1.20.10
Posted by Alyssa at 4:14PM

Mark Rosner of the Austin-American Statesman reports that Texas will play next season in the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer. Twelve different schools will participate in the event, with the four headlining teams meeting on November 18th and 19th in Madison Square Garden.

Texas’ opening round opponents will be announced later, along with the dates for those two match-ups. Fans can likely plan on the opening round games being played at the Erwin Center on November 8th, 9th, or 10th. Maryland, Illinois, and Pittsburgh are the other three regional hosts that will join Texas for the final two rounds in New York City.

The Longhorns took part in the 2006 edition of the tournament, defeating Alcorn State and Chicago State in opening round match-ups. In the semifinals, Texas lost on a last-second bucket against Michigan State, but defeated St. John’s in the consolation game a night later.

1.18.10
Posted by Ryan Clark at 11:30AM

#1/1 Texas Longhorns (17-0) at #12/13 Kansas State Wildcats (15-2)
Fred Bramlage Coliseum | Manhattan, KS | Tip: 8 P.M. | TV: ESPN

The Longhorns survived a scare and an atrocious shooting night on Saturday, as they escaped the Frank Erwin Center with their perfect mark intact after an overtime victory against Texas A&M. Tonight, however, they face a much bigger test from the Kansas State Wildcats, a team that could even crack the top ten of the polls later this afternoon. If the Longhorns have an offensive performance like they did on Saturday night, there’s a very good chance that Fred Bramlage Coliseum will be the site of their first loss.

Frank Martin auditions for the Pavarotti biopic
(Photo credit: Associated Press)

By the numbers

The Wildcats are a very scary match-up for the Longhorns, and it’s not just because K-State seems to win against Texas in every sport. Kansas State has the 12th-most efficient offense in the nation, and their defense is nearly as good, checking in at 31st in the country. Combining those efficiency numbers gives the ‘Cats a +0.265 differential per possession, and as a result, they push the tempo to exploit that advantage as often as they can.

Last year’s K-State team finished tops in the nation when it came to offensive rebounding, and this year’s squad is leading the way again. The Wildcats grab an insane 43.5% of their chances on the offensive glass, so even when their highly-efficient offense manages to miss a shot, they typically get another chance to score.

If you look at KSU Coach Frank Martin, you could probably guess that his teams play a physical brand of basketball, most likely because he looks like he could have a bit role on The Sopranos as one of Tony’s enforcers. If you made that guess, you’d be quite the smart cookie, as K-State games typically turn into foul-fests where both teams take approximately 3,912 free throws and the game lasts four hours. The Wildcats are the best team in the country when it comes to getting to the line, and one of the absolute worst when it comes to sending their opponents there.

“Oh no!” Longhorn Fan exclaimed to himself after reading the last paragraph. “My team couldn’t make free throws on a Little Tykes basket!” Calm those fears, though, Longhorn Fan. While Texas shoots just 63.4% from the line, the Wildcats aren’t much better, making 66.2% of their attempts. Missed free throws could certainly play a factor in the final outcome, but it might not be quite the disadvantage Texas fans would expect.

One other thing Kansas State excels at is blocking shots. When the ‘Cats aren’t fouling opponents in the paint, they are typically swatting shots into the twelfth row. K-State opponents are stuffed on 13.5% of their possessions, a rate that makes the Wildcats the 30th-best shot blocking crew in the nation. The Longhorns, meanwhile, have a 14.2% mark and are ranked 21st. There is a good possibility that some poor, unsuspecting KSU student could have his fake beard knocked right off tonight by a high-speed rejection.

Denis Clemente is afraid of headless giants
(Photo credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Meet the ‘Cats

While this section is called “Meet the ‘Cats,” Texas fans need no introduction to Denis Clemente. The lightning-quick guard from Puerto Rico tied the Big 12’s scoring mark with 44 points in Austin last year, shooting his way onto the national scene while simultaneously ruining my 100th-consecutive game. Thanks, buddy.

Clemente can score from anywhere on the floor, although it’s his soft touch on the running floater that often gives opponents their biggest headaches. He can blow past just about any defender off the dribble, and has a tremendous ability to finish in traffic. Fortunately for Texas fans, Clemente has struggled a little bit this season in comparison to last year, as his shooting percentage has dropped to just 38% and his three-point percentage has fallen under the 30% mark.

Jacob Pullen is having a breakout season
(Photo credit: Associated Press)

The superstar this season for Kansas State, though, is junior guard Jacob Pullen, the man being honored by the aforementioned “Beard Out.” Pullen is leading the team with almost 20 points a game and is knocking down over 44% of his long-range bombs. While last season he was an absolute turnover machine, he’s improved his ballhandling a bit and this year actually has a turnover-to-assist ratio that isn’t approaching negative infinity. Like Clemente, Pullen is very quick with the basketball, and the Texas guards will have to work very hard at keeping him in front of them.

After sitting out a season following his transfer from UConn, big man Curtis Kelly has been a huge addition to the roster. Last year’s Wildcat team lacked any sort of identity inside, and this 6’8″ forward has certainly brought that to the table. He’s leading the team with more than six rebounds a game, and is a great defender down low, having already logged 29 blocks.

At small forward, Dominique Sutton is having a solid junior season. He’s chipping in eight points and six boards in 23 minutes per game, and has started in every contest. He spent the summer playing overseas with Pullen on an all-star team, and the extra months of game action are clearly paying off. Sutton looks faster and more sound on defense, while his ballhandling has also improved. His assist-to-TO ratio has nearly doubled in just one season.

The center position for Coach Martin is played mostly by committee, but that depth allows him to employ the physical style that makes the Wildcats so intimidating down low. Their biggest presence is freshman Jordan Henriquez-Roberts, a 7-footer who needs to add some muscle, but still provides twelve minutes a game. He’s the team’s second-best shot blocker with 16 swats, but Ken Pomeroy’s stats point out that when playing time is considered, Henriquez is best on the team in that category. The big man still needs a ton of seasoning when he’s got the ball, but he is definitely going to make an impact on the defensive end tonight.

Sixth-man Jamar Samuels is a key contributor
(Photo credit: Associated Press)

Just 6’7″, Jamar Samuels is a sixth man that is versatile enough to fill in at the five when K-State wants to go smaller, but is most at home giving valuable bench minutes as a forward. He’s third on the team in scoring despite only starting in one game, and his 4.6 rebounds are best among non-starters. While Samuels often tries to attack off the dribble from the wings, he handles the ball about as well as Damion James circa 2006, and as a result, he is one of the team’s biggest offenders when it comes to turnovers.

Inside, 6’10” senior Luis Colon is another option at the five who is a defensive specialist. At 265 pounds, he’s a physical player that loves to block shots and make life miserable for opposing big men. He also likes punching people, although Ty at Bring On the Cats accurately points out that Colon seems to have funneled that aggression into productive basketball play in recent years. When Big Lu and Big Pitt tangle down low tonight, seismologists may note a spike of activity near the Little Apple.

Freshman Wally Judge was a much heralded recruit coming into the season, and with McDonald’s All-American honors, why wouldn’t he be? But so far his play has left a lot to be desired, as the freshman is picking up fouls more often than points. He’s averaging just 12.5 minutes per game, but still manages to lead the team in personals by a wide margin. His 52 fouls are six more than Samuels has, and he’s done it in eleven less minutes per game.

Freshman guard Rodney McGruder plays about as often as Judge, and provides a scoring spark from outside when he comes off the bench. McGruder loves to light it up from the corner, and his 54.5% success rate from long range would be absolutely terrifying if he had taken more than 22 attempts on the year. In future seasons, McGruder is going to be a pest for opponents, but for now he is a quality role player that compliments Martin’s roster nicely.

Chris Merriewether is the tenth Wildcat who plays more than ten minutes per game, and he’s mostly a glue guy off the bench. He can’t shoot that well, and as a result has only thirteen attempts on the year. Martin puts Merriewether in the game simply for his hustle, defense, and hard work, not for his massive 1.2 points per game.

Keys to the game

The biggest flaw for the Wildcats is still their inability to control the basketball. They are turning it over on 22.1% of their possessions, which is even worse than last year’s team. And when you consider that last year Kansas State turned it over 25 times in a 22-point road loss to Nebraska, that’s really saying something. If Texas hopes to slow down the highly-efficient K-State offense, they are going to have to force a ton of Wildcat mistakes.

As previously mentioned, KSU is practically unstoppable on the offensive glass. In addition to forcing turnovers, the other way Texas can limit the damage is to limit K-State’s second-chance points. The Longhorns must keep the ‘Cats off the offensive boards, and when they do give up second and third looks, they cannot result in easy putback buckets.

Dexter Pittman posted 19 and 20 against K-State in March
(Photo credit: Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press)

Finally, Texas must not settle. When the Longhorns have struggled to score inside this season, their possessions often ended simply with outside and mid-range jumpers. Some nights, those shots were falling, and the Longhorns were able to cruise. On other nights, Texas couldn’t hit the broad side of Darryl K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, and they struggled to put away teams like Rice and A&M-Corpus Christi.

The Wildcats are a solid defensive team, and scoring inside will not be easy tonight. Texas must make a commitment to penetrate, flash men to the free throw line, use good ball movement, and most importantly cannot rely simply on contested jumpers where Dexter Pittman is the only player in rebounding position.

The big finish

The Big 12 is a very deep conference this season, and road wins are going to be hard to come by. None will be harder for the Longhorns this year than the one they hope to steal tonight. With the exception of the Kansas game in Austin three weeks from now, this game is the toughest one left on the docket, and there is a very good chance the Longhorns will suffer their first loss of the season in about eleven hours. No matter the outcome, however, this ought to be one hell of a basketball game.

Vegas thinks the game is roughly a toss up, giving the Wildcats a 1.5-point edge thanks to the home-court advantage. They have yet to post the odds of my making it out of Bramlage Coliseum alive, however. Just to be safe, a stop at a costume shop somewhere on I-35 might be in order. Do you think they sell fake beards in child sizes?

1.16.10
Posted by Ryan Clark at 3:40PM

Texas A&M Aggies (12-4) at #1/1 Texas Longhorns (16-0)
Frank Erwin Center | Austin, TX | Tip: 5 P.M. CT | TV: ESPNU

The trip to Iowa State in the middle of the week has unfortunately put me waaaaay behind on absolutely everything, and as a result, we’ve only got time today for a very abbreviated game preview. Let’s cut right to the keys for tonight’s game…

1) Get Bryan Davis in foul trouble – Yes, we know that senior guard Donald Sloan leads the team with more than 17 points a game. And sure, no other Aggie even averages ten points (except for Derrick Roland, who is out for the year). But Texas A&M is a completely different team without their big senior, and if he’s riding the bench with foul trouble, Texas should be able to coast in this one.

Davis is the easily the team’s best post defender, so without his presence, the Texas frontcourt would have a field day. On the offensive side of the ball, his understudy David Loubeau can certainly score inside, but often doesn’t get in good position for entry passes and as a result the team’s guards will often settle for jumpers they shouldn’t be taking.

2) Keep the Aggies off the lineTexas A&M is the best team in the country when it comes to getting to the foul line, so the Longhorns must force their opponents to earn points from the field. Texas is clearly more talented and much deeper, so giving up free points will only serve to keep the Aggies close enough to start thinking about an upset.

3) Crash the glass – Texas A&M averages a thin +0.8 rebounding margin, but in two of their three losses they were outrebounded by double digits. Texas is a much bigger team and should win this battle on paper, but the last thing the Horns will need is to give the Aggies extra possessions by getting out-hustled on the boards.

1.13.10
Posted by Ryan Clark at 10:02AM

#1/1 Texas Longhorns (15-0) at Iowa State Cyclones (11-4)
Hilton Coliseum | Ames, IA | Tip: 7 P.M. CT
TV: Big 12 Network (local affiliate list); ESPN Full Court; ESPN360.com

Texas makes its first road trip of conference play as they travel to Ames, Iowa tonight, but there’s a much bigger “first” in play when the team hits the court at 7 P.M. The Longhorns will be playing their first game in school history as the top-ranked team in the nation.

At first blush, the match-up with Iowa State seems like it should be a cakewalk, just another notch in the win column as the Longhorns march on to next week’s showdowns with Kansas State and Connecticut. But regardless of how good or bad the Cyclones are in any given year, Hilton Coliseum still manages to be a house of horrors for visiting opponents. The venue even has a name for its own special brand of home-court advantage — they call it “Hilton Magic.”

Add in the fact that every team plays with extra effort to knock off number one, and consider the always-dangerous possibility that players start buying into their own media hype, and you could have a recipe for an inexplicable stumble in an “easy” game. That’s why Coach Rick Barnes told his team on Monday afternoon “I can’t honestly tell you who the No. 1 team was in the country on the second week of January last year. But I do know who won the national championship.” Maintaining focus the rest of the way will be necessary for Texas to avoid an embarrassing pratfall.

Greg McDermott leads his most talented team yet
(Photo credit: Josh Harrell/Iowa State Daily)

By the numbers

Despite the fact that former Cyclone Wes Johnson is tearing it up for Syracuse, the current Iowa State squad is much improved from last season. Where once there was only Craig Brackins and a cast of underachieving role players, now there is depth and talent.

As a result, the Cyclones are enjoying efficiency numbers on both sides of the ball that rank in the top 100 in the country. They average a per-possession differential of +1.22 points, and as a result, they no longer have to play slow games where they attempt to limit the number of possessions.

The key component of the Iowa State offense is their three-point accuracy. While the Cyclones don’t actually take a ton of long-range looks, their incredible success rate from behind the arc opens up the inside game for their big men. Iowa State has made more than 42% of their three-point attempts, but still take nearly 70% of their shots from inside the arc.

Defensively, Iowa State provides a complete change of pace from the Colorado team that Texas just faced. While the Buffaloes constantly put their opponents on the free-throw line, only seven teams in the country do that less often than the Cyclones. For a Texas team that often struggles from the stripe, this could be a very good thing for the offense.

Although the Longhorns do struggle with free throws, Iowa State is yet another opponent that will have similar problems from the charity stripe. Just like Arkansas and North Carolina, the Cyclones leave a ton of points at the line, making just 63.3% of their attempts so far this year.

Craig Brackins leads the way for the Cyclones
(Photo credit: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Meet the Cyclones

The only household name on the Iowa State roster is Craig Brackins (16.9 PPG/8.1 RPG). The junior toyed with heading to the NBA after last season, but returned for another year and was rewarded with Preseason All-American honors. At 6’10”, 230 pounds, Brackins is an extremely versatile player who can shoot from anywhere on the floor and can adequately handle any position in the lineup. His wide-ranging skill set allows Coach Greg McDermott much more flexibility with lineups, and it gives opposing defenses fits when trying to match up with him. Brackins is the team’s most accurate three-point shooter so far, hitting 52% of his 27 attempts, and that long-range threat allows him to pull bigger defenders out of the paint.

Newcomer Marquis Gilstrap (14.3 PPG/8.4 RPG) is a senior playing in his first season for the Cyclones. He transferred after playing one year at Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, where he suffered a horrible knee injury that sidelined him for all of 2006 and 2007. Iowa State is hoping to get him another year with a medical redshirt, but if this is truly his last collegiate season, he is certainly making the most of it.

Gilstrap is an incredibly athletic wing player with great handles, and can also score from anywhere on the court. His rebounding numbers are tops on the team, and although he’s only taken 39 threes, he’s made 41% of them. Just like Brackins, Gilstrap is a tough match-up, although he lacks some of the size to bang inside with the bigger post players of the Big 12.

The floor leader for Iowa State is Diante Garrett (8.4 PPG/5.4 APG), a 6’4″ guard who has a solid shot, but prefers to facilitate the offense. He can break down defenders off the dribble and get to the rack, but more often than not, Garrett dishes it off to one of his bigs when he penetrates the lane. He’s improved his defense in the offseason, which has earned him even more playing time at a position where the Cyclones are loaded with talent.

One of those other talented point guards is freshman Chris Colvin (3.2 PPG/2.1 APG). He was one of the nation’s top prospects at his position and provides solid defense with his really long wingspan. Fortunately for Texas, the freshman is suspended for this game for a violation of team rules. That suspension likely means more playing time tonight for sophomore guard Dominique Buckley (1.6 PPG), another steady ballhandler who provides depth at the point.

Also in the backcourt is German gunner Lucca Staiger (9.0 PPG/1.9 RPG). He leads the team in threes with 42, and is sinking them at nearly a 43% clip so far this season. He’s not very adept at creating his own shot, but the Cyclones are good when it comes to freeing him up for open looks. If they can set good screens tonight, Staiger will certainly knock down a few clutch triples.

Justin Hamilton has made huge strides
(Photo credit: Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press)

The most surprising player of the season has to be big man Justin Hamilton. He’s a 6’11” sophomore from Utah who brought low expectations with him to Ames. He had a few breakout games in his freshman campaign, but has improved to become a consistent contributor this year. Hamilton started in each of the Cyclones’ first 14 games, but a head injury kept him out of Saturday’s win over North Dakota State.

If Hamilton is healthy enough to play tonight, his performance down low against the Texas frontcourt will be integral. Fail to produce, and the Longhorns can focus on shutting down Brackins and Gilstrap. Play well, and suddenly Texas has its hands full picking which poison to swallow.

Providing more depth in the frontcourt is junior college transfer LaRon Dendy (7.4 PPG/3.4 RPG). He is a big, long player who can really hang in the air to get rebounds and tip-ins. His scrappy style and hustle for loose balls really reminds me of Gary Johnson, and should the two directly match up tonight, it ought to be fun to see who wins the 50/50 balls. The biggest knock on Dendy, however, is his pitiful 47% mark at the free throw line, where the comparisons to Johnson quickly end.

Coming off the bench for Coach McDermott are a pair of marksmen in Jamie Vanderbeken (4.1 PPG) and Scott Christopherson (7.3 PPG). Vanderbeken is a senior whose minutes have been limited by the influx of talent to the Ames campus, but he still makes his presence known in his shorter stints on the court. He has knocked down 50% of his threes this year, although he has taken only 16 from behind the arc. Christopherson, meanwhile, has the same 50% success rate, but has put up 34 tries. A 6’3″ sophomore, Christopherson is a transfer from Marquette and is coming off of knee surgery in the off-season.

The final player in the ten-man rotation that the Cyclones employ is sophomore Charles Boozer (3.7 PPG/1.6 RPG). The younger brother of Utah Jazz star Carlos Boozer, the 6’3″ guard had a breakout game on Saturday against North Dakota State. After averaging just 2.6 points per contest coming into it, Boozer had 19 points filling in for the suspended Colvin. He did it with hustle and an impressive 7-of-11 shooting night, including 3-of-6 from long range. Look for Boozer to again grab a bunch of minutes at the two against Texas.

Damion James eyes the Big 12 rebounding record
(Photo credit: Aaron Vazquez)

Keys to the game

The Longhorns have one of the nation’s best interior defenses statistically, and that will be tested against a deeper Iowa State frontcourt than we’ve seen in recent years. But where Texas is likely most vulnerable is on the perimeter, where the Cyclones are liable to get hot at a moment’s notice. In most shocking upsets, you’ll find that the less-talented team hit their fair share of three-pointers, and ISU is certainly capable of doing that tonight. Texas must limit the damage from long range.

If the Cyclones aren’t scoring three at a time, they are going to need a ton of points from their junior stud Brackins. While Gilstrap and Dendy are solid additions, they won’t be able to beat Texas on their own. If the Longhorns can turn Brackins into a mere mortal, it would seem that Iowa State has almost no chance to pull off the upset.

Our third thing to watch tonight is not a key, but rather a historical milestone. Damion James enters tonight’s game just eleven rebounds shy of claiming the all-time Big 12 crown, currently held by Kansas’ Nick Collison. It’s no guarantee that DaMo will hit the magic number against this Iowa State frontcourt, but there’s still a good possibility that the double-double machine could break the record tonight.

1.12.10
Posted by Ryan Clark at 4:41PM

We’re getting a little bit of a later start than anticipated, but it’s time to begin our sojourn northward to Ames, Iowa. Tonight’s leg will get us to Wichita, Kansas for a few hours of rest before we finish the journey on Wednesday. Game preview will be headed your way in the A.M. hours, while any short tidbits from the road will show up on the Twitter feed.

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