Kirby Hocutt Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Big news arrived for the Texas basketball program on April 1 with the addition of former Texas Tech Red Raiders head coach Chris Beard in the same role in Austin. Texas replaced the now former head coach Shaka Smart with Beard on the morning of April 1, and this definitely wasn’t a joke.
Smart hit the hot seat for the Longhorns following an early exit in March Madness. Texas fell short as a three-seed in the Round of 64 at the hands of the upset-minded 14-seed Abilene Christian Wildcats and head coach Joe Golding.