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Brock Cunningham ‘Terrible’ Recollection of ACU Upset Fuels Longhorns’ March Madness Entry……………………….
A feat as significant as capturing the Big 12 Tournament title is accompanied by moments Texas Longhorns forward Brock Cunningham would prefer to forget.
Following the ringing of the final buzzer in Saturday’s Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, Cunningham and his Texas teammates did not waste any time in celebrating. The Longhorns had just defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, the reigning national champions, 76-56, to win the conference championship for the second time in the last three years.
The only player on this year’s team who was a part of the 2021 team that won Texas’ first-ever Big 12 tournament is Cunningham. However, he obviously has a bad and “awful” taste in his mouth from what transpired following, and he’ll probably use it as fuel as the Longhorns get ready for the NCAA Tournament.
Following the victory on Saturday, Cunningham remarked, “You only take this win for one night.” “I was on a team that placed first in this competition, but we also suffered a horrible upset in the opening game. Thus, following Selection Sunday on Monday, we’ll resume work after this game tonight.”
Cunningham is obviously alluding to the heartbreaking 53-52 setback that the third-seeded Longhorns endured in the Round of 64 in 2021 against the 14th-seeded Abilene Christian Wildcats. The Longhorns had a firsthand look at the mayhem that can occur in March after winning the tournament for what is perhaps the best conference in the country.
In the two years since, a lot has changed. The defeat resulted in the firing of Texas coach Shaka Smart, who was replaced by Chris Beard. However, Rodney Terry had to step in as the Longhorns’ third head coach in as many seasons after Beard was arrested in December on charges of third-degree criminal assault.
All of this serves to highlight how precarious things are, as the Longhorns’ hopes of winning the championship might vanish in the blink of an eye if they let their guard down.
Cunningham will undoubtedly be motivated as he and the Horns prepare for March Madness, though, because he is a leader in the locker room and will be there to remind his teammates of the suffering he endured two years ago.