Hoops preview: K-State at Texas (By: Chris Flanagan)

[HornSports Staff]

submitted Today, 09:42 AM in Texas Longhorns Basketball By Chris Flanagan
 
Texas (18-12, 7-10 Big 12) vs. Kansas State (15-15, 8-9 Big 12)

Saturday, March 7 - 3:00PM (CST)

The game will be televised on ESPN2.


PREDICTION
With wins over Iowa State and Kansas, the Wildcats have a first class ticket on the hot streak train. However, those games were both at home. On the road, KSU is ice cold.

When the team leaves Manhattan, they have suffer inexplicable losses, including to TCU, Texas Tech and Long Beach State. But the Wildcats have plenty to play for in Austin - if they beat Texas on Saturday, they will have beaten every team in the Big 12 at least once. Kansas is the only other conference team that can claim that feat.

Texas doesn’t stand to gain much from this game, but they can lose significantly. They must beat KSU to stay in the conversation for the field of 68. The prospect of losing and missing a tourney invitation also bodes poorly for Rick Barnes to keep his job.

The good news for UT fans is that the swagger seems to be back for this team. If that is the case, this is the ideal time for it to come back.

Beating Kansas State would earn Texas the 7th seed and a probable game against Iowa State in the Big 12 quarterfinals. I think Texas gets the job done.

Texas 72 - Kansas State 64


TEXAS-KSU SERIES

• K-State leads, 17-12 (Texas leads 13-12 in Big 12 era).

• Last meeting: Texas 61-57.

• Texas is 7-6 against the Wildcats in games played in Austin.

TEXAS NOTES

• Junior guard Demarcus Holland has scored in double figures for three consecutive games. In the last 3 contests, Holland is averaging 13.7 ppg and is shooting 68.4% from the floor.

• Texas continued it’s winning trend when keeping opponents below 40% FG shooting this year when the held Baylor to 33.3% FG shooting Monday. The Horns are now 16-4 when the opposition shoots less than 40%.

• Saturday's game is Senior Day and will be the final home game for Jonathan Holmes. Per UT: Holmes has played in 123 career games (104 starts). He has posted career totals of 1,117 points (27th in UT history), 725 rebounds (ninth in UT history) and 104 blocks (11th in UT history). Holmes is on pace to graduate this May with a degree in applied learning and development with a minor in educational psychology.

KANSAS STATE NOTES

• K-State will be the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament with a win over Texas, but the No. 8 seed with a loss.

• The Wildcats are 2-11 away from Manhattan, including a 1-7 mark in Big 12 games.

• KSU is coming off consecutive wins over Top 15 opponents, and a key part of those victories has been the Wildcat’s bench. In the last two games, the KSU bench scored nearly half the team’s points (67 of 140), including 37 by sophomore guard Nigel Johnson.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

How many "must win" games in a row is this for Barnes and the Horns?

Prediction #1: FEC is gonna be rockin' tomorrow.

Prediction #2: The game will be decided in the final 3 minutes - that seems to be the way this team plays. (plus KSU slows the game down and typically plays close games).

 

[Chris Flanagan]

How many "must win" games in a row is this for Barnes and the Horns?

Prediction #1: FEC is gonna be rockin' tomorrow.

Prediction #2: The game will be decided in the final 3 minutes - that seems to be the way this team plays. (plus KSU slows the game down and typically plays close games).

Every game is a must win when you're on the bubble. 

 

[streettopeschel]

This one and the first round of the big12 tourney are the season. Hope you're right about the drum but what are you basing that on? Maybe our fans think KUs in town?

 

[Matt Cotcher]

This one and the first round of the big12 tourney are the season. Hope you're right about the drum but what are you basing that on? Maybe our fans think KUs in town?

That's based on the environment against Baylor. It was very good for a weeknight crowd once everyone got through traffic/arrived. Then the "fight" happened. Then OT. Then a win.

It felt like fans were releasing pent up enthusiasm for the team on Monday evening. My hunch is that, for all those reasons, that it carries forward to Saturday.

 

[utisdabomb12]

All types of bubble games today. Teams in bold are who we want to win. 

Syracuse at NC State. 
Miami at Virginia Tech. 
Pittsburgh at Florida State. 
Michigan State at Indiana. 
UConn at Temple. 
Alabama at A&M 
Georgia at Auburn. 
Illinois at Purdue (both are bubble teams, pretty much a play out game. Whoever loses probably isn't making the tourney). 
Vanderbilt at Ole Miss  
LSU at Arkansas 
Stanford at Arizona. 

Other game of importance. 

Northwestern at Iowa. The higher Iowa climbs the better or top 50 RPI win is. 

 

[utisdabomb12]

I get the feeling Holmes is going to break out of shell today (knock on wood). Hitting that 3 at the end of the Baylor game maybe gave him confidence. 

Most important player today is Holland, needs to harass Foster.  

 

[utisdabomb12]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/college/big-12/kansas-state/article12886115.html

In other news, K-State will be shorthanded. Nino Williams and Jevon Thomas won't play today. That's a pretty big development. 

 

[Matt Cotcher]

So many storylines to track today. The team will deny it publicly, but has to be thinking about....

- Jon Holmes' final home game

- Must-win for NCAA tourney

- Must-win for Barnes

That's a lot to have on your mind when you need to be thinking about basketball.

 

[utisdabomb12]

With Williams and Thomas out there's absolutely no reason we should lose this game. 

Thomas is KSU's best perimeter defender and really only hope of staying in front of Isaiah Taylor.

Williams is KSU's leading rebounder and second leading scorer.  Ridley, Ibeh, and Turner should be able to feast on rebounds. Attack Gibson and get him in foul trouble and K-State will be screwed. 

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Lots of good detail in this article for those trying to keep pace with the Horns' chances to make the tourney (beyond their own wins/losses):

BURNT ORANGE BUBBLE WATCH

 

[Juan]

— Twitter API (@twitterapi) November 7, 2011

 

[utisdabomb12]

Looks like a couple of bubble teams are about to go down in the early games. Indiana and Pittsburgh both in serious trouble.

 

[Matt Cotcher]

More on the absences of Nino Williams & Jevon Thomas...

- Neither traveled with the team to Austin

- Williams is missing for "personal reasons"

- Thomas was suspended by Bruce Weber for an unspecified viloation

This season:

Williams has 11.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, & is 2nd on the team in fgp

Thomas has 3.3 apg (1st on team) & is 3rd on team with 25.9 minutes/game

 

[Matt Cotcher]

Also:

- In the first game (Texas at KSU), Nino Williams led the Wildcats with 13 points.

- Williams leads KSU in rpg, ft %

- Thomas ranks in the Top 10 in conference in assists & assist-turnover ratio

 

[utisdabomb12]

Wow, A&M chokes and loses to Alabama at home. They probably have to make the finals of the SEC tournament now to get into the NCAA tournament.

 

 

[streettopeschel]

Wow, A&M chokes and loses to Alabama at home. They probably have to make the finals of the SEC tournament now to get into the NCAA tournament. I had the great pleasure of being in the car and surfing my sports channels to find Dave South as Bama was rolling in the 2nd half. Always good times.

 

[utisdabomb12]

Wow, A&M chokes and loses to Alabama at home. They probably have to make the finals of the SEC tournament now to get into the NCAA tournament. I had the great pleasure of being in the car and surfing my sports channels to find Dave South as Bama was rolling in the 2nd half. Always good times.

LMAO.