The domino rally is underway in the coaching ranks, with Indiana’s huge vacancy being filled yesterday afternoon. But the hiring of Tom Crean in Bloomington means there’s another position open at Marquette, while the resignation of prolific perspirer Sean Sutton means it’s time for another job posting in Stillwater.

Head spinning with all of the coaching changes? Never fear, as LRT is here to keep track of everything for you.

Oklahoma State
Within hours of Sutton’s resignation, both Bill Self of Kansas and Billy Gillispie of Kentucky stated that they had no interest in coaching the Cowboys. Both men’s names had been floated for a few months in online rumors involving the very deep pockets of OSU booster T. Boone Pickens. At this point, brother Scott Sutton would be a reasonable choice to continue the family line, but many feel that Pickens is looking for a big splash with the next hire. Could Kevin O’Neill be in the mix considering that he will not be returning to the Arizona staff?

Rice
One place that Kevin O’Neill has interviewed is Rice University in Houston. While the Owls are certainly not a high profile gig, C-USA is a huge league with a very short list of quality teams. With the right hire, the Owls could quickly make some noise. Athletic Director Chris Del Conte worked in the Arizona athletic department and is apparently keen on the head AD position with the Wildcats in the near future, according to the Houston Chronicle‘s Moisekapenda Bower. This could mean that hiring O’Neill would earn Del Conte some points with the former employers, which might put Olson’s ex-assistant ahead of Belmont’s Rick Byrd and assistants Rodney Terry (Texas) and Mark Montgomery (Michigan State).

Louisiana State
While LSU has had more than an extra month to prepare for their coaching search, the Tigers played things close to the vest through the end of the season. But even with the lack of info coming from official sources, the media seems to be keyed in on three top candidates. Butch Pierre finished the season as interim coach and has expressed interest in the job, although former LSU player Johnny Jones has found a ton of success at North Texas and would love to work in Baton Rouge. Early press reports focused on VCU head man Anthony Grant, but he lacks the ties to the program that Pierre and Jones sport.

Oregon State
There’s nowhere to go but up for Jay John’s successor, thanks to an abysmal 6-26 season including the first 0-17 conference record in Pac-10 history. Interim coach Kevin Mouton was responsible for the last 11 of those losses and is reportedly not a candidate for the job. The Beaver brass seems to be focusing on WCC coaches at the moment, interviewing San Diego’s Bill Grier and expressing interest in St. Mary’s head man Randy Bennett.

California
The other vacancy in the Pac-10 is at Cal’s Berkeley campus, where sights seem to be set quite high…perhaps a little too high. The Bears reportedly want Pitt’s Jamie Dixon and Washington State’s Tony Bennett, although Dixon has spurned those advances. The San Francisco Chronicle and San Jose Mercury-News are offering differing takes on Bennett’s interest in the job, but both agree that Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap is also a top candidate.

Marquette
With Crean moving on to Indiana today, the newest big-name vacancy on the block is in Milwaukee. As the move will not even be announced until 10 A.M. today in Bloomington, a list of top candidates is still being formulated somewhere in the caverns of the Marquette athletic department. But in a statement released on Monday, the Golden Eagles top staffers believe “a Marquette coaching vacancy will attract many well-qualified candidates.” We’re inclined to agree, and will be eagerly watching the newswire over the next few days to see which names pop up.

Other notable coaching vacancies include those at Kent State, Providence, San Francisco, and Western Kentucky. Kent State lost coach Jim Christian to TCU, while the Hilltoppers were left without a coach on Monday when Darrin Horn departed to fill the South Carolina vacancy following his team’s Sweet 16 run. At San Fran, Eddie Sutton has maintained all season that he was only coaching the Dons on an interim basis, so it will be interesting to see what angle they take in the coming weeks.

We’ll be watching the coaching carousel closely this off-season, so be sure to check back often for the latest updates.

In the two previous meetings this season, the Oklahoma State Cowboys took the Texas Longhorns to the wire. When they first met in Stillwater, it was only a 63-61 victory for the Longhorns, while the margin in Austin was a slightly more comfortable seven-point spread. So when the teams met in Kansas City yesterday, Sean Sutton’s team wasn’t daunted by the fact that they were only a 9-seed taking on the league champions. They knew they could hang with Texas, and it showed.

After the Longhorns sprinted out to a 9-3 lead, the Pokes went on a 10-0 run to jump on top and get the entire arena rooting for their upset bid. The rest of the first half was a repeat of the first few minutes, with Texas rebuilding a seven-point lead, yet finding itself down by a point at half following a Terrel Harris three with two seconds left.

The second half was a completely different story, though. The Texas defense — which seemed to confuse the hell out of OSU with a 2-3 zone — held the Pokes scoreless for nearly the first eight minutes of the half, by which point the Longhorns were already up by eleven.

But as had been the case all season for Rick Barnes and company, they could not shake Okie State. The Pokes clawed back over the final 8:02 of the game, chipping away at a 13-point advantage. After an Obi Muonelo layup with just two minutes left, OSU was down just five, and the late-arriving crowd of 19,000 was smelling Longhorn blood. But with Jayhawks, Wildcats, Aggies, Sooners, and even the Colorado band pulling for the Pokes, the Texas defense stiffened up and stopped the comeback short.

The stars of the game for Texas were most certainly D.J. Augustin and Damion James. At one point early in the second half, Texas led by a 37-33 count. Thirty of those points came from Augustin and James. On the day, the pair combined for 47, while James pulled down 11 boards and added a highlight-reel block.

While Connor Atchley had a really rough start to the day, his second-half contributions were huge. The junior’s shot was way off, and he even airballed a free throw. But his scrappy play inside led to some key putbacks in the second twenty, and his four blocks were integral to shutting down the Pokes. He even hustled on the loose balls, getting Texas an extra possession by reaching around an OSU player to throw it off of him along the sideline.

The negative from this win was the unfortunate injury to Gary Johnson in the first half, which initially looked like some kind of knee problem, but is apparently an ankle injury. After he headed to the locker room, he wasn’t seen again until second-half warm-ups, at which point he was walking around with a soft cast or brace wrapped around the ankle. Mark Rosner from the Austin-American Statesman reported in his blog yesterday afternoon that x-rays were negative, so Gary should be ready to go soon. But with the big tourney just a week away, I hope we keep the kid on the bench for the one or two games left and rest him up for the ones that truly matter.

The silver lining in Gary’s injury was a really solid day from Alexis Wangmene. Oklahoma State was absolutely abusing Texas on the offensive glass, grabbing nine rebounds off of their own misses in the first half. Coach Barnes went big in response, running only two guards out there to help fight off the Pokes. But without Johnson on the floor and Dexter Pittman getting yanked after about 0.004 seconds of play, the bulk of the load fell on Lex’s shoulders. And while he did pick up quite a few fouls, he ate up 14 minutes for Texas and added an inside hoop and pair of rebounds.

A win is really nothing more than stat padding at this point for the Horns, because it seems hard to believe that even a Big 12 Tournament title can get them a 1-seed in the NCAAs. The Selection Committee has made it painfully clear that they don’t pay attention to the B12 championship, and who can blame them when it ends just before the brackets are announced? Add that to the fact that UCLA, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Memphis are all winning the games they are supposed to in their own conference tourneys, and there doesn’t seem to be room for Texas or the Jayhawks to slide up a line.

Regardless, the Horns will march on and look for another confidence-boosting W today against the Oklahoma Sooners. Game preview will be coming your way shortly, as we’ve got to head out early in case the shuttle lines are lengthy. As was the case yesterday, enjoy the wall-to-wall hoops action, and check back here all afternoon as I’ve set the website to post some pre-written content throughout the day.

Not a ton of time to preview this morning’s game, but considering this is the third time that Oklahoma State and Texas have tangled this season, that’s probably not a big deal. If you need a refresher on the Cowboy roster or the style of hoops that they employ, you can take a look back at the game preview from the first match-up.

As we pointed out in the preview of the second game just five days ago, the biggest cause for the resurgence of Sean Sutton’s team is the play of chubster point guard Byron Eaton. As he goes, so go the Cowboys, so the Longhorns must shut him down this morning.

I’m incredibly worried about this game, but not because it has any real implications on the tournament. It appears that Texas is pretty well locked into a 2-seed for the Big Dance, as it would be nearly impossible to work their way up to the 1-seed line, and their résumé is too good to drop to a 3-seed with one loss in the tournament.

But we’ve all heard the tired refrain of how hard it is to beat the same team three times in a year, and last season’s insane comeback against Baylor was proof enough of the validity of that aphorism. OSU has taken Texas to the wire twice this year, and today’s game will likely mimic a road atmosphere as everyone in the arena will be rooting for the top seed to fall. Add to that the fact that the Horns haven’t played very well in early games (see: Wisconsin Dec ’07, Baylor Jan ’07) and there’s cause for concern.

We’re going to prep the next buzzer-beater for the countdown so that it will post between the morning and evening sessions, but we’ll be in downtown KC until late tonight. So, post-game and notes from the tourney won’t come until the wee hours. In the meantime, enjoy the wall-to-wall hoops action.

I’ve spent the week watching games from December and January, wins over teams like Oral Roberts, TCU, and Saint Mary’s. Looking back, I remember my tempered expectations for the Longhorns this season. Without Kevin Durant, how would the huge 2007 freshman class mature in their sophomore season? I hoped for a 12-4 conference mark, but wasn’t going to hold my breath. And I certainly didn’t think Texas would stroll into Auburn Hills to face Michigan State with an unblemished record.

But now here we are, just hours away from the conclusion of another regular season, and Texas stands in a position to share their second Big 12 crown in the last three years. It’s even crazier to think that the Longhorns had a chance to win the thing outright and finish with a 14-2 mark, but it’s hard to be disappointed with a possible title and 13-3 finish in what was statistically the second-toughest conference in the nation. Not only did the new sophomores step up — particularly double-doube machine Damion James — but Connor Atchley blossomed into a big-time threat and a great shot blocker. The new freshman class developed nicely over the year, giving Coach Rick Barnes a respectable rotation in the front court.

All that being said, there’s still a lot of basketball to play. And the long road through March continues on Senior Day against a very hot Oklahoma State team. This isn’t the same Cowpoke squad that scuttled in early conference games and dropped a 63-61 nailbiter to Texas at home. No, this OSU team is now one that slays giants, namely #4 Kansas at home and #16 Texas A&M on the road. The biggest difference for the ‘Pokes? The emergence of point guard Byron Eaton, who has averaged 19.3 points per game over the last six contests, a stretch in which included a five-game OSU win streak.

For a review of the complete Oklahoma State roster and style, you’ll want to revisit the game preview from the January 21st match-up in Stillwater.

What to look for

The key today is going to be shutting down Eaton. In OSU’s last game against Oklahoma — the only loss in their last six games — the Sooners held him to only 13 points, his lowest scoring output in a month. The pudgy guard had only 14 points in the first game with Texas, and if the Horns hold him to similar numbers today they should be in business.

Texas also needs to concern itself with perimeter defense, which suddenly reared its ugly head again in the second half against Nebraska. The Longhorns can’t afford to let Eaton and James Anderson get hot from long range, lest they give the ‘Pokes a fighting chance today.

Finally, the Horns must control turnovers, which has suddenly been a problem in the last week and a half. Texas has turned the ball over an average of 11.6 times per game over the last three contests. While that’s not a staggering number, it is up 21% over the season average that the Horns carried into the K-State game, and they can’t afford to give a ton of points up in transition to an Ok-State squad that likes to pressure beyond the perimeter.

Tickets remain

As the sub-head says, there are still tickets available for today’s game. The Horns have some big-time recruits visiting today in Renardo Sidney, Wesley Witherspoon, and verbal commit J’Covan Brown. It won’t look good to have a half-empty, dead arena, so come on out and bring out everybody that you know. If you’re out of town and can’t make it in, the action can be caught on ESPN.

Although slots four through ten are no longer separated by just a game as they were this time last week, the league is still a complete mess in the middle as the season winds to a close. Thanks to a complete tanking by Kansas State — losers of four straight and five out of six — the Baylor Bears actually control their own destiny in regards to the 3-seed in Kansas City. And with a late-season push, even the Oklahoma State Cowboys are within striking distance of that fourth and final bye in the conference tournament.

Texas Longhorns (11-3)
Remaining games: vs. Nebraska (Tuesday), vs. Oklahoma State (Sunday)
Outlook: The loss to Tech puts the Longhorns in a tie with Kansas once again, but they hold the tiebreaker for the #1 seed in Kansas City thanks to the victory over the Jayhawks last month. The crowds for this week’s games could be abysmal, with the Nebraska tip at 6:30 P.M. and the Oklahoma State game being played during Spring Break.

Kansas Jayhawks (11-3)
Remaining games: vs. Texas Tech (Tonight), at Texas A&M (Saturday)
Outlook: Unless the Longhorns stumble, the best that Kansas can hope for is a split title and the 2-seed in the post-season tournament. But Kansas must match Texas stride-for-stride down the homestretch, and their schedule is admittedly more difficult. Tech has a very slim shot at the NCAAs, but a road win in Lawrence would propel them to the top of the bubble discussion. And with A&M fading fast, their backs will be against the wall when Kansas comes to town on Sunday. KU cannot afford to overlook either one of these two teams.

Baylor Bears (8-6)
Remaining games: vs. Texas A&M (Wednesday), at Texas Tech (Saturday)
Outlook: Thanks to the head-to-head win over K-State, the Bears would claim the 3-seed if they win their remaining two games. But a stumble against A&M or Tech opens the door for the four teams sitting just a game back at 7-7, so Scott Drew’s guard-tastic team has to stay on top of its game this final week.

Kansas State Wildcats (8-6)
Remaining games: vs. Colorado (Tuesday), at Iowa State (Saturday)
Outlook: While Baylor does hold the tiebreaker, the Wildcats have the more manageable schedule this week. The home game against Colorado should finally snap the KSU slide, but this team has struggled all season long on the road and Hilton Coliseum will be a tough place to win on Senior Night. A split this week could drop the ‘Cats all the way from first place at the beginning of February to an opening-round game next Thursday in KC.

Texas A&M Aggies (7-7)
Remaining games: at Baylor (Wednesday), vs. Kansas (Saturday)
Outlook: While the K-State slide might seem monumental, the Aggies are the only team in the country this year who have fallen from the Top 10 to sweating things out on the bubble. A&M managed less than a point a minute in Norman on Saturday, and that simply won’t get the job done against the high-powered offenses of Baylor and Kansas. If Texas A&M wants to feel secure about its place in the NCAAs, they really have to steal that road game in Waco on Wednesday night, one that Longhorn Road Trip will be watching live from the Ferrell Center.

Oklahoma Sooners (7-7)
Remaining games: at Oklahoma State (Wednesday), vs. Missouri (Saturday)
Outlook: Of the four southern teams knotted at 7-7, Oklahoma has the easiest schedule left. The road game against Bedlam rival OSU won’t be easy, but a 9-7 finish and a potential 4-seed is within the grasp of the Sooners.

Oklahoma State Cowboys (7-7)
Remaining games: vs. Oklahoma (Wednesday), at Texas (Sunday)
Outlook: Raise your hand if you thought OSU would be earning fringe bubble talk with a week left to go in the season. Anyone? Fry? Bueller? The Pokes have a bitch of a finish in Austin on Sunday, but home court in the Bedlam series could put them above .500 in league play for what feels like the first time since Grover Cleveland was in office.

Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-7)
Remaining games: at Kansas (Tonight), vs. Baylor (Saturday)
Outlook: Pat Knight already has two Top 25 upsets on his nine-game bio, but both of those came in the friendly confines of the United Spirit Arena. This difficult final stretch will test the Red Raiders, and they could easily drop both games and find themselves playing in the dreaded 8-9 game next week.

Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-8)
Remaining games: at Texas (Tuesday), vs. Colorado (Sunday)
Outlook: After a promising non-conference start, Nebraska fizzled in Big 12 play. Winning three of their last four has them in the mix, but a tough road date with the Longhorns could quickly kill that momentum. The home game against Colorado on Sunday should provide an easy win, setting the Huskers up for potential home games in the NIT.

Missouri Tigers (5-9)
Remaining games: vs. Iowa State (Wednesday), at Oklahoma (Saturday)
Outlook: A possible split to finish the season for the Tigers, who have to be happy with even five conference wins after their entire team decided to have a brawl in a nightclub. If only they’d decided to have their Ultimate Fighting Championship prior to the game with Texas…

Iowa State Cyclones (4-10)
Remaining games: at Missouri (Wednesday), vs. Kansas State (Saturday)
Outlook: With K-State struggling on the road, the Cyclones could put a nice capper on a disappointing season by pulling off the home upset on Jiri Hubalek’s senior day. While the season has generally been a wash, the young talent that Coach McDermott has on-board could mean that great things will be happening in Ames in the near future.

Colorado Buffaloes (3-11)
Remaining games: at Kansas State (Tuesday), at Nebraska (Sunday)
Outlook: Richard Roby will finally exhaust his eligibility. It’s about damned time.