Texas Basketball at Kansas: A House Divided

This preview of the Texas-Kansas basketball game (Saturday, 3 PM CST, CBS) is brought to you by the AO half of 40AS as well as his brother, whom we'll just call "Jaybro." Jaybro is a recent graduate of the University of Kansas and has been irreversibly in love with Jayhawk basketball ever since he watched the 2008 NCAA Championship Game on the big screen at Allen Fieldhouse followed by, er, enthusiastic participation in the citywide celebration on Massachusetts Street. We have formatted this preview in terms of both the game itself and the big picture for both squads; you can check out great previews in the more traditional Xs and Os sense here, here, and here. And of course be sure to take a look at the excellent KU SB Nation blog, Rock Chalk Talk.


What's the most important thing for Texas to do in order to win the game?

Jaybro: Texas needs to avoid giving up points off turnovers out of the gate.  Bill Self's teams are known for their tenacious perimeter defense and their love of dunking, and those two trademarks can be devastating together in the early goings at home.  If the Jayhawks are able to establish even a five point lead before either team has reached double digits by way of a rip-run, Morris-to-Morris alley-oop, Texas will feel the weight of a much greater deficit.  Generally it's a good idea to go out and hit your opponent in the mouth to start a road game, but more important for the Longhorns is protecting themselves from a high energy play and settling into a halfcourt match-up.  Once they've done so, they'll need to attack the Kansas frontcourt.  Markieff Morris and Thomas Robinson are formidable post defenders, but they're also given to overpursuit and foul trouble.  If the Longhorns can get those two into foul trouble, the Jayhawks will either have to lean on the undersized Mario Little or the underexperienced (and overgoofy) Jeff Withey in the post, which could translate to an impressive piece of basketball Swiftboating for UT.

40AS: This is really more your area of expertise since it deals with how to approach playing against your guys. But the first thing I would say regardless of whom we're playing is that Tristan Thompson has to own the paint like he did against the Aggies. I do think Kieff and Robinson will make it harder for him than anyone from Cow College did, but at the same time Thompson did a fantastic job of drawing fouls in that one. On the other hand, Sports Illustrated this week had a very interesting article about why home teams win in all sports: referees give the home teams most of the calls. So it may be harder to get to the line in Lawrence. He'll also need to get some help from Alexis Wangmene and Matt Hill--not scoring (obviously), but in containing your guys on the defensive end. On top of that, we do depend on Hamilton immensely. Not just for the points themselves, but to stretch the defense. If J-Ham has an off night shooting I don't see how we can win. Oh, also: we have GOT to hit the boards and at least match you there.

What's the most important thing for Kansas to do in order to win the game?

Jaybro: They have to play within themselves. Don't lose the quick tempo we need by getting whistled too often, don't allow Tyshawn Taylor and Josh Selby to get too excited and turn the ball over, don't take bad threes and get away from the post game that should be our advantage. Especially be sure not to get away from the blocks in a close game; this has been a mistake we've made a few times this season, but a great improvement was made in the unnecessarily close Nebraska game. When in a pinch, we need to go big. That said, the most important thing is that once a lead is established, we need to expand on it and not relax. Bill Self has said this team's biggest weakness is a lack of a killer instinct; they finally showed a bit of that in their decimation of Baylor Monday and they'll need it Saturday against Texas.

40AS: Again I'll respond to something you brought up--I'd just caution that Texas can play a fast pace, too. Barnes hasn't shown much of the full-fledged full-court press yet this year, and we have the hosses to cause some problems with that--even for Kansas. And I do take some issue with the implication that Texas will give the 'Hawks the opportunity to demonstrate a "killer instinct;" I'm not convinced we'll be wounded enough for you go to for the kill shot. In order to get there, though, I think they need to do the equal and opposite move to what I prescribed for Texas: they need to get Thompson in foul trouble. Without him in the middle we have something of a scoring void. If we have to depend on Gary Johnson for scoring inside, we're probably in trouble.

What impact will Allen Fieldhouse have on the contest?

Jaybro: I had failed to redeem my tickets in time, so I was at Old Chicago on Iowa Street in Lawrence on February 7th, 2007.  That night, Acie Law was at his Jafar-looking best, burying the Jayhawks with a three for the Aggies with twenty seconds left in the game.  We had a possession left, but nothing came together and Brandon Rush missed an off-balance, guarded three from the corner and the game was lost.  Lawrence and I got drunk out of sadness, but we recovered and went to the Elite Eight.  That, 70 home games ago, was the last time we lost in Lawrence.  If we beat Texas, K State, and Mizzou, we'll have gone four years exactly without losing at home.  I think it's more than fair to say that we have the best home court advantage in the country, no matter what those UNC and Duke grads tell you at ESPN.  The crowd is intense, the team is comfortable, and greatness hangs from the rafters.  That said, it's getting tougher and tougher.  Aside from the twerps that opened up our non-conference schedule, nearly everyone is giving us a tough game at home.  The team gets tense because the weight of the streak looms large.  To be honest, it's getting to the point that it may be as much a hindrance as a motivating factor.  Hopefully this team will just grow mature enough to handle it and send the streak towards a fifth year, but I worry it won't survive the season.  I don't think it ends Saturday, but I have a feeling I'm gonna have to watch that damn Acie Law shot again when things get close.

40AS: Well, obviously I feel better about the chances of the streak ending Saturday than you do, but regardless it's a pretty incredible accomplishment. I can't speak to Allen specifically, having only been there in the off-season. But it's certainly looked crazy on TV every time I've seen it, and obviously Texas' all-time Big XII record in Lawrence speaks to our difficulty winning there. We had a few years' worth of back-and-forth where the home team won every time, but y'all sometimes steal one in Austin and we have never yet gotten over the hump in Kansas. Here's hoping it ends this year, but there's no evidence to support this hope.

Where does this rivalry currently rank in terms of intensity among your school's fans as compared to other hoops opponents?

Jaybro: This is a fun question. It depends who you ask. No one can compare to Mizzou when it comes to rivalries. That one is forged in blood and no KU fan doesn't want to see those athletes embarrassed and that pathetic excuse for a school burned to the ground, just as Lawrence was once wrongfully torched by the scoundrel William Quantrill and his band of cowards.  Then there's K State, which has become an increasingly irritating younger sibling in recent years (we were pretty pissed to see them ranked ahead of us this year to start the season and were glad when they started losing, but now it's gotten ugly and at least I feel sorry for them).  I'd say Texas is number three for most of us emotionally, and number one competitively.  That's always an exciting game and it's fun to see players like Kevin Durant and TJ Ford come to town from an objective, basketball-loving perspective.  Some Kansans straight up hate Texas on principle, though, for the Lone Star State's very un-Kansan arrogance and put them at number one.  I, however, put them fourth. 

What matters most to me as a fan is that we become #1 on the all time wins list.  Right now we're sixteen games behind Kentucky and four games ahead of North Carolina.  No one else is close.  I'm pretty sure Calipiari is going to get 25-30 wins wiped away for cheating, but we're always in the mix with them, so pulling against them comes right behind hoping everyone at Mizzou gets a bad case of hay fever.  And then the Longhorns, because that game is so damn fun.  And K State is cute, but who cares?

40AS: You're right that it depends who you ask--that's the nature of rivalries. At Texas, we obviously always want to beat OU and A&M--in that order, and it's especially fun to make sure the Aggies know we hate OU a whole lot more than we hate little brother. However, their rise has sort of coincided with Kansas State's. They have sort of annoyingly commanded some attention in basketball lately, where for a good long time they just didn't matter.

In the end, though, for me and others who came to the Texas family around the same time I did (early 2000s), I'd say Kansas is probably right up at the top of the list. My freshman year I got to storm the court after we beat the Sooners for the first time in four years, and since then we've played some great games against them. But the fact is, we've beaten them more often than not, as we have the Aggies. Kansas hangs there, the unattainable. Three Big XII title games, and three Jayhawk celebrations. The reason the OU football rivalry took on an even stronger fire in the last decade was that they beat us five straight times and thereby became the team that we associated most with heartache, and wanted to give the heartache back to them. The same is true for Kansas in basketball. As such, all I want from this regular season is two things: do well enough for a 3-seed or better, and break the dadgum Allen Fieldhouse Curse.

How creepy is it to hear an arena full of people slowly chanting "Rock Chalk, Jayhawk?"

Jaybro: So creepy.  And even more awesome.  Teddy Roosevelt said that it was the greatest cheer in sport.  Top that, Hook 'em.

40AS: God help me, but I love that cheer.

How does this game fit into your season? Where does your squad go from here after a win or after a loss?

Jaybro: This is definitely our biggest challenge so far.  I'm interested to see how our guards handle the athleticism of the Longhorn backcourt, and Tristan Thompson is the kind of athlete that scares anybody, no matter how good your forwards.  So I want to see us take down an elite team and validate us as a contender.  We've scored a lot of points and we haven't lost, but we haven't beaten a ranked team yet, which has me worried, especially considering how many close games we've had.  There's a lot of season left after this and we're not getting anything less than a two seed (/takes a break from typing, knocks on wood), so I think a win or a loss will serve as a growing experience for the team. I just want it to be the former.

40AS: I actually think this game is HUGE for Texas psychologically, but that might just be for the fans. Last season we saw ourselves fall from number 1 in the country at New Year's to an inglorious ouster in a Round One 8 vs 9 game. So the fact that we're riding high now doesn't strike me as an inevitably permanent state of affairs. Yes, we rebounded from the UConn loss--which was where 2009-2010 came apart. But laying an egg in Lawrence would make me hold my breath to see how we respond. A win, on the other hand, would announce beyond a shadow of a doubt that there will be no repeat of last year's disappointment and of course put Texas in the conference driver's seat.

In the end, though, assuming it's a close game (and therefore not a confidence-killer for us), I think this is really just a preview of the likely conference title game matchup. Which will be another great one.

What's going to happen in the game? If you think it's going to be close, describe the decisive play. (Note: Mario Chalmers no longer plays for the Jayhawks)

Jaybro: I feel good about this one.  The fact that y'all don't shoot free throws well makes our biggest weakness not nearly as bad and we looked big time against Baylor, so the homer in me wants to say we win this thing by 8-12.  But if it comes down to the wire (and I'm 81% sure it will), I think Marcus Morris has to take the last shot.  He's the leader of this team and one of the best players I've seen in a Jayhawk uniform.  If it's got to be a three, we give it to Tyrel Reed.  That little fella can shoot. 

Since you mentioned it, though, let me make a quick comparison to the '08 championship team.  The forward play is very similar in terms of function, but better.  Marcus Morris has the varied skill set of Darrell Arthur, but he's more consistent and handles the ball better.  Markieff is like Darnell Jackson in terms of his strength and scrap, but he's bigger.  Thomas Robinson is punishing and worrisome like Sasha Kaun, but not as stupid.  And Jeff Withey might just peak at the right time like Cole Aldrich did against North Carolina in the Final Four.  The guards, for all their talent, don't have the swagger or level heads of Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers, or Russell Robinson (who any true fan will tell you was in many ways the most important player on that team).  But those guys weren't legends until they were.  Maybe these guys will be too. 

Final prediction:  KU: 76, UT: 71. 

Good luck y'all,
Jaybro

40AS: Tie game in the second overtime. Jordan Hamilton draws the defense and can't get a decent shot off as the clock winds down. In desperation he gets rid of it to the only open guy he can find--Dogus Balbay. The Turkish Assassin proceeds to hit his one and only outside jumper of the season from just inside the three-point line for a heart-stopping Texas win: 90-88 Longhorns.