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Shaka Smart has had a rough 2016-17 campaign at Texas. The lack of an experienced point guard has held back the Longhorns in their quest for an NCAA Tournament berth.

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Throughout his short tenure in Austin, Shaka Smart has come to realize that things are a lot different at Texas than they were at VCU.

Once one of the hottest commodities whenever the coaching carousel started to spin, Smart was able to be very selective when deciding which high-major job he wanted to take. He chose to take over the Longhorns, and the future appeared bright for the squad after a debut season in which it won 20 games and earned a berth to the NCAA Tournament. Five-star freshman and Texas native Jarrett Allen was on board last recruiting cycle to provide an interior presence for ’16-17, and everything seemed rosy.

But things couldn’t have gone any worse in Smart’s second year on the job.

Texas began the new college basketball season in the Top 25, but what the ‘Horns instead ended up enduring was a tough rebuild, going just 10-21 (4-14 in the Big 12), and arriving in Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament on a seven-game losing streak. The ‘Horns play Texas Tech in the opener on Wednesday night. Sending shock waves across the conference landscape is the only way for them to return to the Big Dance. Texas is enduring its worst season since 1983-84, when it went 7-21 under Bob Weltlich.

Simply put, Smart’s ‘Horns may be the most disappointing team of the 2016-17 season.

There’s no question that the squad lost several key contributors from last season’s NCAA team, including guard Isaiah Taylor, who left school early. But Allen and fellow high-profile freshman Andrew Jones provided excitement because of their high school pedigrees, while Kerwin Roach Jr. was expected to be a top contributor after averaging 7.5 points in limited minutes last year. Further, Eric Davis Jr. and Tevin Mack were highly regarded players from the Class of 2015 who looked prime to embrace their expanded roles this season. Maryland transfer Shaquille Cleare was expected to provide a steady, veteran presence.

But the lack of a true point guard would be the Longhorns’ kryptonite. Taylor’s early exit would end up being crushing, as the team ranks ninth in assists and ninth in assist-turnover ratio in the Big 12. Roach and Jones were seemingly overwhelmed at the position, as their lack of experience showed. Jones showed flashes, but big runs by foes and errors in key situations contributed to the team’s 5-9 mark in games decided by five points or less.

If star guards win championships in March, point guards need to get you to The Dance in the first place.

Not helping matters is the team’s struggles from 3-point range. Things became even more bleak when Mack (a 39.1 percent shooter from downtown) was shelved in January and ultimately released from his scholarship. Allen’s work in the paint has been strong in the second half of the year, but he hasn’t had much help up front.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee was able to get to the Horizon League title game on Tuesday despite being 11-23, but the Panthers were unable to claim victory, dropping a 59-53 decision to finish off a disappointing year. It’s possible, but not very likely, for the ‘Horns to go on a similar run in their own conference tournament.

Moving forward, Texas can build around big man Allen, who is nearly averaging a double-double in conference play, and the team has a commitment from four-star point guard Matt Coleman. Texas beat out Duke, Stanford and others for the creative ball handler’s services. Smart needs to continue to stockpile talent if the ‘Horns want to be consistent Big 12 contenders.

Smart went 163-56 overall at VCU while competing in two different leagues, never winning less than 26 contests per season. His .744 win percentage is exceptional, and it shows that he deserved the high-profile gig in a conference dominated by longtime first-place resident Kansas.

Coaches love challenges, and Smart certainly has one in Austin. The safe money would be that he rectifies the situation sooner or later, but the turnaround will only go as smoothly as a sure-handed floor general.

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