Kansas Travels to Austin for a Big Monday with Texas

by Owen Kemp on Feb 8, 2010 1:00 PM CST in Basketball Comment 26 comments

To kick things off how about a few quick notes on this so called "rivalry" between Kansas and Texas. We can debate this all night long but I think it's safe to say the Kansans view Texas more as their biggest obstacle and not as their biggest rival. Regardless of how you view it tonight's game is certainly a huge one in terms of a potential sixth consecutive conference title. Losing certainly doesn't do tremendous damage to the Jayhawks chances, but winning would have to get pretty close to securing it.

Kansas and Texas rank 1-2 in Big 12 wins since the league started in 1996-97. Kansas is 180-36 (83.3 percent), while Texas is 150-66 (69.4 percent).
Kansas has won or tied for a league-best nine Big 12 regular season championships, including each of the last five. Texas is next with three.
Kansas and Texas have played in the Big 12 Championship title game three of the last four years, with all three going to KU.
Since the start of the Big 12, Kansas (2002, 2003, 2008), Texas (2003), Oklahoma (2002) and Oklahoma State (2004) have advanced to the Final Four.
Each of the last five KU-UT match-ups have been decided by 10 points or less with three of those by four points or less.

	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
KU	83.7	49.3	68.8	41.0	41.5	13.4	28.1	18.0	13.1	8.7	6.4	18.6
TEX	84.1	48.0	61.0	34.3	43.8	15.2	28.6	15.7	14.0	8.3	5.9	19.9
KU Opponents	62.7	36.6	67.8	32.6	33.9	13.0	20.9	12.7	14.9	6.2	3.4	20.6
TEX Opponents	67.7	38.8	65.6	30.7	36.5	13.1	23.4	11.0	16.6	7.1	3.6	21.3

Rank and Records	KU	TEX
RPI	#1	#22
Strength of Schedule	#21	#71
Overall	22-1	19-4
Conference	8-0	5-3
Home	14-0	12-1
Away	6-1	4-3
Top 25	6-1	4-4
RPI Top 50	7-1	5-3

About Kansas

Kansas won its eighth-straight game with a 75-64 victory against Nebraska Saturday. The win extended the nation's longest home court winning streak to 55 games, which ties for the second most in KU history. KU averages 83.7 points per game and gives up 62.7 ppg for a Big 12-leading +21 scoring margin. In Big 12 play, Kansas is scoring 81.2 points per game and holds a +13.1 scoring margin.

Senior guard Sherron Collins leads the team in scoring at 15.6 points per game and has scored in double figures 17 times this season. Collins is tied for the Big 12 lead in free throw percentage at 84.1percent and he leads KU in assists with 98 and three-pointers with 46.

Sophomore forward Marcus Morris has stepped up his game in Big 12 play. Morris leads KU in scoring in league games at 17.8 points per game following his 20 points and 11 rebounds against Nebraska Saturday. Morris is pulling down 8.5 rebounds in conference play. In all games, Morris averages 13 points and 6.3 rebounds.

About Texas

Texas is 19-4 overall and 5-3 in Big 12 play after its 80-71 loss at Oklahoma Saturday. The Longhorns are 12-1 at home this season. Texas leads the Big 12 in scoring offense at 84.1 points per game and is second behind Kansas in scoring margin at +16.3. The Longhorns also lead the league in rebounding at 43.8 boards per game and they have a +7.3 rebound margin. Texas has eight players who average 17 or more minutes per game.

Senior guard/forward Damion James leads UT in scoring at 17.8 points per game and leads the conference in rebounding with 11 boards per contest. He has a team-best 39 steals and is second on the squad with 25 blocked shots.

Freshman guard Avery Bradley is next in scoring at 12.8 ppg and he is also second on the team with 52 assists and 32 threepointers. Bradley is third on the squad with 33 steals.

Senior center Dexter Pittman leads UT with 48 blocked shots to complement his 11.4 scoring average. His 6.2 rebounds per game are second behind James.

Freshman guard J'Covan Brown comes off the bench to score 9.4 points per game. He has 51 assists and 25 three-pointers. Freshman guard/forward Jordan Hamilton scores 9.3 points per contest and he leads UT with 36 three-pointers. Junior forward Gary Johnson is third on the team with 5.0 rebounds per outing and he averages 8.3 points. Junior guard Dogus Balbay is a starter who averages 4.3 points per game and leads UT with 101 assists. He is second on the team with 33 steals.

Junior guard Jai Lucas comes off the bench to score 3.9 points per game, while senior guard Justin Mason is a starter who scores 3.8 points per contest. Sophomore forward/center Alexis Wangmene, brother of KU junior Chase Buford, averages 8.9 minutes and 2.5 points for the Longhorns.

NCAA Basketball

Meet the Opposing Coach

Texas coach Rick Barnes is the winningest coach in Texas basketball history with a 289-109 in his 12th season at UT. Overall, Barnes is 491-243 in his 23rd season which includes head coaching stops at George Mason, Providence and Clemson prior to Texas. Barnes has guided his teams to 17 NCAA Tournaments, including 14 straight, and three NIT trips. Under Barnes, UT owns a 27-9 (.750) mark against AP Top 25 opponents at the Erwin Center.

The Series

Year-in and year-out the Kansas-Texas battles are some of the biggest in the Big 12 and nationally. Kansas leads the overall series 16-6 and has won two straight and five of the last six meetings. These teams have met in three of the last four Phillips Big 12 Championship title games with KU claiming all three match ups - 80-68 in Dallas in 2006, 88-84 in overtime in Oklahoma City in 2007 and 84-74 in Kansas City in 2008. Texas is 5-3 against Kansas in games played in Austin, including a 4-2 record in the Erwin Center. UT has won each of the last three meetings in Austin. Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas holds a 12-5 record against Texas with a 9-4 mark in regular-season play and 3-1 record in the Big 12 Championship. Expect a contest, as each of the last five have been decided by 10 points or less. This series dates back to 1938.

		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#4	S. Collins	23	23	32.304	15.609	44.7	84.1	38.7	2.13	0.174	1.957	4.261	2.13	1.217	0.0	1.522
#1	X. Henry	23	23	26.696	13.0	43.2	77.0	38.9	4.043	1.043	3.0	1.87	2.217	1.783	0.435	2.0
#45	C. Aldrich	23	23	26.609	11.609	55.8	70.9	0.0	10.261	3.217	7.043	1.0	1.435	0.609	3.652	2.565
#22	M. Morris	23	20	24.696	13.043	57.1	68.0	36.4	6.261	3.0	3.261	0.87	1.13	0.957	0.304	2.391
	T. Taylor	23	15	22.609	6.957	44.6	69.0	36.4	2.435	0.478	1.957	3.348	1.87	1.043	0.087	2.13
#21	M. Morris	23	2	15.391	6.261	58.2	54.5	66.7	4.913	1.478	3.435	1.087	1.13	0.609	0.826	2.435
#12	B. Morningstar	14	6	24.786	5.5	46.4	80.0	44.8	2.5	0.643	1.857	3.5	1.143	1.214	0.214	1.5
#14	T. Reed	23	0	15.043	4.609	48.1	75.0	44.3	1.348	0.13	1.217	1.261	0.435	0.739	0.087	0.783
#0	T. Robinson	23	1	8.652	3.13	49.1	40.0	0.0	3.174	1.217	1.957	0.391	0.957	0.217	0.565	1.565
#15	E. Johnson	17	2	8.0	3.059	54.3	66.7	30.8	1.294	0.471	0.824	1.706	0.765	0.412	0.059	1.235
#13	C. Henry	12	1	8.25	4.083	53.1	50.0	50.0	1.0	0.167	0.833	0.417	0.5	0.5	0.083	1.167
#2	C. Teahan	13	0	5.077	1.462	33.3	66.7	37.5	1.308	0.769	0.538	0.462	0.308	0.154	0.077	0.462
		GP	GS	MPG	PPG	FG%	FT%	3P%	RPG	ORPG	DRPG	APG	TPG	SPG	BPG	FPG
#5	D. James	23	23	29.435	17.783	49.7	65.2	37.0	10.957	3.261	7.696	0.739	2.174	1.696	1.087	2.696
#0	A. Bradley	23	21	27.652	12.522	47.0	47.1	41.0	2.783	0.913	1.87	2.261	1.435	1.435	0.478	2.478
#4	D. Balbay	23	18	22.565	4.304	47.1	50.0	10.0	3.435	1.0	2.435	4.391	1.565	1.478	0.609	2.522
#1	G. Johnson	23	0	20.913	8.261	56.5	64.5	100.0	4.957	1.609	3.348	0.609	0.913	0.478	0.391	1.739
#34	D. Pittman	23	23	19.652	11.435	68.2	52.7	0.0	6.217	3.174	3.043	0.565	1.87	0.391	2.087	2.522
#14	J. Brown	21	3	21.381	9.095	34.1	90.0	27.3	2.524	0.381	2.143	2.238	2.238	0.762	0.095	1.476
#23	J. Hamilton	23	0	17.739	9.261	39.7	63.9	36.7	3.217	0.87	2.348	1.565	1.174	0.783	0.261	1.304
#24	J. Mason	23	23	17.304	3.783	47.1	52.5	20.0	2.043	0.87	1.174	1.522	0.87	0.696	0.217	1.391
#20	A. Wangmene	21	0	8.857	2.476	48.8	62.5	0.0	2.048	0.952	1.095	0.143	0.381	0.238	0.571	1.857
#10	J. Lucas	14	0	11.5	3.857	47.5	71.4	50.0	0.429	0.0	0.429	1.786	0.857	0.071	0.071	1.214
#50	V. Ward	4	4	25.0	8.75	37.5	68.2	18.2	3.5	1.0	2.5	2.75	2.75	2.25	0.0	1.75
#21	M. Hill	17	0	4.059	0.706	33.3	40.0	0.0	1.059	0.412	0.647	0.0	0.176	0.0	0.118	0.235

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Comments

Rick Barnes

If Texas continues this downward spiral for the rest of the season, is there any chance Barnes gets fired? I mean, I know the stereotype is that basketball is just a diversion for UT fans between their bowl game and Spring Practice, but they still want winners, right?

I think it’s fair to say that the guy has consistently underwhelmed given the talent level he has at his disposal. How do you lose in the second round of the NCAA tournament with Kevin Frickin’ Durant???

His seat would have to at least be warm, wouldn’t it?

"Here are our top priorities: recruit, beat Missouri, recruit, win the North, recruit, win the Big 12, and in most cases if you win the Big 12 then you're playing for a National Championship. And then we're going to recruit."

by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Feb 8, 2010 2:05 PM CST reply actions

I seriously don't know if they notice...

and I’m personally I think I’m fine with him being there.

52 Conference Championships!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!

by Owen Kemp on Feb 8, 2010 2:14 PM CST up reply actions

what the hell did I just say?

I guess my point was that I don’t think they’ll be enough concern yet and I like Barnes at UT myself.

52 Conference Championships!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!

by Owen Kemp on Feb 8, 2010 2:42 PM CST up reply actions

lolz

by KU Grad 08 on Feb 8, 2010 3:15 PM CST up reply actions

Wow.

That was almost Miss Teen South Carolina-esque there. Well done.

Operation 39-1 is a go. Proceed to target.

by Bensa on Feb 8, 2010 3:46 PM CST up reply actions

I really should have excercised my powers to delete that.

52 Conference Championships!! Holy Hell...Good Luck with That!!

by Owen Kemp on Feb 8, 2010 4:07 PM CST up reply actions

I think Barnes is a poor game coach who does not utilize his personnel effectively

But he does nearly everything else well, and it would be a mistake for Texas to fire him.

First, Barnes recruits big-time talent. He recuits locally, snatching up big-time All-American guys in Texas and the rest of the Southwest (LaMarcus Aldridge, TJ Ford, DJ Augustin, Daniel Gibson, Chris Mihm, Damion James, J’Covan Brown), which is quickly becoming one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the country. He also recruits big-time All-American guys nationally (James Thomas, Kevin Durant, Royal Ivey, Avery Bradley, Jordan Hamilton).

Second, Barnes and his staff have proved to develop under-the-radar guys into very good players (P.J. Tucker – not offered by any Carolina schools; Dexter Pittman – weighed 400 lbs. in high school, not recruited outside of Texas; Connor Atchley – former walk-on).

Third, Barnes is a charismatic guy who raises big-time money for the school and basically turned the Erwin Events Center into one of the most attractive basketball facilities for high-school recruits.

Fourth, Barnes is incredibly popular with his former players and has the backing of Durant (a full-blown NBA superstar MVP candidate who still gives a lot back to the school) and other NBA guys like Gibson, Augustin, and Ivey.

Eventually if his teams keep underachieving he is going to feel the fire. But we are not there yet. Keep in mind that when Barnes took over he inherited a team that a year earlier went 14-17 under Tom Penders and had not been to the Final 4 since the 1940’s. Barnes first year on the job he won the Big 12 regular season title, and took them to the Final 4 in his fifth year. He’s been the leader of Texas’ most successful basketball run in program history.

So as you can see there are way too many reasons to not fire him. Personally, I think his gameplans are mediocre, he has trouble adjusting to defenses that better X and O coaches throw at his team, and he does not utilize his personnel effectively. Those are all negatives.

But the fact of the matter is Barnes still has an incredibly talented team and will always have the money, resources, and exposure to continue to recruit big-time talent. The question is whether the Texas decision makers decide that is not enough, and whether he is able to adjust his in-game strategy over the long haul rather than go the way of, say, Ted Owens, who in a relatively long tenure at KU recruited big talent but constantly fielded underachieving teams.

Waiting for April.

by DC Royal on Feb 8, 2010 2:28 PM CST up reply actions

I think you about cover it.

He’ll have to end up below .500 before he gets fired. That’s almost impossible with the talent they’re bringing in every year.

Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.

by Warden11 on Feb 8, 2010 4:03 PM CST up reply actions

No

No, no, no. Pure and simple idiocy.

There will be no firing of Rick Barnes unless we’re a lot dumber than I think we are.

You ain't hurt...

by Peter Bean on Feb 8, 2010 2:39 PM CST up reply actions

There's no doubt he gets great talent

Maybe even the best talent in the country. But at some point, does he become a victim of expectations that he himself has raised (some people think that was the case with Mangino and KU football)?

I just read something on Kevin Durant’s wiki (fwiw) that blew my mind, if true: Rick Barnes went on the record saying he never ran a play for KD that entire season? That is just mind-bottling to me. My mind is literally in a bottle right now.

Are the Texas movers and shakers content with the infamous “coach that can’t win the big one” from here on out?

/BTW, I’m a huge EDSBS Live fan, but may you have terrible luck tonight.

by KennyGregoryRockThaCradle on Feb 8, 2010 2:57 PM CST up reply actions

don't think there is any chance he would be on the hot seat

They aren’t Kansas in basketball and they know it too. I think they’ve done a fine job, yeah another FF would be nice but that ain’t easy.

Under that logic, in Roy Williams should’ve maybe been on the hot seat in ‘99 or 00’ after his drout of FF’s with what I would say is much more talent and an obviously more tradition rich program.

by I need more Esteban on Feb 8, 2010 3:02 PM CST up reply actions

Not only Durant, but Augustine and Co had a few years experience as well

That team choked that one away, but he did make the elite8 the next year and lost to a Memphis team that was the second best team in the country that year (behind…yes, us WOOOOO).

He underachieves for sure but he has won 3 league titles, makes the tourny every year, is top 3 in the league every year, etc etc etc.

Not sure how much more Tejas fans really want TBH

by KU Grad 08 on Feb 8, 2010 3:17 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah they shouldn't want anymore

he’s a terrible awful game coach, but he recruits so well that they need to keep him.

Seriously though I would have won a title with Durant.

Beadlemaniacs - Award winning* college basketball blog
You know you like college hockey

by fetch9 on Feb 8, 2010 3:51 PM CST up reply actions

haha I'd take it a little easier on him

I mean Durant was god like but he’s still only one guy. Look at the games against us, he dominated yet we still won becuase we were a team. It’s hard to win in college with an NBA like player, it’s more of a complete team type of game IMHO.

by I need more Esteban on Feb 8, 2010 5:07 PM CST up reply actions

Biggest obstacle, not biggest rival.

I like that.

by knayte on Feb 8, 2010 2:55 PM CST reply actions

Yeah, I don't see him being fired

I fully agree that his teams underperform. In fact, when they started they skid and the media was freaking out about it, all I could think was “this is what they always do.” Ever since Barnes got there, his teams start out hot and are the flavor of the week, only to eventually fizzle out.

But he won’t be fired, not yet anyway. This is partially because roundball is a passing interest in the Lone Star State and partially because it’s hard to be mad at a guy who creates NBA players, has taken you deep into the tournament and is charismatic.

If he does this for the next five years I see problems for him, but a lot can happen in five years.

Oh my dear lord...this is RETARDED boss...

by tequilaprophet on Feb 8, 2010 2:58 PM CST reply actions

Underperforms?

Heading into last year’s NCAA Tournament, there were exactly three teams that had made the Sweet 16 or better in 5 of the past 7 years.

Kansas, Duke, and… Texas.

People said the same things about Roy Williams and Jim Boeheim, too.

It’s all silly. You get a coach who’s accomplishing at this level, you hold on tight.

You ain't hurt...

by Peter Bean on Feb 8, 2010 3:27 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

Well, congratulations on making the Sweet 16

I agreed earlier that Barnes is doing just fine and making the Sweet 16 is a good sign of that. But with the talent Texas has had the last five to seven years, you really hope that’s not all the Longhorns are going for.

Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.

by Warden11 on Feb 8, 2010 4:06 PM CST up reply actions

"sweet 16 or better"

There is a Final Four and two Elite Eight’s in that same span. Barnes is in his 12th year at Texas now. Considering he practically built this program from scratch (14-17 the year before his arrival), I’d call what he has done thus far to be a complete success. The expectations are rising, and rightfully so. But his seat is by no means hot, or even warm. If Texas has turned into a top 10 program, and the numbers say they have, who could Texas possibly replace him with that would be a step forward?

by hayzer13 on Feb 8, 2010 4:30 PM CST up reply actions