The Texas Longhorns struggled through a 2012-2013 season that saw them miss their first NCAA tournament under coach Rick Barnes since he took over in 1998. Poor team chemistry led to the exodus of his four leading scorers to professional basketball and the transfer route. Unexpectedly, last season was a turnaround year for Barnes and his young as they finished 24-11 and made their 15th NCAA appearance in 16 seasons. Things are back to normal in Austin. Texas has every key player returning to go along with a very strong freshman class, and optimism is high. After spending time watching the consensus top-15 team practice last week, here are my biggest takeaways. 1. Rick Barnes is rejuvenated

With a roster constructed of two former McDonald’s All Americans -- Cameron Ridley and Myles Turner -- and a bunch of solid top-100 high school recruits, the Longhorns are back to being the type of deep, tough, blue-collar team that defined them when they were more successful. While Barnes was never bothered by the talk of being on the hot seat after the one truly down year, he was bothered by the 2012-2013 team’s selfishness and “me first” attitude and believed it was a reflection on him. Anyone who has coached a team like that dreads stepping onto the practice floor every day. But it was completely different for Barnes a year ago and it is carrying over to this season.