Finally, Selection Sunday is here. And with it comes the game that we’ve all been waiting for since February 11th, when the Longhorns held off the Jayhawks in Austin for a huge win and the tiebreaker that afforded them the 1-seed in this conference tournament.

There’s a ton of history between these two teams, despite the short life of the conference they dominate. This marks the third-straight year that Texas and Kansas will meet in the finals of the conference tournament, where Kansas has won two straight. In fact, the Longhorns are an imperfect 0-4 in Big 12 title games heading into this one.

Following Tennessee’s loss to Arkansas in the SEC semifinals, many pundits are claiming this game could decide the fourth 1-seed that will be handed out in the NCAA tournament. Personally, I’m not sure I buy it, as the Vols have an incredibly strong computer profile and a handful of excellent victories. But if Texas were to win today, it would be hard to argue against a team that has the 5th-best RPI and SOS in addition to 12 wins against the RPI Top 50, which would include four wins against the Top 5 alone.

So if that’s not enough at stake for Texas today, they also are all too aware of the fact that they blew a double-digit lead in the conference championship to Kansas last season, just a week after doing the same thing in Allen Fieldhouse. There’s not just pride and seeds on the line, but perhaps a little bit of revenge, too. And if you include the 19,000 Jayhawk fans that will be filling the Sprint Center today in hopes of seeing their own revenge for the February 11th loss, this one should be incredibly intense.

If you’re interested in who the Jayhawk players are, you can check out the game preview from the February 11th contest in Austin. The only player that KU used in last season’s two wins that won’t be on the floor today is Julian Wright, so the ‘Hawks bring plenty of experience into this one. The addition of freshman Cole Aldrich gives them some depth inside, while Darnell Jackson has made huge strides in his senior year and is now an absolute stud in the paint for the Jayhakws.

What to look for

1) Ball control – Texas has led the country in controlling the ball for much of the season, and they’ll need to do that today. Kansas loves to play pressure defense extended well past the perimeter, and will throw a variety of full-court looks at random times just to throw teams off. If the Longhorns can keep the Jayhawks from amassing a nice chunk of points off of turnovers, they should be in good shape today.

2) Smart defense – In the first half of the February 11th game, Kansas used lightning-fast ball movement to attack the Texas defense for good looks inside and open attempts from behind the arc. Fortunately, the Jayhawks scaled back their attacks the inside in the second half, which was a big reason why the Horns were able to win the game. Texas will need to rotate quickly and communicate well on D to ensure that the incredibly talented Jayhawk offense doesn’t slice them up.

3) The role players – Who will step up today for Texas? It can’t simply be D.J. Augustin and Damion James. A second-straight big game from A.J. Abrams could put the Horns over the top, but key contributions could also come from Connor Atchley or even one of the big men on the bench. This looks to be a very close game again today, so even the smallest contribution from an unsung player could spell the difference.

As we ride into Selection Sunday, the countdown of the Top 10 buzzer beats in the NCAA Tournament continues with number five.

Today’s selection will be very familiar to Longhorn fans, as it comes from the Texas/West Virginia Sweet 16 match-up just two seasons ago. As Texas fans will remember, the last 14 seconds of the game were absolutely crazy. The Longhorns were up three points, but West Virginia rushed down the court and tied the game on a Kevin Pittsnoggle trifecta with just five seconds left. Texas immediately pushed the ball up the floor, and A.J. Abrams threw an “ohshit” pass that nearly sailed past Kenton Paulino. But KP calmly controlled the feed, set up for an NBA-range three, and shot the team into the Elite Eight.

In an interesting twist, Pittsnoggle and Paulino are now teammates on the Austin Toros, a team in the NBDL.

We’ve mentioned a few times this weekend how difficult it is to beat the same team three times in one season. But how about going 7-0 against three teams from one state? Or winning six in a row and 11 out of 14 against your hated rival? Apparently it’s nothing but child’s play for the Texas Longhorns, who held the Oklahoma Sooners under fifty points for the second time this year and cruised to a 28-point victory in front of 19,000 disappointed Kansas Jayhawk fans.

The Horns were led by the insanely hot shooting of A.J. Abrams, who knocked down seven three-pointers just a day after going 0-for-5 from behind the arc against Oklahoma State. The diminutive guard finished with 24 points on the day to lead the team, giving him nearly half of OU’s entire output in the game.

The contest was dicey for the first 22 minutes, as the Sooners rode the broad shoulders of Blake Griffin to keep pace with the Longhorns. In the first half alone, he nearly had a double-double — only one more rebound would have done the trick — and had OU in a 36-all tie with 18 minutes to play. But when Abrams lit up, the Texas defense locked down, giving the Sooners no chance as the Longhorns finished the game on a 41-13 run.

The only real negative to come from this game was the early struggle on the defensive glass. Just as against the Cowboys one day prior, Texas let Griffin and the other Sooners pick the offensive glass clean for easy putbacks and longer possessions. The Longhorns simply cannot afford to do that against the quality teams they will be playing over the next three weeks.

There was also one troubling piece of news that came from the sideline rather than the game on the court. Although Gary Johnson was dressed out and walking, he had a large black boot on his right foot. From my vantage point in the corner of the lower level, it looked a lot like the one that Matt Hill has worn throughout his injury troubles. Here’s hoping that Gary will in fact be ready for next weekend’s games.

If he isn’t, Longhorn fans can take solace in the improved play of the Texas big men during this tournament. For a second straight day, Alexis Wangmene turned in a minute-eating performance for Coach Barnes, but this time added the scoring threat. Lex had seven points and four boards in his 14 minutes and looked very impressive in the post. He’s still got a long way to go if he’s going to become a dominant force inside, but the moves are definitely there.

Dexter Pittman also stepped up in Johnson’s absence, absolutely cleaning the glass in his nine minutes of work. Big Dex picked on the Sooners for seven boards and a bucket, even adding a block to round out the stat line. It was very nice to see Pittman be able to play for significant stretches rather than being yanked after a few seconds on the floor. Perhaps this will increase his confidence and also signal a change in the way he’s used down the stretch.

Texas now moves on to face Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the third time in the last three years. Game preview will be up in a few hours, along with our 5th-best buzzer beater in NCAA tournament history.

The countdown of the top ten finishes in NCAA tournament history continues this evening with number six.

One of the craziest March Madness buzzer beaters I can remember watching as a kid came in a game between Missouri and UCLA in the 1995 NCAA tournament. The Bruins were down a point and had to go the length of the floor with 4.8 seconds to go.

You always hear coaches and TV analysts say that in late-game situations you can take a dribble for each second on the clock. But most players aren’t as fast as Tyus Edney, who streaked down the court, whipped it around his back, and took it to the rim for one of the most memorable plays in tournament history.

By the time you’re reading this, the Longhorns and Sooners will have wrapped up their semifinal. I’ll either be enjoying the Kansas/A&M tilt, or slouched in my chair wishing I were anywhere but the Sprint Center. But since I’m writing this before we head to the arena, the mood for today’s news wrap will be still be upbeat.

Joe Lunardi’s Saturday Bracketology has the Aggies climbing to an 8-seed after dispatching K-State last night. Baylor is still clinging to life as an 11-seed after their quarterfinal exit to the cellar-dwelling Buffaloes. A&M fans will be delighted to notice that their opponent in Lunardi’s projected 8/9 game is lovable Coach Billy Gillispie and his Kentucky Wildcats. Guess they’d better beat Kansas and play up to a higher seed, eh?

An email hit my inbox this morning from Baylor, where they are planning a Selection Sunday watch party at the Ferrell Center. CBS television crews are expected to be in the house to get the reactions of the Bears after they earn their first NCAA bid in 20 years. Of course, if they fail to make the field of 65, that could be some of the most depressing television since Emily’s Reasons Why Not.

Happen to miss the insane final five seconds of the Indiana/Minnesota game last night? Well, it’s not just you, because the game was on the Big 10 Network, one of the worst inventions in the history of mankind. But thanks to YouTube, you can check out the highlights right now.