The quiet and desolate Texas locker room in the early hours Saturday morning after a last-second loss to Northern Iowa was a long way from the boisterous practices and program cementing wins the Longhorns had grabbed earlier in the season.

But amongst the soft voices and held-back tears, one common theme rang loud and clear in that locker room.

Shaka Smart is the man for the job, no matter what the Chesapeake Arena scoreboard said.