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Bracketology: 10 key storylines for Championship Week in 2019

By Tristan Freeman

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 27: Mamadi Diakite #25 and the Virginia Cavaliers bench cheers in the second half during a game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at John Paul Jones Arena on February 27, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 29: (L to R) Matt Coleman III #2, Dylan Osetkowski #21 and Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns walk to the bench during the game with the Kansas Jayhawks at The Frank Erwin Center on January 29, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS – JANUARY 29: (L to R) Matt Coleman III #2, Dylan Osetkowski #21 and Courtney Ramey #3 of the Texas Longhorns walk to the bench during the game with the Kansas Jayhawks at The Frank Erwin Center on January 29, 2019 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Chris Covatta/Getty Images) /

3. One last shot for Shaka Smart and Texas

Many people have said that the 2018-19 season is the worst ever for the NCAA Basketball bubble. While that’s up for debate, there’s no question that some teams still have at-large hopes in a year where they probably wouldn’t have other times.

Texas is a perfect example of this. Despite losing six of their last eight games to fall to 16-15 on the season, the Longhorns are still projected to be a nine seed. They have several huge quality wins on their resume, including victories over North Carolina, Purdue, Kansas State and Kansas. With a NET rating of 39 and five Quad-1 wins, this team is right in the thick of things.

But if Texas were to make it in as an at-large, they’d be making history with 16 total losses, surpassing Vanderbilt’s 15 a few years ago. That makes their quarterfinal matchup against Kansas all the more important, and potentially program defining.

The No. 3 seed Longhorns take on an angry Jayhawks team who missed out on the Big 12 regular season championship for the first time in 15 years. A loss would have Texas at .500 overall for the season and there would be clamoring for their exclusion for the Big Dance in favor of some of the mid-majors that lost in their tournaments.

If the Longhorns miss out, Shaka Smart’s tenure with the program could come to an end. It’s been an underwhelming four years with him at the helm and his seat has been getting hotter lately. A win against the Jayhawks would pretty much save both him and the team, while a loss will have them the center of the bubble talk.

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