"We just lost," Damion James said. "They came out and played great and had that great crowd behind them. I don’t want to take anything away from them. They didn’t do anything special. But we missed a lot of wide-open layups.
"I guess it happens. We’ve just got to get better
everywhere — rebounding, defense, not missing easy layups — everything
like that."
It was fun while it lasted. The streak is over.
Turnovers were another problem for the Longhorns, although the 18 they committed — six by Dogus Balbay and four by James — were one less than Kansas State made. UT coach Rick Barnes seemed more upset by the poor marksmanship.
"Layups. Free throws," Barnes said. "You can't shoot like that."
Texas loses. What does it all mean? Gary Parrish answers all the pertinent questions.
Q: That said, the Longhorns didn't look good, did they?
A: No, they did not. I can acknowledge that, and I agree with the point a lot of people are making now, that Texas is playing too many guys. Depth is great, obviously. But I've never seen any reason to play more than eight or nine players in a college basketball game; it's unnecessary except for instances of foul trouble. And yet Rick Barnes has 10 players averaging double-figure minutes. I know he disagrees, because we've talked about it, but I think it's important to shorten the bench. Any well-conditioned athlete should be able to play 29 minutes a game, regardless of the pace. To date, UT has nobody averaging 29.
Jason King doesn't want anyone to call this an upset.
"We’re a Top-10 team," Sojka said. "This wasn’t an upset."
Mangus nodded.
"We expected to win," he said.
Yes, the bar has been raised in Manhattan, where, in three short years, Frank Martin has transformed once-downtrodden Kansas State from the Little Engine That Could to the Little Engine That Should.
Congratulations. Brian Orakpo and Quan Cosby have been named to the Sporting News’ 2009 NFL All-Rookie Team.
Basketball
Who are the unsung heroes in the Big 12?
However, it is many times the "unsung" teammates of these stars that do the little things that are necessary to get victories. These are the players that actually hold a team together. The ones that play harder than everybody else, no matter what the game situation. The ones that take pride in defense, dive on the floor for loose balls and take charges. The ones that make very few mistakes, run the offense as the coach wants, or makes the extra pass. The ones that don't have eye-popping stats, but have the respect and admiration of their coaches and their teammates. They are the "glue" that holds a team together. Look at any good team and they have these types of players. Let me illustrate what I mean by giving you three of my favorite unsung players in the Big 12 who are the "glue" to their respective teams.
Football
Former South Florida coach Jim Levitt to Oklahoma?
Leavitt and Stoops go way back to being co-defensive coordinators at Kansas State in the early 1990s under Bill Snyder.
The two remain good friends. So does Leavitt and OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who also coached with Leavitt at K-State. It will be interesting to see if Stoops and Venables pursue their former colleague.
Dr. Saturday has a post-season award for Iowa State coach Paul Rhodes.
ISU was not a great (or even very good) team by any means, but give them this: No coach or team anywhere seemed to enjoy victory more. On the heels of his emotional locker room speech after the 'Clones' upset win at Nebraska last October, Rhoads' latest outburst makes him a shoo-in for 2009's Overly Enthusiastic Coach of the Year, an honor he's damn proud to accept, I'm sure.
SI's Stewart Mandel grades the new coaching hires.
Kansas (Turner Gill, Buffalo head coach): A
The former Nebraska star returns to the Big 12, where he will now go head-to-head with the Huskers. What Gill pulled off at Buffalo -- taking over the worst program in Division I-A, bar none, and leading it to a MAC title three years later -- is one of the most remarkable accomplishments of the past decade. And his ties to the Heartland should help elevate Kansas' recruiting profile.
Texas Tech (Tommy Tuberville, former Auburn head coach): B
Props to Tech for landing a high-profile name to help ease the sting of the Leach fiasco. Tuberville's recruiting ability and defensive prowess could help the Red Raiders reach the next level. My one concern: Tubs seems intent on maintaining an "Air Raid" offense, with which he has little experience and will be working with unfamiliar assistants -- much like his downfall at Auburn.
And finally...
Darrell Royal hits the recruiting trail again.