1. He has the youngest team in the Big 12 by a lot. He's starting four underclassmen and a senior transfer-- and the senior doesn't fit Smart's regular style of play at all, honestly.

2. He's going to return seven underclassmen next year-- six four-stars and a five-star. He'll be bringing in four more four-stars next year, including the point guard he probably has needed here. They move and shoot the ball terribly on offense right now, so added maturity and guard talent will help tremendously.

3. They have a Top 25 defense nationally-- even at 10-18! They just cannot shoot the ball AT ALL right now. When you can't shoot jumpers, can't shoot free throws, can't move the ball, and turn the ball over a lot, your offense isn't going to do what it needs to do in the Big 12. They've come really close to winning a number of games in conference-- they just can't close without the offense. I like their offense to improve with age.

4. A lot of coaches didn't do well in their first two seasons... and Smart, as I mentioned above, came to a school with NO history of real basketball success and is being asked to win right away in the toughest conference top to bottom in college basketball with a crew of underclassmen. I'm not saying he should be immune to criticism, but people should consider the context-- his roster, his conference, his school.