College Basketball Nation: Tristan Thompson
Jordan Hamilton not happy with Rick Barnes
June, 24, 2011
6/24/11
2:07
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
There weren't too many major slips in last night's NBA draft; if anything, most of the players selected in the first round felt like they went higher than expected. There were no green room mishaps, no embarrassing Brady Quinn-style debacles. But for a few random, blasé trades, it was a relatively drama-free night.
Perhaps the only true slip of the first round -- if you can even call it that -- belonged to Texas small forward Jordan Hamilton. Before the draft, Hamilton was seen by many as a potential lottery pick. Some thought he could go top 10. Others thought mid-first round was just about right. Few seemed to predict what actually happened: Hamilton fell to the Dallas Mavericks (and was traded to the Denver Nuggets) at No. 26, 12 picks below the lottery threshold.
Hamilton seemed to impress scouts with his mixture of athleticism, scoring and versatility, and few players in the draft are capable of creating matchup problems the way the Longhorn can. So why the drop? Defense? Attitude? What about -- gasp -- sabotage?
In fact, Hamilton told Chris Tomasson (hat tip: Norlander) that his former coach, Rick Barnes, told NBA teams Hamilton wasn't "coachable." From Tomasson's Twitter feed:
Usually, this is the part where we criticize Hamilton or Barnes for ... well, I'm not sure what, exactly. Frankly, I don't see much wrong here. Far as I can tell, Barnes wasn't bashing his player or holding a grudge. He was asked for his opinion by NBA teams -- organizations filled with coaching contacts, old friends and colleagues -- and he was honest. Hamilton did have some coachability issues at Texas, and his penchant for wandering on defense undermined the huge strides he made on that end of the floor as a sophomore.
Nor does Hamilton seem to put off by the news. He wasn't petulant or angry. If anything, he seemed to expect it. He still called Barnes a "great coach." There seems to be some respect there. It's OK stuff all around.
Now, if I'm Barnes, do I want the world to know I may or may not have given the NBA a negative impression of one of my first-round draft picks? Probably not. That's not the sort of thing high-level recruits like to see. But Barnes has a long and impressive history of sending players to the NBA. (Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph were both drafted in the first round, Thompson all the way up at No. 4.) This little snafu certainly won't change that.
Perhaps the only true slip of the first round -- if you can even call it that -- belonged to Texas small forward Jordan Hamilton. Before the draft, Hamilton was seen by many as a potential lottery pick. Some thought he could go top 10. Others thought mid-first round was just about right. Few seemed to predict what actually happened: Hamilton fell to the Dallas Mavericks (and was traded to the Denver Nuggets) at No. 26, 12 picks below the lottery threshold.
Hamilton seemed to impress scouts with his mixture of athleticism, scoring and versatility, and few players in the draft are capable of creating matchup problems the way the Longhorn can. So why the drop? Defense? Attitude? What about -- gasp -- sabotage?
In fact, Hamilton told Chris Tomasson (hat tip: Norlander) that his former coach, Rick Barnes, told NBA teams Hamilton wasn't "coachable." From Tomasson's Twitter feed:
J. Hamilton: “(Barnes) called some teams and said that I probably wasn’t coachable and things like that. But I feel like I can be coachable'
Asked Jordan Hamilton how knows Rick Barnes allegedly called teams and said not coachable. Wouldn't give names, said "got some feedback.''
More Hamilton on Barnes: “I love Texas and everybody is entitled to their opinion.’’ But Hamilton still later called Barnes “great coach.’’
Usually, this is the part where we criticize Hamilton or Barnes for ... well, I'm not sure what, exactly. Frankly, I don't see much wrong here. Far as I can tell, Barnes wasn't bashing his player or holding a grudge. He was asked for his opinion by NBA teams -- organizations filled with coaching contacts, old friends and colleagues -- and he was honest. Hamilton did have some coachability issues at Texas, and his penchant for wandering on defense undermined the huge strides he made on that end of the floor as a sophomore.
Nor does Hamilton seem to put off by the news. He wasn't petulant or angry. If anything, he seemed to expect it. He still called Barnes a "great coach." There seems to be some respect there. It's OK stuff all around.
Now, if I'm Barnes, do I want the world to know I may or may not have given the NBA a negative impression of one of my first-round draft picks? Probably not. That's not the sort of thing high-level recruits like to see. But Barnes has a long and impressive history of sending players to the NBA. (Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph were both drafted in the first round, Thompson all the way up at No. 4.) This little snafu certainly won't change that.
What will the NBA draft picks be wearing?
June, 23, 2011
6/23/11
1:25
PM ET
By Diamond Leung | ESPN.com
The NBA draft has become known as an event where players make fashion statements, stepping onto the runway while meeting commissioner David Stern. Being the best dressed or worst dressed Thursday night has no bearing on the court, but can create a certain amount of buzz.
It's clear that fashion is on the mind of many of this year's draft picks. Here's a preview and a compilation of some hints on what some of the top picks might be wearing tonight.
Arizona's Derrick Williams to Esquire: "Didn't want too baggy or too flashy, but didn't want a slim European suit, either. I stuck to my style -- classy -- and picked my favorite colors: black, red, and grey... I can't say what I'm wearing. Giving away your look before the event is like giving away your game plan."
Connecticut's Kemba Walker, from the New York Post: Asked whether it [his suit] might be something outrageous, Walker looked across the table at TNT's Craig Sager, the King of Outrageous alongside Clyde Frazier, smiled and said; "It's nothing like my man right here!"
Kansas' Markieff Morris, from the Lawrence Journal-World: After posing for the folks at NBA 2K12, Markieff stopped in the Sean John store to pick out a suit...
Providence's Marshon Brooks, from the Providence Journal: The suit, a classic light grey with a touch of lavender, is pressed and ready to go.
Tennessee's Tobias Harris to the Chattanooga Times Free Press: " I've heard it [fashion] is a big, but they call me 'All-Business' for a reason, so you know I'm going to pull out the nicest suit."
Texas' Tristan Thompson to the Canadian Press: "Let's just say that my colours will go with any team in this draft."
And finally, BYU's Jimmer Fredette:
It's clear that fashion is on the mind of many of this year's draft picks. Here's a preview and a compilation of some hints on what some of the top picks might be wearing tonight.
Arizona's Derrick Williams to Esquire: "Didn't want too baggy or too flashy, but didn't want a slim European suit, either. I stuck to my style -- classy -- and picked my favorite colors: black, red, and grey... I can't say what I'm wearing. Giving away your look before the event is like giving away your game plan."
Connecticut's Kemba Walker, from the New York Post: Asked whether it [his suit] might be something outrageous, Walker looked across the table at TNT's Craig Sager, the King of Outrageous alongside Clyde Frazier, smiled and said; "It's nothing like my man right here!"
Kansas' Markieff Morris, from the Lawrence Journal-World: After posing for the folks at NBA 2K12, Markieff stopped in the Sean John store to pick out a suit...
Providence's Marshon Brooks, from the Providence Journal: The suit, a classic light grey with a touch of lavender, is pressed and ready to go.
Tennessee's Tobias Harris to the Chattanooga Times Free Press: " I've heard it [fashion] is a big, but they call me 'All-Business' for a reason, so you know I'm going to pull out the nicest suit."
Texas' Tristan Thompson to the Canadian Press: "Let's just say that my colours will go with any team in this draft."
And finally, BYU's Jimmer Fredette:
Report: Tristan Thompson will turn pro
April, 21, 2011
4/21/11
5:25
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
On March 19, a day before his team's second-round NCAA tournament loss to Arizona, Texas forward Tristan Thompson made a bold but apparently assured statement to reporters, including our own Pat Forde:
Turns out, Thompson might have spoke too soon.
According to a report by the Austin American-Statesman's Mark Rosner, Thompson has decided to go pro, per a source close to [Thompson's] family. An NBA scout familiar with Thompson's situation told Rosner much the same, while Draft Express's Jonathan Givony tweeted that Thompson's family has been "interviewing agents for a while."
On Thursday afternoon, Texas SID Scott McConnell told ESPN.com that Thompson's decision was not yet official, and that Texas had yet to be notified by Thompson whether he would enter the draft or return to school. Texas coach Rick Barnes could not be reached for comment.
In other words, there's still a chance Thompson could return to school and make good on his mid-March assurances to reporters. ESPN.com's Chad Ford lists Thompson as the No. 13 overall prospect
in the 2011 draft, and with Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones all returning to school for their sophomore seasons, Thompson could be among the first forwards selected in June if he enters the draft.
Thompson's apparent decision is yet another example of a student-athlete who promises to return for another year before revoking that promise when faced with the attractive reality of an NBA future. Texas fans might feel a bit hurt by such a reversal, but it's nothing unusual. The skepticism regarding Sullinger's decision to return to Ohio State -- which came immediately following the Buckeyes' Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky -- was the appropriate response. Sullinger stuck by his proclamation, but he is the exception, not the rule. In the heat of a season, it's hard to fathom leaving your teammates.
Still, many took Thompson at his word, if only because highly-touted Canadian recruit Myck Kabongo, who is friends with Thompson and Longhorns point guard Cory Joseph, is set to arrive in Austin this fall; Thompson told reporters he would "come back another year for Kabongo" and that he'd "love to play" with his Canadian counterpart.
Perhaps most important, at least to Texas fans, is what the decision does to the Longhorns' frontcourt. Texas lost senior forward Gary Johnson this spring, and if Thompson is out of the fold, Texas's most experienced big man will be little-used forward Alex Wangmene.
As usual, Barnes has help on the way; incoming recruit Jonathan Holmes, the No. 10-ranked power forward in the class 2011, will have to make an immediate impact. But no player in Barnes stable will be able to match Thompson's dominating interior presence, and if Texas loses versatile small forward Jordan Hamilton to the draft, too -- Hamilton is currently weighing his options -- Barnes will be rebuilding his rotation from the ground up.
In any case, we'll wait and see until Thompson makes the announcement for himself. Until then, Texas fans will keep their fingers crossed. As of now, though, the chances of Thompson's return to Texas -- which seemed as likely as ever during the NCAA tournament -- are slim.
"I'm coming back another year," Thompson said repeatedly in the Texas locker room at BOK Center, where the team was going to practice in preparation for its Sunday round-of-32 game against Arizona. "I've already signed up for summer classes."
Turns out, Thompson might have spoke too soon.
According to a report by the Austin American-Statesman's Mark Rosner, Thompson has decided to go pro, per a source close to [Thompson's] family. An NBA scout familiar with Thompson's situation told Rosner much the same, while Draft Express's Jonathan Givony tweeted that Thompson's family has been "interviewing agents for a while."
On Thursday afternoon, Texas SID Scott McConnell told ESPN.com that Thompson's decision was not yet official, and that Texas had yet to be notified by Thompson whether he would enter the draft or return to school. Texas coach Rick Barnes could not be reached for comment.
In other words, there's still a chance Thompson could return to school and make good on his mid-March assurances to reporters. ESPN.com's Chad Ford lists Thompson as the No. 13 overall prospect
in the 2011 draft, and with Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones all returning to school for their sophomore seasons, Thompson could be among the first forwards selected in June if he enters the draft.
Thompson's apparent decision is yet another example of a student-athlete who promises to return for another year before revoking that promise when faced with the attractive reality of an NBA future. Texas fans might feel a bit hurt by such a reversal, but it's nothing unusual. The skepticism regarding Sullinger's decision to return to Ohio State -- which came immediately following the Buckeyes' Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky -- was the appropriate response. Sullinger stuck by his proclamation, but he is the exception, not the rule. In the heat of a season, it's hard to fathom leaving your teammates.
Still, many took Thompson at his word, if only because highly-touted Canadian recruit Myck Kabongo, who is friends with Thompson and Longhorns point guard Cory Joseph, is set to arrive in Austin this fall; Thompson told reporters he would "come back another year for Kabongo" and that he'd "love to play" with his Canadian counterpart.
Perhaps most important, at least to Texas fans, is what the decision does to the Longhorns' frontcourt. Texas lost senior forward Gary Johnson this spring, and if Thompson is out of the fold, Texas's most experienced big man will be little-used forward Alex Wangmene.
As usual, Barnes has help on the way; incoming recruit Jonathan Holmes, the No. 10-ranked power forward in the class 2011, will have to make an immediate impact. But no player in Barnes stable will be able to match Thompson's dominating interior presence, and if Texas loses versatile small forward Jordan Hamilton to the draft, too -- Hamilton is currently weighing his options -- Barnes will be rebuilding his rotation from the ground up.
In any case, we'll wait and see until Thompson makes the announcement for himself. Until then, Texas fans will keep their fingers crossed. As of now, though, the chances of Thompson's return to Texas -- which seemed as likely as ever during the NCAA tournament -- are slim.
TULSA, Okla. -- Thoughts on Arizona's 70-69 win over Texas:
Overview: Arizona advances after leading virtually all game, losing the lead in the final minute, and then pulling out the victory in a wild series of plays in the final 30 seconds. Derrick Williams' three-point play with 9.6 seconds left provided the winning points, and Texas' last chance ended with a missed J'Covan Brown drive and a melee for the rebound.
Turning Point: When Jordan Hamilton called timeout after grabbing a rebound with 14 seconds left and Texas up two, instead of holding the ball and waiting to be fouled. The Longhorns were called for a controversial five-second call on the ensuing inbounds, and Arizona got a chance to steal the game from there.
Key player: Arizona All-American Williams was frustrated for much of the game by the big and physical Texas front line, but he scored the Wildcats' final five points and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Key stat: Brown, Hamilton and Gary Johnson scored 55 of Texas' 69 points, while center Tristan Thompson and the rest of the Longhorns struggled. Thompson finished with three points and six rebounds.
Miscellaneous: Arizona got contributions from just about everybody, most notably Solomon Hill (16 points and eight rebounds) and Jordin Mayes (16 points, 4-for-4 from 3-point range). They helped offset terrible games from point guard Lamont Jones and forward Jamelle Horne (both scoreless).
What's next: Arizona advances to play Duke in Anaheim in the West Regional. Texas goes home after another unsatisfying NCAA tournament.
Overview: Arizona advances after leading virtually all game, losing the lead in the final minute, and then pulling out the victory in a wild series of plays in the final 30 seconds. Derrick Williams' three-point play with 9.6 seconds left provided the winning points, and Texas' last chance ended with a missed J'Covan Brown drive and a melee for the rebound.
Turning Point: When Jordan Hamilton called timeout after grabbing a rebound with 14 seconds left and Texas up two, instead of holding the ball and waiting to be fouled. The Longhorns were called for a controversial five-second call on the ensuing inbounds, and Arizona got a chance to steal the game from there.
Key player: Arizona All-American Williams was frustrated for much of the game by the big and physical Texas front line, but he scored the Wildcats' final five points and finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
Key stat: Brown, Hamilton and Gary Johnson scored 55 of Texas' 69 points, while center Tristan Thompson and the rest of the Longhorns struggled. Thompson finished with three points and six rebounds.
Miscellaneous: Arizona got contributions from just about everybody, most notably Solomon Hill (16 points and eight rebounds) and Jordin Mayes (16 points, 4-for-4 from 3-point range). They helped offset terrible games from point guard Lamont Jones and forward Jamelle Horne (both scoreless).
What's next: Arizona advances to play Duke in Anaheim in the West Regional. Texas goes home after another unsatisfying NCAA tournament.
TULSA, Okla. -- This has become the Bill Self Subregional.
The Kansas coach is everywhere or, more accurately, his past is everywhere.
He’s an Oklahoma native and Oklahoma State alum whose first two head-coaching jobs were in this city, at Oral Roberts and Tulsa. Then he went to Illinois, where he succeeded Lon Kruger and preceded Bruce Weber.
Kruger played Weber Friday for the right to face Self Sunday. Weber won, which pits Self and Kansas against Weber and Illinois. And that means the subject of the mock funeral Weber held for Self early in his Illinois tenure -- in an effort to get players and fans alike to quit talking about the departed coach -- came up Saturday.
This also marks the second straight year that Self has faced an underdog that defeated UNLV to get to the Jayhawks. Last year it was Northern Iowa, and you know how that turned out -- also in a game played in Oklahoma.
But despite all the Self connections, that’s only half the matchup here. And the potential exists for two excellent games at the BOK Center Sunday night.
No. 5 seed Arizona (28-7) vs. No. 4 seed Texas (28-7), 6:10 p.m. ET (TNT)
What to watch: Can the Wildcats’ efficient offense produce against the Longhorns’ relentless defense? Arizona shoots 51.6 percent from two-point range and 39.6 percent from 3. Texas allows opponents to shoot only 42 percent and 28.7 percent, respectively. Whoever gets the advantage in that strength-on-strength matchup will probably win the game.
Who to watch: Arizona forward Derrick Williams against Texas’ Tristan Thompson. Williams is the guy who makes Arizona go, an All-American who has cranked his play up even higher -- through four postseason games he is averaging 22 points and 8.5 rebounds. Williams also had the spectacular blocked shot that clinched the game against Memphis on Friday -- but Thompson is the guy who swats shots in bunches. The freshman rejected a career-high seven of them against Oakland, and he’s likely to get the first defensive call against Williams.
Why to watch: Arizona has been must-see TV its past two games, winning one (Memphis) and losing one (Washington in the Pac-10 tournament final) at the very end. Texas has at times looked like the best team in the nation, including for about 30 minutes against Oakland on Friday. And there will be plenty of future NBA players on the floor, whenever they decide to turn pro.
What they’re saying: “I’m coming back next year. I’ve already signed up for summer classes.” -- Texas’ Thompson, who projects as a lottery pick but delivered that news in the Longhorns locker room Saturday. Now we’ll wait and see whether he really means it.
“He’s not going to like this, but he took a lot of shots. That’s just his game. Any kind of shot is a good shot for him.” -- Williams on former AAU teammate Jordan Hamilton, volume-shooting forward for Texas.
“It’s overwhelming as a coach that’s getting ready to play against Texas to watch him offensive rebound. … He might be the nation’s best offensive rebounder.” -- Arizona coach Sean Miller on Thompson.
Of note: Both schools have demonstrated impressive recruiting reach. Arizona has two players from New York and one from St. Louis in its probable starting lineup, plus a pair of Californians. Texas starts one Texan, Gary Johnson, but otherwise fills out its first five with two Canadians, a Turk and a Californian.
No. 9 seed Illinois (20-13) vs. No. 1 seed Kansas (33-2), 8:40 p.m. ET (TNT)
What to watch: Last year at this stage, the top-seeded Jayhawks felt the pressure and played tightly against underdog Northern Iowa in a shocking loss. Self said he wants this year’s team to relax and enjoy the NCAA experience, but acknowledged that he thought Kansas was again tight for a half against Boston University on Friday. Illinois, meanwhile, should be afforded the chance to play with a relaxed attitude. The seasoned Illini are significant underdogs with nothing to lose, and a victory would redeem what has been a disappointing season. Kansas has the better team, but also the greater pressure.
Who to watch: Illinois point guard Demetri McCamey. Leading his team in both scoring (14.9 points per game) and assists (6.1), he’s vital to the Illini’s chances. Especially his distributing. They’re 15-0 this year when McCamey dishes out seven or more assists. For Kansas, the focal point of Self’s pound-it-in offensive approach is the Morris twins, Marcus and Markieff. They’ll take their muscular physiques and all-court games up against an Illinois front line that has an abundance of length but not the same amount of girth.
Why to watch: After what happened last year to KU in the round of 32, miss this game at your peril. But also because Illinois, if it plays the way it did Friday against UNLV, could have a legitimate chance to win.
What they’re saying: “Last year we were kind of No. 1 the whole season, and everyone had us picked as the favorite. I don’t know if that was more of a burden to us than a good thing. We’re not trying to hold onto anything this year. We don’t have anything to hold onto.” -- Kansas guard Tyrel Reed, on the (slightly) lesser pressure on the Jayhawks this season.
“When he plays and plays well, we’re a top team in the country. We can compete with anybody.” -- Weber on McCamey
“I wouldn’t say he’s one of my best friends, but we have a cordial relationship.” -- Weber on Self.
“I have total respect for him as a coach. … But we’re not close. We don’t talk.” -- Self on Weber.
Of note: One of the things that makes Kansas so hard to cover is the shooting ability of its guards. If defenses distort themselves too much to collapse on the Morris twins inside, they risk leaving Reed, Brady Morningstar and Tyshawn Taylor (among others) open on the perimeter. And lately, that’s been a bad trade-off. In KU's past two games, the Big 12 title game against Texas and the NCAA opener against BU, the Reed-Morningstar-Taylor trio has made 12 of 25 3-point shots. ... Weber had no update on the status of swingman Jereme Richmond, who was suspended for the UNLV game for what the coach termed a violation of "athletic department team rules." Weber said the school will discuss Richmond's status privately Saturday and make an announcement on his status Sunday.
Texas' Tristan Thompson says he'll return
March, 19, 2011
3/19/11
4:31
PM ET
By ESPN.com staff | ESPN.com
According to ESPN.com's Pat Forde, Texas freshman forward Tristan Thompson said he will return to school for his sophomore season.
Before practice for the Longhorns' game against Arizona on Sunday, Thompson said: "I've already signed up for summer classes."
Before practice for the Longhorns' game against Arizona on Sunday, Thompson said: "I've already signed up for summer classes."
TULSA, Okla. -- For his introduction to March Madness, Texas freshman Tristan Thompson was presented the challenge of guarding 6-foot-11 Oakland senior Keith Benson, a guy some think will be selected in the first round of the NBA draft in June.
Actually, Thompson volunteered for the challenge, saying he wanted to guard Benson. He embraced the opportunity to guard him one-on-one, with little in the way of double-team support. And he ultimately dominated the matchup.
No freshman nerves. No need for a life preserver from his teammates. No fear of giving away height and experience to a big-time player.
“When you play March Madness you want to play the best of the best,” Thompson said.
Thompson was the best of the best Friday in the BOK Center. The Canadian showed why he’s first-round material as well, putting 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocked shots on the board in an 85-81 Texas victory. Most importantly, he showed Benson who was the boss of the paint, rejecting several of his shots and limiting him to a hard-earned 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting.
“If I’m a fan watching that game, I’m watching two future NBA players battling each other,” Oakland coach Greg Kampe said.
The pros will love Thompson whenever they get a hold of him. He’s a legit 6-foot-9 and talented, but he’s also first-team All-Effort. He relishes doing the dirty work that some big men shy away from. He’s not a woofer, preener or pouter.
That attitude, combined with his defensive presence, has helped make Texas a dramatically improved team over last year. The Longhorns control the paint as well as any team in the country -- and as an added bonus, they get along with each other, too.
Neither was necessarily the case last season. With those improvements, this is a legit national title contender.
Just ask Kampe, whose under-seeded team is really good. The Grizzlies have played a bunch of national powers and can make some comparisons.
“We play everybody in the country,” Kampe said. “I know who is good and I know who isn’t. And that Texas team is as good as anybody. Texas can win a national championship. ... Ohio State and them, they’re right there neck and neck. We’ve played them both, and they’re a great team.”
For 30 minutes, Texas looked like championship material. For 10, Texas looked like it can find a way to lose a tight game with elimination on the line.
The Horns let a 16-point second-half lead shrink to five in the final minute, and Oakland guard Reggie Hamilton had a shot to cut it to three go halfway down and come out. It would have been a brutal collapse on Texas’ part.
But it didn’t come to that, and the fact that this was a competitive game throughout is more a credit to the quality of the Grizzlies than a criticism of the Longhorns.
“It’s a team I thought could have done something in this tournament, and we just got a bad draw,” Kampe said.
Both teams did. Neither probably deserved to lose in the first round.
“If there is any team that really got a bad [seeding] deal, it was Oakland,” Rick Barnes said. “I’m telling you, we just won a game against an outstanding team.”
It took an outstanding game from Texas’ fearless freshman center to do so.
TULSA, Okla. -- Quick thoughts from Texas' 85-81 win over Oakland Friday afternoon.
Overview: Texas played about 30 minutes of dominant basketball and 10 minutes of shaky basketball in defeating the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland mounted a spirited comeback that got as close as five points in the final minute, and had a Reggie Hamilton 3-pointer spin out that could have cut the deficit to three, but couldn't come any closer. The Longhorns' size played a major factor in limiting Oakland inside.
Turning point: Leading by seven points early in the second half, Texas went on an 11-2 run to boost the lead to 16. Oakland was in serious catch-up mode after that.
Key player: Tristan Thompson won a high-level paint battle with Oakland's Keith Benson, racking up 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocked shots.
Key stat: Texas has been a wobbly free throw shooting team this season but made 80 percent of its attempts on Friday, which helped the Longhorns preserve their lead late.
Miscellaneous: Jordan Hamilton's 3-point struggles continued for Texas, but he drove the ball with authority to finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow sophomore J'Covan Brown led the Horns with 21 points and also chipped in six rebounds.
What's next: Texas moves on to the round of 32 to face the winner of Memphis-Arizona. Oakland ponders life without Benson.
Overview: Texas played about 30 minutes of dominant basketball and 10 minutes of shaky basketball in defeating the Golden Grizzlies. Oakland mounted a spirited comeback that got as close as five points in the final minute, and had a Reggie Hamilton 3-pointer spin out that could have cut the deficit to three, but couldn't come any closer. The Longhorns' size played a major factor in limiting Oakland inside.
Turning point: Leading by seven points early in the second half, Texas went on an 11-2 run to boost the lead to 16. Oakland was in serious catch-up mode after that.
Key player: Tristan Thompson won a high-level paint battle with Oakland's Keith Benson, racking up 17 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocked shots.
Key stat: Texas has been a wobbly free throw shooting team this season but made 80 percent of its attempts on Friday, which helped the Longhorns preserve their lead late.
Miscellaneous: Jordan Hamilton's 3-point struggles continued for Texas, but he drove the ball with authority to finish with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow sophomore J'Covan Brown led the Horns with 21 points and also chipped in six rebounds.
What's next: Texas moves on to the round of 32 to face the winner of Memphis-Arizona. Oakland ponders life without Benson.
TULSA, Okla. -- The NCAA tournament is back here for the first time in 26 years, and in a shiny modern arena -- the BOK Center.
Historically speaking, this has been a good town in which to launch a big tournament performance. In five previous NCAA tourneys in Tulsa, four teams have started their Final Four run: Houston in 1982, Notre Dame in 1978, Louisville in 1975 and Kansas in 1974.
The Jayhawks, here as the No. 1 seed in the Southwest Region, certainly hope that history repeats, as opposed to their catastrophic NCAA history elsewhere in the state. Kansas was shocked in the second round last year in Oklahoma City, and in the first round by Bucknell in 2005.
A brief breakdown of the two day games Friday:
No. 13 seed Oakland (25-9) vs. No. 4 seed Texas (27-7), 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS)
What to watch: This will be a primo interior matchup, and the winner in the paint may win the game. The Golden Grizzlies have one of the best big men in the country in 6-foot-11 Keith Benson, the Summit League Player of the Year who averages 18 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots. But he’s going up against the Longhorns’ array of physical postmen, led by freshman Tristan Thompson (13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks). Texas might be the best interior defensive team in the nation.
Who to watch: The most talented player on the floor will be Texas forward Jordan Hamilton, a versatile scorer who at 6-foot-7 is a matchup nightmare. Most importantly for the Longhorns, Hamilton appeared to get his shooting stroke back at the Big 12 tourney in Kansas City, where he made 48 percent of his shots. In the previous six games, half of them losses, Hamilton made just 31 percent of his field goals. If Hamilton is hot, it will be tough for Oakland to win.
Why to watch: This has upset potential. Oakland is a very talented offensive team that got valuable NCAA tourney experience last season and played a rigorous non-conference schedule to prepare for this moment. Texas is a national title contender -- but is also not invincible. And if Thursday afternoon showed us anything, anyone can be beaten -- or at least taken down to the wire.
What they’re saying: “I don’t think we’re scared,” Benson said. “We’re coming in with the mindset of getting the upset.” … Thompson, on Texas’ late-season struggle: “To be honest, we totally forgot about that. We’re not focused on what happened in the past. Situations happen, and we got the losses and that’s good for us to experience those heartaches. But now it’s tournament time. We know it’s a lose-or-go-home situation, so now we’ve got to pull up our socks and it’s time to grind.” (It is assumed the freshman meant win-or-go-home, but that was the quote.) … Oakland coach Greg Kampe, on seeing President Barack Obama pick Texas in his bracket for ESPN: “I didn’t vote for him either, so I guess we’re even now.”
Of note: The Grizzlies have played seven teams in this tournament and went 1-6 against them. The victory was at Tennessee. The losses were against Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and West Virginia. Texas is 8-5 against the NCAA field. … Oakland has won eight straight and averaged more than 90 points in that span. In other words, it would love to turn this game into a shootout. … Texas has advanced to 12 straight NCAA tournaments, and has won at least one game in eight of those.
No. 12 seed Memphis (25-9) vs. No. 5 seed Arizona (27-7), 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS)
What to watch: Which green group handles the pressure of the tournament best? The Wildcats have only two players who played meaningful minutes in Arizona’s previous NCAA tournament game -- Kyle Fogg and Jamelle Horne combined to play 57 minutes and scored five points in a Sweet 16 blowout against Louisville in 2009. Not a single current Tiger played in Memphis’ previous tournament game, a Sweet 16 loss to Missouri in ’09. The Tigers’ coach, Josh Pastner, has never led a team into a Big Dance game either.
Who to watch: The best player on the floor is Arizona forward Derrick Williams, a 19-point, 8-rebound guy who can get his points efficiently -- and from anywhere. He’s a 62 percent shooter, a crazy 60 percent from 3-point range and 74 percent at the line, where he takes 8.5 foul shots per game. Memphis has some size in Tarik Black and Will Coleman, but the question is whether either can check Williams all over the court.
Why to watch: To see which traditionally powerful program is on the rebound fastest. Both missed the Big Dance last season after coaching changes, and both now have taken steps back to national contender status. Arizona (four Final Fours, one national title) won the Pac-10 regular-season title this year to re-establish itself in Year 2 under Sean Miller. Memphis (three Final Fours, no titles) had to earn its bid by winning the Conference USA title on UTEP’s home court in Year 2 under Josh Pastner.
What they’re saying: Coleman, on the youth of the Tigers: “We’re all goofy. We’re a goofy bunch of guys that just like to have fun, and there is nothing wrong with that."
Williams, on choosing Arizona over Memphis in recruiting: “That’s all I did is ate barbecue the whole time (on his official visit to Memphis). It was a great time, a great experience for me. … Pastner did recruit me very hard. Like I said, I couldn’t go wrong either way whether I chose Arizona or Memphis, but I’m glad I chose here.”
Pastner, on the feeling of winning the C-USA tournament Saturday and seeing Memphis in the field the following day: “Those 40 hours, it was probably the greatest 40 hours of just adrenaline, of emotion, of just being happy that you can experience. If somebody came to me today and wanted to give me $100 million to trade for that, I wouldn’t. I mean that.”
Of note: Tulsa is a Memphis-friendly location. The city is only about a six-hour drive, so expect a fair amount of Tiger blue in the stands. … Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said he spoke with Miller earlier this week and that Miller has “zero interest” in other jobs, most notably North Carolina State, where he was a former assistant coach.
Historically speaking, this has been a good town in which to launch a big tournament performance. In five previous NCAA tourneys in Tulsa, four teams have started their Final Four run: Houston in 1982, Notre Dame in 1978, Louisville in 1975 and Kansas in 1974.
The Jayhawks, here as the No. 1 seed in the Southwest Region, certainly hope that history repeats, as opposed to their catastrophic NCAA history elsewhere in the state. Kansas was shocked in the second round last year in Oklahoma City, and in the first round by Bucknell in 2005.
A brief breakdown of the two day games Friday:
No. 13 seed Oakland (25-9) vs. No. 4 seed Texas (27-7), 12:15 p.m. ET (CBS)
What to watch: This will be a primo interior matchup, and the winner in the paint may win the game. The Golden Grizzlies have one of the best big men in the country in 6-foot-11 Keith Benson, the Summit League Player of the Year who averages 18 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots. But he’s going up against the Longhorns’ array of physical postmen, led by freshman Tristan Thompson (13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 blocks). Texas might be the best interior defensive team in the nation.
Who to watch: The most talented player on the floor will be Texas forward Jordan Hamilton, a versatile scorer who at 6-foot-7 is a matchup nightmare. Most importantly for the Longhorns, Hamilton appeared to get his shooting stroke back at the Big 12 tourney in Kansas City, where he made 48 percent of his shots. In the previous six games, half of them losses, Hamilton made just 31 percent of his field goals. If Hamilton is hot, it will be tough for Oakland to win.
Why to watch: This has upset potential. Oakland is a very talented offensive team that got valuable NCAA tourney experience last season and played a rigorous non-conference schedule to prepare for this moment. Texas is a national title contender -- but is also not invincible. And if Thursday afternoon showed us anything, anyone can be beaten -- or at least taken down to the wire.
What they’re saying: “I don’t think we’re scared,” Benson said. “We’re coming in with the mindset of getting the upset.” … Thompson, on Texas’ late-season struggle: “To be honest, we totally forgot about that. We’re not focused on what happened in the past. Situations happen, and we got the losses and that’s good for us to experience those heartaches. But now it’s tournament time. We know it’s a lose-or-go-home situation, so now we’ve got to pull up our socks and it’s time to grind.” (It is assumed the freshman meant win-or-go-home, but that was the quote.) … Oakland coach Greg Kampe, on seeing President Barack Obama pick Texas in his bracket for ESPN: “I didn’t vote for him either, so I guess we’re even now.”
Of note: The Grizzlies have played seven teams in this tournament and went 1-6 against them. The victory was at Tennessee. The losses were against Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and West Virginia. Texas is 8-5 against the NCAA field. … Oakland has won eight straight and averaged more than 90 points in that span. In other words, it would love to turn this game into a shootout. … Texas has advanced to 12 straight NCAA tournaments, and has won at least one game in eight of those.
No. 12 seed Memphis (25-9) vs. No. 5 seed Arizona (27-7), 2:45 p.m. ET (CBS)
What to watch: Which green group handles the pressure of the tournament best? The Wildcats have only two players who played meaningful minutes in Arizona’s previous NCAA tournament game -- Kyle Fogg and Jamelle Horne combined to play 57 minutes and scored five points in a Sweet 16 blowout against Louisville in 2009. Not a single current Tiger played in Memphis’ previous tournament game, a Sweet 16 loss to Missouri in ’09. The Tigers’ coach, Josh Pastner, has never led a team into a Big Dance game either.
Who to watch: The best player on the floor is Arizona forward Derrick Williams, a 19-point, 8-rebound guy who can get his points efficiently -- and from anywhere. He’s a 62 percent shooter, a crazy 60 percent from 3-point range and 74 percent at the line, where he takes 8.5 foul shots per game. Memphis has some size in Tarik Black and Will Coleman, but the question is whether either can check Williams all over the court.
Why to watch: To see which traditionally powerful program is on the rebound fastest. Both missed the Big Dance last season after coaching changes, and both now have taken steps back to national contender status. Arizona (four Final Fours, one national title) won the Pac-10 regular-season title this year to re-establish itself in Year 2 under Sean Miller. Memphis (three Final Fours, no titles) had to earn its bid by winning the Conference USA title on UTEP’s home court in Year 2 under Josh Pastner.
What they’re saying: Coleman, on the youth of the Tigers: “We’re all goofy. We’re a goofy bunch of guys that just like to have fun, and there is nothing wrong with that."
Williams, on choosing Arizona over Memphis in recruiting: “That’s all I did is ate barbecue the whole time (on his official visit to Memphis). It was a great time, a great experience for me. … Pastner did recruit me very hard. Like I said, I couldn’t go wrong either way whether I chose Arizona or Memphis, but I’m glad I chose here.”
Pastner, on the feeling of winning the C-USA tournament Saturday and seeing Memphis in the field the following day: “Those 40 hours, it was probably the greatest 40 hours of just adrenaline, of emotion, of just being happy that you can experience. If somebody came to me today and wanted to give me $100 million to trade for that, I wouldn’t. I mean that.”
Of note: Tulsa is a Memphis-friendly location. The city is only about a six-hour drive, so expect a fair amount of Tiger blue in the stands. … Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said he spoke with Miller earlier this week and that Miller has “zero interest” in other jobs, most notably North Carolina State, where he was a former assistant coach.
Rapid-fire reactions to the bracket:
Before we get into this, someone please check on Seth Greenberg. Make sure he is in a safe place. I’m mostly joking, but not completely.
Now, if I’m Ohio State coach Thad Matta, I tell the boss this when he returns to Columbus:
Thanks for nothing.
OSU athletic director Gene Smith was the head of the NCAA tournament selection committee, yet he stuck his own team with what I think is the toughest region in the whole tournament. Earlier Sunday, I wrote that seven teams had the most realistic shot at a national title -- and three of them are in the same region. That would be No. 1 seed Ohio State plus No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 4 seed Kentucky, all in the East.
Two of the seven are in the Southwest Region: Kansas and Notre Dame. Two are in the West: Duke and San Diego State.
And then there is the Southeast, otherwise known as the Jamie Dixon Backrub Regional. I don’t see a single major national-title threat in that 16-team grouping, which means terminal underachiever Pittsburgh might finally reach its first Final Four since World War II.
So Matta needs to ask his AD one simple question: Why didn’t we get the Pitt treatment?
Instead, here’s what Ohio State got: a likely matchup against a coach with Final Four experience in the rounds of 32, 16 and 8.
After the Buckeyes dispatch a play-in-team-to-be-named-later on Friday in Cleveland, they’ll face either George Mason or Villanova. Jim Larranaga took the Patriots on one of the all-time Cinderella Final Four runs in 2006, and Jay Wright got the Wildcats there in ’09.
In the Sweet 16, Ohio State could face any of three coaches who have been to Final Fours in the past decade: Bob Huggins (West Virginia last year, plus Cincinnati in 1992); Mike Davis (Indiana 2002); or John Calipari (Massachusetts 1996 and Memphis 2008).
And a potential regional final showdown looms with either North Carolina and Roy Williams (six Final Fours, two national titles) or Syracuse and Jim Boeheim (three Final Fours, one national title).
That is not an easy road to Houston.
The committee apparently saved all its mollycoddling for Florida, which drew a mystifying No. 2 seed in the Southeast. Apparently, friends, losing to Jacksonville and Central Florida will actually help your seeding as opposed to hurting it. Oh, and a home loss to South Carolina (last in the SEC East) must not hurt the profile either.
The Gators are a good team. The Gators are fully capable of winning that region. But the Gators should be doing it as a No. 4 or 5 seed, in my estimation.
In fact, I think three of the No. 4 seeds (Louisville, Kentucky and Texas) all are more accomplished to date than Florida.
So I’d nominate the Southeast as the section of the bracket most likely to be busted. Pitt and No. 4 seed Wisconsin have a history of great regular seasons and not-so-great NCAA tournaments. Third-seeded BYU looks highly vulnerable after going 3-2 since losing leading rebounder and third-leading scorer Brandon Davies.
(Quick aside: All conjecture to the contrary, losing a player for the tournament apparently didn’t matter much after all. BYU still got a No. 3. Georgetown, winless in four games since the broken hand suffered by guard Chris Wright, still got a No. 6. Florida State, 3-3 since the loss of leading scorer/rebounder/stealer Chris Singleton to a broken foot, still got a No. 10. I believe all three could have been justifiably bumped down at least one more seed line.)
In the Southwest, a potential Kansas-Louisville matchup in San Antonio could be a great one. The Jayhawks are really good -- but check Rick Pitino’s record in Sweet 16 games. He’s 9-0. But both the Jayhawks and Cardinals have to win two games first to make that matchup happen.
On the other side of that region, I love Notre Dame’s chances of reaching a regional final for the first time since 1980 -- although Purdue looms as a potential Indiana battle removed to San Antonio in the Sweet 16.
And in the West, I could see chalk holding to a Duke-San Diego State regional final -- if the Aztecs can finally get around to winning the first NCAA tournament game in school history. There could be some very good regional semifinals there: Duke-Texas and San Diego State taking on a Big East school, be it Connecticut or Cincinnati.
At this moment, give me Ohio State, Duke, Notre Dame and Kansas State to reach the Final Four, with the Fighting Irish winning it all.
And I can’t believe I just typed that sentence.
But I’ll stick with it at least until tomorrow morning.
Some other random ruminations:
Seeded too high: Florida, BYU, Georgetown, UCLA.
Seeded too low: Oakland, Utah State, Xavier, Gonzaga.
Most intriguing first-round games: UCLA-Michigan State; Oakland-Texas; Butler-Old Dominion; BYU-Wofford.
Individual star-watch games: Texas shot-blocking freshman Tristan Thompson against Oakland shot-blocking senior Keith Benson; BYU scoring machine Jimmer Fredette against Wofford 20-point-a-game guy Noah Dahlman; UCLA forward Reeves Nelson against Michigan State forward Draymond Green; versatile Darius Morris of Michigan against versatile Scotty Hopson of Tennessee.
Next up: Hot anticipation for game times Thursday and Friday, so we can plan our hooky accordingly.
Before we get into this, someone please check on Seth Greenberg. Make sure he is in a safe place. I’m mostly joking, but not completely.
Now, if I’m Ohio State coach Thad Matta, I tell the boss this when he returns to Columbus:
[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Darron CummingsDespite having their athletic director on the selection committee, many believe Ohio State coach Thad Matta, forward Jared Sullinger and the rest of Buckeyes have the toughest run of any No. 1 seed.
AP Photo/Darron CummingsDespite having their athletic director on the selection committee, many believe Ohio State coach Thad Matta, forward Jared Sullinger and the rest of Buckeyes have the toughest run of any No. 1 seed.OSU athletic director Gene Smith was the head of the NCAA tournament selection committee, yet he stuck his own team with what I think is the toughest region in the whole tournament. Earlier Sunday, I wrote that seven teams had the most realistic shot at a national title -- and three of them are in the same region. That would be No. 1 seed Ohio State plus No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 4 seed Kentucky, all in the East.
Two of the seven are in the Southwest Region: Kansas and Notre Dame. Two are in the West: Duke and San Diego State.
And then there is the Southeast, otherwise known as the Jamie Dixon Backrub Regional. I don’t see a single major national-title threat in that 16-team grouping, which means terminal underachiever Pittsburgh might finally reach its first Final Four since World War II.
So Matta needs to ask his AD one simple question: Why didn’t we get the Pitt treatment?
Instead, here’s what Ohio State got: a likely matchup against a coach with Final Four experience in the rounds of 32, 16 and 8.
After the Buckeyes dispatch a play-in-team-to-be-named-later on Friday in Cleveland, they’ll face either George Mason or Villanova. Jim Larranaga took the Patriots on one of the all-time Cinderella Final Four runs in 2006, and Jay Wright got the Wildcats there in ’09.
In the Sweet 16, Ohio State could face any of three coaches who have been to Final Fours in the past decade: Bob Huggins (West Virginia last year, plus Cincinnati in 1992); Mike Davis (Indiana 2002); or John Calipari (Massachusetts 1996 and Memphis 2008).
And a potential regional final showdown looms with either North Carolina and Roy Williams (six Final Fours, two national titles) or Syracuse and Jim Boeheim (three Final Fours, one national title).
That is not an easy road to Houston.
The committee apparently saved all its mollycoddling for Florida, which drew a mystifying No. 2 seed in the Southeast. Apparently, friends, losing to Jacksonville and Central Florida will actually help your seeding as opposed to hurting it. Oh, and a home loss to South Carolina (last in the SEC East) must not hurt the profile either.
The Gators are a good team. The Gators are fully capable of winning that region. But the Gators should be doing it as a No. 4 or 5 seed, in my estimation.
In fact, I think three of the No. 4 seeds (Louisville, Kentucky and Texas) all are more accomplished to date than Florida.
So I’d nominate the Southeast as the section of the bracket most likely to be busted. Pitt and No. 4 seed Wisconsin have a history of great regular seasons and not-so-great NCAA tournaments. Third-seeded BYU looks highly vulnerable after going 3-2 since losing leading rebounder and third-leading scorer Brandon Davies.
(Quick aside: All conjecture to the contrary, losing a player for the tournament apparently didn’t matter much after all. BYU still got a No. 3. Georgetown, winless in four games since the broken hand suffered by guard Chris Wright, still got a No. 6. Florida State, 3-3 since the loss of leading scorer/rebounder/stealer Chris Singleton to a broken foot, still got a No. 10. I believe all three could have been justifiably bumped down at least one more seed line.)
In the Southwest, a potential Kansas-Louisville matchup in San Antonio could be a great one. The Jayhawks are really good -- but check Rick Pitino’s record in Sweet 16 games. He’s 9-0. But both the Jayhawks and Cardinals have to win two games first to make that matchup happen.
On the other side of that region, I love Notre Dame’s chances of reaching a regional final for the first time since 1980 -- although Purdue looms as a potential Indiana battle removed to San Antonio in the Sweet 16.
And in the West, I could see chalk holding to a Duke-San Diego State regional final -- if the Aztecs can finally get around to winning the first NCAA tournament game in school history. There could be some very good regional semifinals there: Duke-Texas and San Diego State taking on a Big East school, be it Connecticut or Cincinnati.
At this moment, give me Ohio State, Duke, Notre Dame and Kansas State to reach the Final Four, with the Fighting Irish winning it all.
And I can’t believe I just typed that sentence.
But I’ll stick with it at least until tomorrow morning.
Some other random ruminations:
Seeded too high: Florida, BYU, Georgetown, UCLA.
Seeded too low: Oakland, Utah State, Xavier, Gonzaga.
Most intriguing first-round games: UCLA-Michigan State; Oakland-Texas; Butler-Old Dominion; BYU-Wofford.
Individual star-watch games: Texas shot-blocking freshman Tristan Thompson against Oakland shot-blocking senior Keith Benson; BYU scoring machine Jimmer Fredette against Wofford 20-point-a-game guy Noah Dahlman; UCLA forward Reeves Nelson against Michigan State forward Draymond Green; versatile Darius Morris of Michigan against versatile Scotty Hopson of Tennessee.
Next up: Hot anticipation for game times Thursday and Friday, so we can plan our hooky accordingly.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. --Three things to watch when Kansas faces Texas.
Big men on big men
You won’t find many matchups with more skilled big men than the ones going to be on display Saturday when Kansas and Texas meet for the Big 12 tournament title. Kansas’ twins, Marcus and Markieff Morris, have the size advantage over Texas’ Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson, but the Longhorns have the league’s premier swing man in 6-foot-7 Jordan Hamilton. Johnson will draw the task of trying to shut down Big 12 Player of the Year Marcus Morris. In the semifinal against Colorado, the Morris brothers each scored 20 points for the first time in the same game. They combined for 40 points and 21 rebounds. Thompson scored 13 in the Longhorns' win against Texas A&M on Friday and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds. Making matters more interesting is the chippiness between the groups. Markieff Morris talked a little trash to the Longhorns waiting in the tunnel between games on Friday night, and the Longhorns reciprocated.
There’s no doubt about it, this game will ultimately be decided in the paint. Win the glass and win points in the paint, and the title is there for the taking.
The start
Kansas has stumbled to early deficits against Oklahoma State (seven points) and Colorado (12 points) before rebounding for wins, though it took a miss by the Cowboys at the buzzer for the Jayhawks to advance.
The first time the Jayhawks played Texas, they sprinted to an 18-3 lead in the opening minutes before losing, 74-63. That loss ended Kansas’ 69-game winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse. The atmosphere in the Spring Center will be similar this time around, but Kansas might find making a comeback much more difficult against top-10 team Texas. A good start will be important, and most often that means getting the Morris twins touches early on.
Making history?
Big 12 titles are nothing new for Kansas, which is 7-1 in championship games. The Jayhawks have won the tournament in four of the past five seasons. Texas, meanwhile, has never won the Big 12 tournament, and neither has any other team from Texas. The Longhorns are 0-5 in championship games. They’ll get a sixth try tonight, with a chance to make a little history and reserve a spot in Texas hoops history as a team that’s done something no other Longhorns team has been able to achieve.
Big men on big men
You won’t find many matchups with more skilled big men than the ones going to be on display Saturday when Kansas and Texas meet for the Big 12 tournament title. Kansas’ twins, Marcus and Markieff Morris, have the size advantage over Texas’ Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson, but the Longhorns have the league’s premier swing man in 6-foot-7 Jordan Hamilton. Johnson will draw the task of trying to shut down Big 12 Player of the Year Marcus Morris. In the semifinal against Colorado, the Morris brothers each scored 20 points for the first time in the same game. They combined for 40 points and 21 rebounds. Thompson scored 13 in the Longhorns' win against Texas A&M on Friday and grabbed 10 offensive rebounds. Making matters more interesting is the chippiness between the groups. Markieff Morris talked a little trash to the Longhorns waiting in the tunnel between games on Friday night, and the Longhorns reciprocated.
There’s no doubt about it, this game will ultimately be decided in the paint. Win the glass and win points in the paint, and the title is there for the taking.
The start
Kansas has stumbled to early deficits against Oklahoma State (seven points) and Colorado (12 points) before rebounding for wins, though it took a miss by the Cowboys at the buzzer for the Jayhawks to advance.
The first time the Jayhawks played Texas, they sprinted to an 18-3 lead in the opening minutes before losing, 74-63. That loss ended Kansas’ 69-game winning streak in Allen Fieldhouse. The atmosphere in the Spring Center will be similar this time around, but Kansas might find making a comeback much more difficult against top-10 team Texas. A good start will be important, and most often that means getting the Morris twins touches early on.
Making history?
Big 12 titles are nothing new for Kansas, which is 7-1 in championship games. The Jayhawks have won the tournament in four of the past five seasons. Texas, meanwhile, has never won the Big 12 tournament, and neither has any other team from Texas. The Longhorns are 0-5 in championship games. They’ll get a sixth try tonight, with a chance to make a little history and reserve a spot in Texas hoops history as a team that’s done something no other Longhorns team has been able to achieve.
The numbers you need to know
March, 1, 2011
3/01/11
10:52
AM ET
By Jeremy Lundblad, ESPN Stats & Information | ESPN.com
An inside look at the numbers behind Monday’s top performances:
1. Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis both scored 30 points as Notre Dame topped Villanova 93-72. They are the first Irish teammates to score 30 in the same game since Chris Quinn and Colin Falls against Seton Hall in 2006. Hansbrough had 10 assists to go with his 30 points, just the fifth player this season to do that. The last Notre Dame player with 30 points and 10 assists in a game was Chris Thomas in 2002. Hansbrough also added five assists to become just the second player from a power conference with a 30-10-5 over the past 15 seasons. The other was Jonny Flynn in 67 minutes of action against UConn in 2009.
2. The Fighting Irish finished 20-of-32 from 3-point range, setting a school record and tying a Big East record for 3s in a game. It’s the first time a team has hit 20 3s against a D-I opponent since Cornell against Brown last March. The Irish’s 62.5 3-point FG percentage was also historic. Over the past 15 seasons, there have only been two instances of a team attempting 32 3s and having a better 3-point percentage. Factoring in the increased worth of a 3-pointer, the Irish had a 75.0 effective field goal percentage, the highest by a Big East team in conference play since Georgetown’s 76.1 last season against Seton Hall.
3. Texas shot just 33.8 percent from the field in a 75-70 loss to Kansas State. It was the Longhorns’ worst shooting performance at home since shooting 32.2 percent in a loss to Oklahoma in 2001. Tristan Thompson was the lone exception offensively for Texas, scoring 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting. However, the rest of the Longhorns combined to shoot 25.9 percent. Kansas State has won five in a row and finished February 7-1.
4. Northern Colorado secured at least a share of the Big Sky title with a 77-74 win at Northern Arizona. As has been the case a lot recently, the story in this one was Devon Beitzel. He had a game-high 28 points thanks to a perfect 16-for-16 effort from the line. He’s the fifth player this season to attempt at least 16 free throws without a miss. On the season, Beitzel ranks sixth in the nation with a 90.7 free throw percentage. Beitzel averaged 24.6 ppg in February, ninth-best in the nation.
5. Texas Southern’s smooth trip to the NCAA tournament just hit a bump. The Tigers entered Monday 14-1 in SWAC play, including eight straight wins. That streak ended Monday with a 60-48 loss to Alabama State. Having already clinched the SWAC regular-season title, this wouldn’t be notable were it not for Texas Southern’s awful shooting performance. The Tigers shot just 31.7 percent from the field. Former Texas Longhorn Harrison Smith provided 17 points off the bench, but he was the only Tiger with more than two field goals. Texas Southern’s starting lineup combined to go 3-for-21 (14.3 percent).
1. Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis both scored 30 points as Notre Dame topped Villanova 93-72. They are the first Irish teammates to score 30 in the same game since Chris Quinn and Colin Falls against Seton Hall in 2006. Hansbrough had 10 assists to go with his 30 points, just the fifth player this season to do that. The last Notre Dame player with 30 points and 10 assists in a game was Chris Thomas in 2002. Hansbrough also added five assists to become just the second player from a power conference with a 30-10-5 over the past 15 seasons. The other was Jonny Flynn in 67 minutes of action against UConn in 2009.
2. The Fighting Irish finished 20-of-32 from 3-point range, setting a school record and tying a Big East record for 3s in a game. It’s the first time a team has hit 20 3s against a D-I opponent since Cornell against Brown last March. The Irish’s 62.5 3-point FG percentage was also historic. Over the past 15 seasons, there have only been two instances of a team attempting 32 3s and having a better 3-point percentage. Factoring in the increased worth of a 3-pointer, the Irish had a 75.0 effective field goal percentage, the highest by a Big East team in conference play since Georgetown’s 76.1 last season against Seton Hall.
3. Texas shot just 33.8 percent from the field in a 75-70 loss to Kansas State. It was the Longhorns’ worst shooting performance at home since shooting 32.2 percent in a loss to Oklahoma in 2001. Tristan Thompson was the lone exception offensively for Texas, scoring 26 points on 9-for-14 shooting. However, the rest of the Longhorns combined to shoot 25.9 percent. Kansas State has won five in a row and finished February 7-1.
4. Northern Colorado secured at least a share of the Big Sky title with a 77-74 win at Northern Arizona. As has been the case a lot recently, the story in this one was Devon Beitzel. He had a game-high 28 points thanks to a perfect 16-for-16 effort from the line. He’s the fifth player this season to attempt at least 16 free throws without a miss. On the season, Beitzel ranks sixth in the nation with a 90.7 free throw percentage. Beitzel averaged 24.6 ppg in February, ninth-best in the nation.
5. Texas Southern’s smooth trip to the NCAA tournament just hit a bump. The Tigers entered Monday 14-1 in SWAC play, including eight straight wins. That streak ended Monday with a 60-48 loss to Alabama State. Having already clinched the SWAC regular-season title, this wouldn’t be notable were it not for Texas Southern’s awful shooting performance. The Tigers shot just 31.7 percent from the field. Former Texas Longhorn Harrison Smith provided 17 points off the bench, but he was the only Tiger with more than two field goals. Texas Southern’s starting lineup combined to go 3-for-21 (14.3 percent).
1. The coach of the year race may come down to three recognizable names: Connecticut's Jim Calhoun, Texas' Rick Barnes and San Diego State's Steve Fisher. At this point in the season, Calhoun may be the favorite with the Huskies picked near the bottom of the Big East. UConn does have the potential player of the year in Kemba Walker, but the Huskies still had to find ways to win against Michigan State, Kentucky, at Texas, Villanova and Tennessee in a collective manner and Calhoun has molded this young team around Walker. It has been his best coaching job in years, despite missing the first practice while at an infractions hearing answering questions about whether he promoted an atmosphere of compliance. The irony is that Calhoun just signed a new four-year deal last spring amid an unexplained absence last season that appeared like he might retire. Now he's looking as energized as ever.
Barnes has done a sensational job with the Longhorns, a year after his most difficult season. Texas is doing a masterful job of winning big-time games at Michigan State, over North Carolina in Greensboro and at Kansas as well as asserting itself over Texas A&M to become the top team in the Big 12. Barnes is maximizing the talent and has Jordan Hamilton playing within the system after he never turned down a shot last season. The defense has been solid and freshmen Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph came in ready to contribute at a high level.
Fisher is completing quite a career turnaround after being fired at Michigan. The Aztecs were the Mountain West Conference preseason favorite and they are living up to the hype. San Diego State has experience at all five positions and has won games playing quickly and in the half court.
2. Pitt is the best team in the Big East. If there were any doubts all you had to do was watch the start of the game against Syracuse and then see how the Panthers held on to win that game at the Petersen Center. Pitt has the most experience of any team in the Big East and it has showed. The only blip was getting pushed around against Tennessee in the Pittsburgh Penguins arena. Pitt did beat Connecticut at home and Texas in New York, so the Panthers do have a rightful argument to be the second best team in the country behind Ohio State. Pitt isn't as talented as it was two seasons ago when it was a layup away from a Final Four. But with the Big East champ likely getting a No. 1 seed, the Panthers could be on a similar path to the Final Four.
3. Under the radar moves. One of the least publicized coaching moves happened in Conference USA when Donnie Jones went from Marshall to Central Florida, and Tom Herrion moved on from being a Pitt assistant to Marshall. The moves couldn't have turned out any better for both schools. Jones led Central Florida into the Top 25 earlier this season. Now, the Knights and their youthful roster have hit the skids, falling to 1-4 in the conference. But the Knights are 14-4 overall and did knock off Florida and Miami on neutral courts.
Meanwhile, Marshall beat West Virginia earlier in the week in a nonconference rivalry game. Marshall, like UCF, has been nipped in C-USA, losing by one to East Carolina on Saturday to drop to 1-3, but both teams are a tough out for every C-USA opponent. You can expect that Marshall and Central Florida, which have arguably combined for the best nonconference wins in the league, to be pests throughout the conference season.
4. Florida State is the second best team in the ACC. That's the answer to the ACC's season-long question after this past week. Now it looks more like the Seminoles' loss at Auburn was the fluke, not beating Duke or holding on to beat NC State after that win. Florida State went on the road this past week and beat Miami, and then came back home to beat Boston College. The Seminoles have one of the best players in the country in Chris Singleton -- who can defend Kyle Singler well -- and suddenly a more than capable side act in Derwin Kitchen. The Seminoles aren't as offensively challenged anymore. Leonard Hamilton has this team playing up to its potential and in position to -- gasp -- win the ACC. Fear not ACC fans there will be at least two NCAA tournament teams with Duke and Florida State.
5. Not so fast. OK, so I got ahead of myself when I made my bold prediction that Colorado would make the NCAA tournament. But that's because I thought CU was past blowing road games it should win. The Buffaloes lost at Nebraska and at Oklahoma last week. Colorado now has to make up for it somewhere else, like at Baylor, and can't afford to lose at Texas Tech and Iowa State if the Buffs are going to make the NCAAs. Road games at Kansas and Missouri are highly unlikely. That also means that home games against Kansas on Tuesday, Kansas State on Feb. 12 and Texas on Feb. 26 have grown in importance. Colorado started off with three quality wins over Missouri, at Kansas State and over Oklahoma State, but that clearly wasn't enough. Losing to USF in overtime in San Francisco doesn't look as bad after the Dons beat Gonzaga and at least the Harvard loss was on the road and the Crimson did beat BC. Now the Buffs are in the middle again, unsure of which way they will go if they're not careful.
Barnes has done a sensational job with the Longhorns, a year after his most difficult season. Texas is doing a masterful job of winning big-time games at Michigan State, over North Carolina in Greensboro and at Kansas as well as asserting itself over Texas A&M to become the top team in the Big 12. Barnes is maximizing the talent and has Jordan Hamilton playing within the system after he never turned down a shot last season. The defense has been solid and freshmen Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph came in ready to contribute at a high level.
Fisher is completing quite a career turnaround after being fired at Michigan. The Aztecs were the Mountain West Conference preseason favorite and they are living up to the hype. San Diego State has experience at all five positions and has won games playing quickly and in the half court.
2. Pitt is the best team in the Big East. If there were any doubts all you had to do was watch the start of the game against Syracuse and then see how the Panthers held on to win that game at the Petersen Center. Pitt has the most experience of any team in the Big East and it has showed. The only blip was getting pushed around against Tennessee in the Pittsburgh Penguins arena. Pitt did beat Connecticut at home and Texas in New York, so the Panthers do have a rightful argument to be the second best team in the country behind Ohio State. Pitt isn't as talented as it was two seasons ago when it was a layup away from a Final Four. But with the Big East champ likely getting a No. 1 seed, the Panthers could be on a similar path to the Final Four.
3. Under the radar moves. One of the least publicized coaching moves happened in Conference USA when Donnie Jones went from Marshall to Central Florida, and Tom Herrion moved on from being a Pitt assistant to Marshall. The moves couldn't have turned out any better for both schools. Jones led Central Florida into the Top 25 earlier this season. Now, the Knights and their youthful roster have hit the skids, falling to 1-4 in the conference. But the Knights are 14-4 overall and did knock off Florida and Miami on neutral courts.
Meanwhile, Marshall beat West Virginia earlier in the week in a nonconference rivalry game. Marshall, like UCF, has been nipped in C-USA, losing by one to East Carolina on Saturday to drop to 1-3, but both teams are a tough out for every C-USA opponent. You can expect that Marshall and Central Florida, which have arguably combined for the best nonconference wins in the league, to be pests throughout the conference season.
4. Florida State is the second best team in the ACC. That's the answer to the ACC's season-long question after this past week. Now it looks more like the Seminoles' loss at Auburn was the fluke, not beating Duke or holding on to beat NC State after that win. Florida State went on the road this past week and beat Miami, and then came back home to beat Boston College. The Seminoles have one of the best players in the country in Chris Singleton -- who can defend Kyle Singler well -- and suddenly a more than capable side act in Derwin Kitchen. The Seminoles aren't as offensively challenged anymore. Leonard Hamilton has this team playing up to its potential and in position to -- gasp -- win the ACC. Fear not ACC fans there will be at least two NCAA tournament teams with Duke and Florida State.
5. Not so fast. OK, so I got ahead of myself when I made my bold prediction that Colorado would make the NCAA tournament. But that's because I thought CU was past blowing road games it should win. The Buffaloes lost at Nebraska and at Oklahoma last week. Colorado now has to make up for it somewhere else, like at Baylor, and can't afford to lose at Texas Tech and Iowa State if the Buffs are going to make the NCAAs. Road games at Kansas and Missouri are highly unlikely. That also means that home games against Kansas on Tuesday, Kansas State on Feb. 12 and Texas on Feb. 26 have grown in importance. Colorado started off with three quality wins over Missouri, at Kansas State and over Oklahoma State, but that clearly wasn't enough. Losing to USF in overtime in San Francisco doesn't look as bad after the Dons beat Gonzaga and at least the Harvard loss was on the road and the Crimson did beat BC. Now the Buffs are in the middle again, unsure of which way they will go if they're not careful.
Texas still doubting its talented 'Horns
January, 21, 2011
1/21/11
3:34
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
The ghosts of disappointments past continue to haunt the Texas Longhorns in the present. We all know the story by now: Last year's Longhorns started 17-0, rose all the way to No. 1 in the nation, and appeared to be one of the three or four teams capable of winning the 2010 national title.
Then the wheels came off: The Longhorns lost 10 of their final 17 games, finished sixth in the Big 12 with a 9-7 record, and bowed out in the first round of the NCAA tournament with a loss to Wake Forest. It was a huge collapse -- from title contender to tourney also-ran -- and it forced the consistently successful Rick Barnes to answer questions about his ability to do more than merely assemble talent.
This year's Texas team has shown no signs of such collapse, but January is when Texas lost its mojo last year. In other words, those who follow Texas closely -- like Austin Statesman columnist Cedric Golden -- are still a little worried about this team's ability to follow through on its impressive start to the season. From Golden:
There's no telling what the future holds. The current batch of Longhorns looks great. They've offered no hints that anything resembling a collapse is imminent. But that was the thing that made last season's collapse so truly confusing: The Longhorns didn't offer any hints with their early play -- whether statistically or from the good old-fashioned eye test -- that they'd take so significant a dip by the time the season was out. You can see why this would cause some psychological damage. Like an abused dog, it's going to take time for Longhorns fans to trust the new entity to which they are so devoted.
There's no remedy for it. It just takes time. But Barnes' latest team is a group that features a thoroughly improved and thoroughly efficient Jordan Hamilton, a productive freshman big man in Tristan Thompson, and a host of guys (Cory Joseph, Dogus Balbay, and Gary Johnson) who appear to have excellent chemistry. This team plays truly excellent defense, and if it's clicking on offense -- as was the case in their blowout win over A&M Wednesday -- it's very, very tough to beat. Keep it up, and Longhorns types will have no choice but to buy in.
Then the wheels came off: The Longhorns lost 10 of their final 17 games, finished sixth in the Big 12 with a 9-7 record, and bowed out in the first round of the NCAA tournament with a loss to Wake Forest. It was a huge collapse -- from title contender to tourney also-ran -- and it forced the consistently successful Rick Barnes to answer questions about his ability to do more than merely assemble talent.
This year's Texas team has shown no signs of such collapse, but January is when Texas lost its mojo last year. In other words, those who follow Texas closely -- like Austin Statesman columnist Cedric Golden -- are still a little worried about this team's ability to follow through on its impressive start to the season. From Golden:
Are we witnessing the 2010 season all over again? Are the 15-3 Longhorns playing the role of title contender in this season's first half only to disappoint their fan base with another NCAA flameout at season's end?
If true, Texas is following the playbook nearly to a T, entering Saturday's showdown at No. 2-ranked Kansas. The Horns are playing with tremendous confidence and energy with an offense that's much friendlier on the eyes.
It's been a nice ride. So far. Forgive the journalistic skepticism, but last season provided proof that good starts are no guarantee to great finishes.
There's no telling what the future holds. The current batch of Longhorns looks great. They've offered no hints that anything resembling a collapse is imminent. But that was the thing that made last season's collapse so truly confusing: The Longhorns didn't offer any hints with their early play -- whether statistically or from the good old-fashioned eye test -- that they'd take so significant a dip by the time the season was out. You can see why this would cause some psychological damage. Like an abused dog, it's going to take time for Longhorns fans to trust the new entity to which they are so devoted.
There's no remedy for it. It just takes time. But Barnes' latest team is a group that features a thoroughly improved and thoroughly efficient Jordan Hamilton, a productive freshman big man in Tristan Thompson, and a host of guys (Cory Joseph, Dogus Balbay, and Gary Johnson) who appear to have excellent chemistry. This team plays truly excellent defense, and if it's clicking on offense -- as was the case in their blowout win over A&M Wednesday -- it's very, very tough to beat. Keep it up, and Longhorns types will have no choice but to buy in.
UConn resets with huge win at Texas
January, 8, 2011
1/08/11
6:50
PM ET
By
Eamonn Brennan | ESPN.com
It's hard not to like Connecticut now.
Before Saturday afternoon's thrilling entry into the "best game of the year" discussion -- or, as my editor just said, the best non-Missouri game of the year -- the Huskies' stock was in clear decline. Gone were the impressive performances over top 10 teams. Gone was the frontcourt production that buoyed UConn in its run through the Maui Invitational. Instead, in three straight disconcerting games (staid losses at Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, with an ugly home win over USF sandwiched in the middle) Connecticut appeared to be a one-man show.
That one man was great, sure, but it takes more than one player to win the Big East. It takes interior presence, defense, rebounding, and enough offense to take some pressure off one of the nation's best guards. In short, Kemba Walker needed help.
Today, Kemba got it. Thanks in large part to UConn's supporting cast -- and a dose of late brilliance by Walker, too -- Connecticut will leave Austin, Tex. with a very big win. But it's not just a win: It's an immediate boost in credibility, too. Maybe we shouldn't short that Huskies stock just yet.
That's the biggest takeaway from today's Connecticut win: Maybe UConn isn't a fraud. That word sounds harsh, but when you look at how Connecticut went from unranked to No. 4 in the nation, it was a valid concern. The Huskies could have been the beneficiaries of some perfect rankings timing: They beat Michigan State and Kentucky in Maui when both teams were ranked in the top 10 -- and clearly Michigan State is not the No. 2 team in the nation; see today's loss at Penn State for further proof -- before finishing the nonconference schedule with a nice batch of rankings-preserving cupcakes.
It was entirely possible that UConn's status as one of the nation's top teams was more obligatory than deserved, that it was just a matter of time until the Big East exposed the Huskies for the young, developing bunch they were pegged as to start the season. Sure, they're probably not this good ... but it's not like I can't rank them, right? That was one way -- a totally worthwhile way, if you ask me -- to have viewed Connecticut to this point in the season. Were the Huskies merely who we thought they were?
As of today, that's clearly not the case. You can now look at Connecticut's schedule an entirely different way: It's one of the nation's most impressive nonconference runs. Perhaps the most impressive. UConn has now beaten Wichita State, Michigan State, and Kentucky on a neutral floor and Texas -- one of the Big 12's most promising teams to date -- in Austin. (And it's not like UConn's two losses -- at Pitt and at Notre Dame -- are all that bad, either.) That's an impressive two months for any team, no matter which way you slice it. And maybe, just maybe, that No. 4 ranking wasn't ill-won after all.
More scattered thoughts below:
Instead, UConn got the win, Walker got the game-winner, Oriakhi got his redemption, and just like that the Huskies made us all recalibrate expectations for the rest of their season. Again. Great game, and a great win.
Before Saturday afternoon's thrilling entry into the "best game of the year" discussion -- or, as my editor just said, the best non-Missouri game of the year -- the Huskies' stock was in clear decline. Gone were the impressive performances over top 10 teams. Gone was the frontcourt production that buoyed UConn in its run through the Maui Invitational. Instead, in three straight disconcerting games (staid losses at Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, with an ugly home win over USF sandwiched in the middle) Connecticut appeared to be a one-man show.
That one man was great, sure, but it takes more than one player to win the Big East. It takes interior presence, defense, rebounding, and enough offense to take some pressure off one of the nation's best guards. In short, Kemba Walker needed help.
Today, Kemba got it. Thanks in large part to UConn's supporting cast -- and a dose of late brilliance by Walker, too -- Connecticut will leave Austin, Tex. with a very big win. But it's not just a win: It's an immediate boost in credibility, too. Maybe we shouldn't short that Huskies stock just yet.
[+] Enlarge
Brendan Maloney/US PRESSWIREKemba Walker was all smiles after scoring 22 points against Texas, including the winner in overtime.
Brendan Maloney/US PRESSWIREKemba Walker was all smiles after scoring 22 points against Texas, including the winner in overtime.It was entirely possible that UConn's status as one of the nation's top teams was more obligatory than deserved, that it was just a matter of time until the Big East exposed the Huskies for the young, developing bunch they were pegged as to start the season. Sure, they're probably not this good ... but it's not like I can't rank them, right? That was one way -- a totally worthwhile way, if you ask me -- to have viewed Connecticut to this point in the season. Were the Huskies merely who we thought they were?
As of today, that's clearly not the case. You can now look at Connecticut's schedule an entirely different way: It's one of the nation's most impressive nonconference runs. Perhaps the most impressive. UConn has now beaten Wichita State, Michigan State, and Kentucky on a neutral floor and Texas -- one of the Big 12's most promising teams to date -- in Austin. (And it's not like UConn's two losses -- at Pitt and at Notre Dame -- are all that bad, either.) That's an impressive two months for any team, no matter which way you slice it. And maybe, just maybe, that No. 4 ranking wasn't ill-won after all.
More scattered thoughts below:
- Texas stopped Kemba Walker. It's true. Walker was 2-of-5 from beyond the arc and 6-of-22 inside it, thanks in large part to the Longhorns' tough man-to-man perimeter defense (starring Dogus Balbay, among others). Once Walker got into the lane, he was greeted by the rangy defensive play of Gary Johnson and Tristan Thompson; Walker rarely got uncontested looks from 10 feet and in. This is something of a pattern lately. Walker gets his points, but because he attracts so much opposing defensive attention, he does so inefficiently. When UConn can't offer up a second scorer -- or at least someone to preserve some of those possessions with offensive rebounds -- then the Huskies can't overcome a 10-for-30-ish Walker performance.
- On Saturday, Jim Calhoun got what he needed. After a vacant performance at Notre Dame (0-for-3 with six rebounds) Alex Oriakhi submitted his most impressive performance as a college basketball player this afternoon. He grabbed 21 rebounds -- 10 of which were offensive -- and added 11 points, many of which came on putbacks around the rim. This is impressive not only for the sheer numbers involved, but because Oriakhi did it against a tough, talented Texas frontcourt, one that kept the Longhorns in the game whenever their offense stalled in the second half.
- Thanks in large part to Oriakhi, but also to Walker, Roscoe Smith, and Tyler Olander, the Huskies rebounded 44.2 percent of their misses Saturday. It's going to be hard to beat Walker and company with that many second chances on the offensive end.
- Of course, there was plenty of Walker brilliance mixed in. There was the stepback game-winner, of course, but my favorite shot might have been the "oh-no-the-shot-clock's-dead-I-need-to-chuck-this-OHMY..." heave from about 30 feet late in the second half. Lucky? Sure. But the good ones are always a little lucky.
- And yes, you know a player is playing with confidence when he can miss as many shots as Walker missed in the second half and there's never a question over who will take the last shot, or what that lost shot will end up looking like. Why not, right?
- Jordan Hamilton continues to be one of the nation's most underrated players. That sounds weird, seeing that Hamilton plays at Texas, and it's not exactly like we're mining deep mid-major talent here. But Hamilton has taken huge strides in his sophomore year, both in production and efficiency, and he's the one guy Texas can rely on to create something when its half court offense stalls. (Which is still a far too frequent occurrence right now.) Considering where Hamilton was last season -- struggling to get minutes, chucking like a madman when he was on the floor, ignoring teammates to take 25-foot threes -- his development is all the more impressive.
- Speaking of poor decision-making, Roscoe Smith. Ouch. For whatever reason, with :10 seconds remaining in regulation Smith was given the impression that the buzzer was about to sound. So he did what anyone would do: chucked a full court shot with plenty of time left. Fortunately UConn went to OT and the mistake didn't matter, because Smith would probably have had quite the Calhoun tongue-lashing waiting for him in the locker room postgame.
Instead, UConn got the win, Walker got the game-winner, Oriakhi got his redemption, and just like that the Huskies made us all recalibrate expectations for the rest of their season. Again. Great game, and a great win.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Eamonn Brennan
Brennan joined ESPN.com in 2009 after several years of blogging at Yahoo! and other places around the Internet. The Iowa native lives in Chicago with his roommates, his dog, and a crippling addiction to caffeine.
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