Big 12 Tournament Preview: Baylor v. Texas
by Peter Bean on Mar 13, 2009 11:47 AM CDT
in Texas Longhorns Basketball
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PrintSaturday, February 21, 1998. Were you there? In Waco? Do you remember?
That, of course, was the last time that the Baylor Bears defeated the Texas Longhorns in basketball. Like his football counterpart, for Tom Penders the 1997-98 basketball season mercifully ended his rocky run as the head man in Austin. The last straw for both coaches? Among other sensational failures, "losing to Baylor" is right up there near the top of the list; Penders' squad was swept by the Bears in his final season.
Out went Penders, in came Barnes, and the Longhorns enter tonight's Big 12 semifinal having bashed the Baptists an astounding 24 straight times. Even if you generously give Texas an 80% chance of winning each of those 24 games, the odds of them winning all 24 are incomprehensibly small -- less than one-half of one percent. Wiggins has a better chance of dunking a basketball.
Nevermind how we got here, though -- none of that has any bearing on tonight's semifinal. Game preview after the jump:
THE STAKES: Prepare yourself to be inundated throughout tonight's broadcast with wholly annoying Fran Fraschilla gushing about the Bears as a tournament "Cinderella." At least it's not Gus Johnson?
The truth is Baylor's simply doing what they failed to do all season -- playing to their potential by making a 40-minute effort on defense, hitting the boards, and demonstrating a modicum of discretion as pertains to shot selection. As I wrote before their win over Nebraska, Baylor playing to their potential represents "this tournament's uncomfortably dangerous team." And though I wussed out and picked Kansas to squeak by the Bears in the quarters, I was fully expecting Baylor to give the Jayhawks a game:
As athletic as are the Bears, with the ability to hit threes in bunches, and everything to gain/nothing to lose, Baylor has to be considered a live wire for this tourney's favorites....
Oh, how I want to pick the Bears. If they put it all together, I have no doubt at all they can take down a beatable Kansas squad. Still, the percentage play is clearly with the Jayhawks -- they have a substantial frontcourt advantage, defend well with far greater consistency, and the better coach. Still, I'm expecting a fight from a Baylor team playing with nothing to lose.
So here we are. It's Friday, the Bears are alive, still have nothing to lose, and now sit two wins away from the NCAA Tournament berth they couldn't be bothered to earn during the regular season. And that makes them dangerous -- a cornered animal with sharp teeth, ready to fight for its life.
For Texas, the NCAA bid is locked up and there are some seeding implications at stake (moving comfortably past that 7-line would be nice), but in my mind the real prize is the opportunity for Rick Barnes to win his first Big 12 Tournament championship. Though he has won regular season conference titles and a win today would advance the 'Horns to the tournament finals for a remarkable fifth straight year, Barnes has never won the whole thing. As up-and-down as has been this season, it'd be quite the gratifying treat to end things with the tournament title that's eluded him all these years.
THE GAME: The steady development of Balbay and Pittman are especially problematic for the Bears. In Dogus Texas gets an elite on-ball defender who can take away Curtis Jerrells dribble drive game, upon which Baylor depends for consistent open looks in the halfcourt. And in Pittman -- the tournament MVP to this point -- Texas gets a player the Bears just don't have the personnel to handle in the paint. In my estimation the Pittman-Balbay duo probably make the Longhorns (at their best) the toughest match up in the conference for the fighting Baptists.
How does Texas best capitalize on those advantages to win one more against the Bears? I'll be looking for four things:
- Contain Jerrells on the drive. At his best, Jerrells is for Baylor a lot like what Reggie Freeman was for Tom Penders back in the day. But also like Freeman, when Jerrells is forced to play exclusively on the perimeter, his value is neutered. His shot simply isn't good enough to thrive solely on the perimeter, and Balbay and Mason have combined to hold Jerrells to 9-35 shooting (4-14 from downtown) in the teams' first two match ups. Another night like that and Rick Barnes will make it 25-0 against the Bears.
- 25-30 minutes from Dexter. All bets are off if Big Dexter finds himself in foul trouble tonight. As we've seen in the tournament's first two games, he's rounding into a near-unstoppable offensive force and an elite rebounder. And in terms of fouling, not only has his body control improved dramatically on both ends of the floor, but officials seem to be getting used to his play. He's not drawing nearly as many chippie fouls in which the refs simply seem to be punishing him for being large.
- Functional ball handling. It's a good thing I was forced to watch yesterday's debacle in a sports bar, because watching Texas cough up 22 turnovers made me want to break something. Had I been in my own home, I'd be shopping for a new TV today. Baylor's not long like K-State, but they're quick and their guards do create turnovers (9 steals against Kansas). Balbay and Mason were awful yesterday; neither needs to be brilliant, but both need to protect the ball today. Also, Damion James should never dribble the ball. Ever. That's not too much to ask, right?
- Good AJ. Remember two seasons ago when we wondered if we'd get Good Connor or Bad Connor? That's AJ this year. Good AJ is a value to the team, the appearance of which almost always ensures a Texas victory. Bad AJ is crippling. I don't think I need to elaborate here.
THE PREDICTION: On the bright side yesterday, Texas won a game despite atrocious offense and defensive rebounding simply due to their playing excellent team defense. That's legitimately encouraging, and if they do as much tonight I don't think Baylor has much of a chance. If the Longhorns play good defense, limit transition opportunities, and get 25-30 minutes from Pittman... a double-digit win is well within reach. I'm optimistic about this match up. Texas 77 Baylor 70
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Oh to be in OKC tonight
I went back and dug up the recap from our last trip to see Texas vs. Da Bears, Feb. 17, 2007.
Special times.
Be nobody but yourself in a world that desperately wants you to be like everybody else.
anyone in Nashville?
know of a place/bar/establishment that will have the game on? I have determined that “reading” three straight games is not allowed. Same goes for the wonderful, high quality justin.tv feed.
It will be on ESPN Gameplan right? Maybe buffalo wild wings will have it?
Try Sam's in Hillsboro Village,
They usually have every game on.
Are you saying Wiggins is short PB?
Still a Blaine Irby fan
by patienthornsfan on Mar 13, 2009 12:47 PM CDT reply actions
Little Question Du Jour
Inspired by the 6OT Thriller last night between Conn and the Cuse…do we really, really, really want to win tonight?
A) Yes…Can’t get enough of Sexy Dex going back for seconds and thirds at the Big XII Buffett and Texas needs to keep improving their chances at a higher seed in the Dance.
B) Yes…Probably won’t effect our Dance status all that much, but this is about as good as it gets for Barnes who has yet to win a conference tourney title.
C) No…four games in four days is brutal and will be tough to bounce back from, especially if Texas draws a Thursday game next week.
D) Have another one you lush and quit asking stupid questions.
Be nobody but yourself in a world that desperately wants you to be like everybody else.
Rest
This always boggles my mind. These kids are 18-21 years old, and fantastic athletes. Barring any injury, 2 days off at most should be more than enough rest to get them ready to go again. I dont think playing until Saturday will affect them the following Thursday fatigue wise, unless Barnes kills them in practice.
Anyway, I answer A, I cant get enough Dexter, and every day with Dexter is a day in the offseason that I dont notice theres no football.
by BoddickerIsClutch on Mar 13, 2009 1:44 PM CDT up reply actions
I'll take option D
Let’s drink it up and watch us some excellent basketball tonight.
"Hey, a White guy! They're funny."
A cornered animal with sharp teeth?
How about a cornered animal with sharp claws? Nice work, though.
Couple thoughts:
1. How fatigued is Dexter? He has never in his career played the type of minutes he has in the last two days, much less on consecutive days. This is new for Dexter.
2. How does Baylor guard Pittman when he’s in the game? Baylor has two big bodies in Lomers and Diene to throw at Pittman, but both of them are stiffs and don’t help much offensively. Playing them plays into Texas’ hands. Does Baylor go smaller in an effort to expose Pittman defensively? I don’t know if I see the Longhorns able to play much zone against Baylor if they do. On the other side of the court, if Baylor goes small, do they have any chance of defending Big Dexy? I don’t think so, and that could be what keeps them out of a smaller lineup.
3. Another day for Varez Ward. With Baylor playing so many guards, Ward will probably get another chance this evening. He needs to maintain his aggressivenes. If he does chuck up an ill-advised three, I think Barnes has to leave him in the game because Harrison Smith won’t be an option since he just doesn’t move his feet well defensively.
4. Damion James needs to show up for the first time in the tournament. Everything for James depends on where he catches the ball. If he catches it behind the three-point line, dribbling only leads to offensive fouls and turnovers. He needs to catch the ball in the mid-range, where his jumper is more effective and he can get to the rim in one bounce. More than one bounce generally isn’t good for James.
Texas does not lose to Baylor. Texas will not lose to Baylor. Texas cannot lose to Baylor. Repeat after me. Texas does not lose to Baylor…
Keep the streak alive!
by Wescott Eberts (GoBR) on Mar 13, 2009 1:51 PM CDT reply actions
Animal vs. Dexter
"Hey, a White guy! They're funny."
by bfaut86 on Mar 13, 2009 3:54 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Easy on Penders
Look, he had a tough final year, but that man rescued UT men’s baskeball from being the weak sister to UT women’s basketball for years. They were just plain awful before him.
From what I remember Penders was fighting a bad illness that had him lose a lot of weight during that year, I think he had some problems in his family, he got distracted by things off the court in that final year. It all blew up on him when his assistant coaches released grades on that problem wild-haired kid who went to KU (and turned out to be a bust there, too).
I don’t remember his tenure being a “rocky run” though that last season was. It was mercifully ended because we just didn’t see how the team could get it together after the locker room went to hell like it did that year. And Barnes is a better coach who’s been able to take the team to yearly power status. Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t the guy who takes them to yearly championship status, that could be his successor or him. But Tom was the right guy at the right time for UT men’s hoops and had a successful run at UT on balance. I’ve always attributed his failures in his last season to his personal health issues, and it’s hard to hold that against someone.
I agree...
I can remember when I was a freshman in ’90 and we made it to the Elite Eight. There were probably several hundred of us students on the street between Moore-Hill and Jester wildly celebrating after the game. People were standing and jumping on the cars parked along the road and it was mayhem. We marched to the Quad where a larger group was already gathering demanding the tower be lit. I climbed up on a folding table on the West Mall with like 15 others and the thing collapsed. I grabbed one of the broken legs and kept it as a cherished memento of the day Texas became a basketball school.
Penders ended up being a bit of douche, but he did change Texas’s basketball fortunes for the better.
Have you followed any of Penders' shenanigans since he left here?
Dude’s kind of a magnet for weird goings-on.
As to the assistant releasing grades… Penders directed Oran to fax Axtell’s grades in.
by the other Andrew on Mar 13, 2009 2:45 PM CDT up reply actions
Penders
The health problems were never fully explained, since it was basically nobody’s business. It involved his heart.
He put us on the map. No question about it. Most of you may be too young to remember Weltlich. Abe preceded him, and IMO was in the process of doing the same map thing, until it exploded in Waco. But Penders took a program in disarray and made it work, reached out to the students, started filling seats.
Some charitable views of Tom Penders here
He didn’t “put Texas on the map” in any meaningful way. Rick Barnes and TJ Ford put Texas on the map. You could maybe say Penders made Texas sports fans semi-aware of the basketball program’s existence. Which… okay, better than before, but nothing Earth-shattering. He never coached defense, he made painful, BS excuses for everything, and, most importantly, he was shady as hell — both in the years leading up to and including the nonsense that got him fired.
I’ll never forget listening to his postgame press conference after a November loss to Stephen F Austin when my brother, Dad, and I called for, and then waited for the inevitable. “It’s coming,” my Dad would say. “Wait for it…” And then, right on cue, Penders: “You know, the Lumberjacks are a really good team. They’re gonna be there in March.” High fives across our car.
And no, SFA wasn’t any good.
--PB--
Beg to differ
Penders brought Texas basketball to the national stage. His teams made the tournament eight out of his ten years. And shady or not, his personal flair drew attention to the team, which translated into a dramatic increase in its talent level.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
So one loss
in November and Tom Penders sucks? That’s a tough standard to live up to. Does Barnes suck for losing to a horseshit Arkansas team this year.
In the 20 years prior to Penders arrival, Texas made the NCAA tournament 3 times. Even accounting for the difficult standards of making the tournament prior to expansion in the 70s, Texas doesn’t make it more than 5 in that time frame. As previously mentioned he completely changed Texas fortunes and made them a tournament regular. I would call that putting Texas on the map. Barnes has taken that and moved it to the next level.
Penders put fannies in the seats when nobody went to the games, played an exciting brand of basketball (just because you score a lot doesn’t mean your defense is poor—his teams forced a lot of turnovers), and lo and behold actually outplayed his seed in the NCAA tournament every once and awhile (something Barnes has done a grand total of two times including the Final Four).
Penders has taken three double digit seeds to the Sweet 16 (URI and Texas twice) and had winning seasons at Columbia.
You can argue the game had passed by him at the end of his Texas tenure and that he needed to go (I agree it was time), but for 25 years he was a damn good basketball coach, including his time at Texas. I find it hard to believe any Texas fan wouldn’t acknowledge the contributions he made.
Another one who disagrees...
Of course, I suffered through the Bob Weltlich years which were downright painful to watch. Say what you will about Penders and the way it all ended, he has to be given credit for making men’s basketball relevant on the 40 acres. Til Penders arrived, it was Jody Conradt and her undefeated Lady Longhorns who way overshadowed the men’s program. It wasn’t even close.
HD?
Have any of these tourney games been in HD on KNVA? I haven’t bothered to check, just watching the games in SD thru DirecTV, but I’d be willing to drag out an antenna to get this game OTA if it’s in HD.
biplanes and King Kong
pretty much the picture of those pesky little Baylor guards and Pittman. I wonder if Pittman won’t be 1/4 of the court behind the action a lot of the night. It might be a James and Johnson show. Both might be quick enough to stay on the floor with the little speedy Baylor Guards. If James and Johnson attack the rim off some good passing and dribble penetration by Balbay, Baylor may not have the height and jumpers to stop them.
Barnes may put Pittman in for short stretches when the tempo sags some. but can he run with Baylor 3-4 possessions each and not get winded and foul when he gets to tired to move his feet?
biplanes and King Kong??
god, i hope not. we know how that ended…
by Heart of a Muschampion on Mar 13, 2009 4:53 PM CDT up reply actions
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