were a strong contender.  They were ranked #1 in the contry for the first time in school history. They were 17-0. Then came the colossal collapse, which ended with a first round exit in the tourney... as an 8-seed. From #1 in the country in January to an 8-seed in March. Just makes you scratch your head.

4)       Did Damion James make the right move in returning for his senior season?

Yes. James ended up registering 18 ppg and 10.8 rpg. He was the lone consistant spot on the Horns throughout the year. Even as the team was in a free fall, James was still doing his part to keep the team in games.

5)       Between Dogus Balbay, Jai Lucas and J'Covan Brown, who will win the battle for starting PG spot?

It was Balbay's spot until he got injured late in the game, then J'Covan Brown stepped in, until he and coach Rick Barnes had a fued and Brown's time was limited.

During the preseason,  the readers barely though that having the right Pitman show up was the most pressing issue for the 09-10 Horns.

Now that the college basketball season is officially over, we're going to take a look back at each Big 12 school to discuss their season. The rundown will go in order of conference standing. See the complete schedule after The Jump.

What Went Right: The first half of the season. At one point the Longhorns were 17-0 and ranked #1 in the nation for the first time in school history. Then the doors pretty much fell off.

What Went Wrong: The second half of the season. After the 17-0 start Texas managed only a 7-10 record to end the season. They played out of control and looked their age in committing stupid turnovers in crucial spots.They had a young team and honestly, coach Rick Barnes didn't do a good job of harnessing ALL that talent they had into a cohesive unit. Between Avery Bradley, J'Covan Brown and Jordan Hamilton, Texas had the best freshman class this side of Lexington, Kentucky. DIfference between those two schools is Kentucky coach John Calipari was able to work with the young talent and Barnes wasn't.

Team MVP: Damion James is a superstar and averaged 18 ppg and 10 rpg.

Key Losses: James and big man Dexter Pittman both graduate. Bradley declared for the NBA draft.

Outlook Next Year: You tell me... I predicted Texas would win the Big 12 this year, and for 17 games I looked like a genius. They have the talent to compete at the highest level and they are bringing in more uber studs to compliment they slew of McDonald All Americans they have on their roster... but we all know how that turned out for them this year. If I had to predict, I'd put Texas right up there in the top of the league, but it all depends on how Barnes can get his group together.

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Texas starting guard Varez Ward, injured before the No. 3 Longhorns' win over Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, has a ruptured quadriceps and will miss the rest of the season, the school announced Wednesday.

According to a statement from the school, an MRI exam showed Ward ruptured his right quadriceps tendon. He is expected to have surgery next week.

Ward, a sophomore, crumbled to the floor during pregame warm-ups. He was removed from the arena in a wheelchair.

"We all feel for Varez. Everyone within our program understands how much time and hard work Varez has put in, and he has been the most improved player on our team from the end of last season," Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "He means a lot to this program. There is one thing for certain, he will be back."

In three games this season, Ward averaged 6.7 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and led the team in steals with seven.

AUSTIN, Texas — Tristan Thompson (Brampton, Ontario, Canada) has signed a National Letter of Intent to play basketball next season at The University of Texas, head coach Rick Barnes announced Wednesday. Thompson will join the Longhorns for the 2010-11 season.

"Tristan is a big, athletic forward who can really rebound the basketball and run the floor well," Barnes said. "He comes from an excellent Grass Roots Canada AAU program coached by Ro Russell and has had the opportunity to play for his Canadian National Team as well. We know he’ll also continue to grow and develop this year while at Findlay Prep, both as a person and on the basketball court."

Thompson (6-9, 240), a forward from Findlay College Prep (Henderson, Nev.) who plays under coach Michael Peck, is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the nation by Scout.com, No. 11 by ESPNU and No. 17 by Rivals.com. Thompson played in just five games for Findlay last year after transferring in February from St. Benedict’s Prep Academy in New Jersey.

During those five games, Thompson averaged 11.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while playing alongside current UT freshman Avery Bradley. The duo helped lead Findlay to a 33-0 mark and the mythical high school national championship. In 21 games at St. Benedict’s last year, Thompson averaged 19.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest.

No. 3/3 Texas opens the 2009-10 season with a home tilt against UC Irvine on Sunday, Nov. 15 as part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic. Tip is set for 1 p.m. Central at the Frank Erwin Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.

2010-11 Texas Basketball Recruiting Class

Name                                             Yr          Pos           Ht             Wt             Hometown (Previous School)

Tristan Thompson                       Fr             F             6-9            240            Brampton, Ontario, Canada (Findlay Prep [Henderson, Nev.])

In a recurring piece leading up to the start of the basketball season, we will examine the top 5 questions surrounding each Big 12 basketball team.

Today, the top 5 questions for the Texas Longhorn.

1)       Who will play the majority of the year, the Dexter Pittman who dominated the end of last season or the Dexter Pittman who was essentially non-existent for the first half?

2)       Is freshman Avery Bradley as good as advertised?

3)       Can the team get back to its first Final Four since 2003?

4)       Did Damion James make the right move in returning for his senior season?

5)       Between Dogus Balbay, Jai Lucas and J'Covan Brown, who will win the battle for starting PG spot?

Check back tomorrow when we will ask Five Question For... Oklahoma State basketball.

Also check out Five Questions For...
Big 12 North: Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, Nebraska
Big 12 South: Oklahoma

Follow Evan on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MizzouHoops

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History shows that Rick Barnes can bring difference-makers from across state lines into the Texas basketball program.  NBA superstar Kevin Durant and most recently ESPN.com’s No. 1 ranked prospect in the 2009 class, Avery Bradley, fit the mold. With their biggest commitment in the 2010 class the Horns went not just outside of Texas but out of the country and will bring one of Canada’s biggest exports, ESPNU 100 selection Tristan Thompson, to Austin next fall.