You know I want to say it.

It's been 1,120 days since I wrote that column and I'd be lying if I didn't say that there's a mini-victory lap somewhere inside these fingers toward those who have mistaken Shaka Smart's shortcomings as evidence that someone with his resume is a fraud and incapable of being successful in a league full of great coaches.

That column might still happen, but it's not my goal today for several reasons.

a. It's been quite a long and winding road that has led us to this point, and I wouldn't want anyone to mistake a smidge of my arrogance as ignoring the valleys before this weekend's peak.

b. With expectations rising, a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament in hand and games to be played, there's no way I'm going to put myself in a position where I stitch up a clown suit by jinxing the Texas basketball team. We all know that the mood here will change quickly if Smart's team underperforms this week when it will be expected to make the Sweet 16.

Instead of arguing over the big-picture ramifications of the school winning its first Big 12 Tournament Championship over the weekend, I just want to take a moment to focus completely on the emotion involved in the moment.

There was Shaka Smart allowing himself to get into his feelings for just a moment once it became clear that the Longhorns had fully secured victory; following Kai Jones' dunk in the final seconds, Smart pumped his right fist before crouching into a flexed pose similar to the one from the kid with glasses in Little Giants. You couldn't see his mouth because of his mask, but that added to the moment because in my mind he shouted something that included an f-bomb because it's what would have come out of my mouth, given the circumstances. If a picture is worth a thousand words, his three-second lapse into pure elation allowed us to peek into his soul. It didn't take long for Smart to snap back into focus as a leader that goes out of his way to make moments about anything other than him, but for a moment he let us in. We saw it. We know. Good for him. As a fan of good human beings, it was enough to warm my heart.

There was Matt Coleman in tears while fanboying it up with superstar Holly Rowe. This kid came to Texas to become the foundation piece to Smart's program, and you better believe he knows what it means to come up short. Fair or not, he's the symbol of the Smart era in Austin in the same way that Sam Ehlinger is the poster boy for the Tom Herman era. Coleman has enjoyed a hell of a senior year, which included a Maui Invitational MVP, but Saturday's performance against Oklahoma State was the stuff of legend. Minimize the importance of winning the Big Tournament all you want, but we'll remember his career-high 30 points against the Cowboys for a long time. No player in the history of the program... not T.J. Ford... not Kevin Durant... not anyone... has ever achieved what he did. He changed the narrative of his career. Good for him.

There was Jericho Sims with an actual smile on his face after delivering perhaps the best performance of his career with 21 points, 14 rebounds, two blocks and three steals. The young man arrived in Austin as a pogo stick without a lot of nuance to his game, and on Saturday he was displaying range. If Coleman is the heartbeat of this squad, Sims is the picture of its psyche in any moment. When he's confident and playing at his potential, the Longhorns are a possible Final Four team. He doesn't always look like he knows how good he is, but not this weekend. While sharing the court with a possible No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, Sims channeled his inner Bruce Leroy on Saturday and was the player he's dreamed of. He's emerged as a bit of a burnt orange cult hero. Good for him.

There was Andrew Jones cutting down pieces of the net in Kansas City in a scene straight from a future Disney movie. From McDonald's All-American to college star to fighting for his life in a battle with leukemia to his amazing recovery to champion. It's one of the best stories in the history of Texas athletics. Good for him.

From the ashes of fan indifference, a team emerged that is truly worthy of being loved. In a weird way, this is the Texas team you've needed for a decade and just never knew it. That it’s taken almost an entire season for that realization to sink in almost doesn't matter. Here we are.

Oh, there's work to be done this week for this team to fully cement itself as a possible Mount Rushmore-level squad in program history, but let the embrace begin while there's still time to do so.

No. 2 - Tournament Snapshots ...

... In a world where I was still worried about this Texas basketball team, Abilene Christian might loom ...

To read the rest of Ketch's 10 Thoughts From The Weekend, click HERE.