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Texas
Road to the Final Four.............................................................................................
Quick quiz. Can you name the lone Big 12 team to defeat conference champion Iowa State after Jan. 13? Here is a hint. It's not Kansas. The winner is Texas, which manhandled Iowa State by 94-78 on Feb. 24, snapping the Cyclones' 10-game winning streak. Texas was 5-3 at the midway point of the conference season after an ugly 16-point loss at Kansas on Feb. 3. From that point on, the Longhorns went 7-1 to finish in a three-way tie for second. The lone loss in that run was a disastrous 21-point home defeat to Oklahoma. Ugh. But the Longhorns won in overtime at Oklahoma State and routed Iowa State and Missouri in a span of three days. An easy victory at Texas Tech allowed the Longhorns to close the regular season with a six game winning streak. Texas' 23 regular-season victories was one shy of the school. The 1946-'47 team went 24-1 during the regular season. Player to Watch Junior guard-forward Maurice Evans led the Longhorns in scoring during the regular season at 16.1 points per game. But perhaps the most important performer for the Longhorns is junior forward Chris Owens. The 6-9, 245-pound Owens doesn't appear imposing at first glance. But his inside scoring presence and shot-blocking ability are impressive. Owens can get the ball in the lane and elevate over any defender with either a jumper or a hook shot. Although he doesn't demand the ball on every possession, he averaged 14.2 points per game during the regular season. He led the Big 12 in blocked shots at 2.7 per game. He blocked 15 shots in his final four regular-season games and recorded his ninth double-double of the season (22 points, 10 rebounds) in the regular-season finale against Texas Tech. With the Ball With Chris Mihm and Gabe Muoneke gone this season, the lane isn't nearly as congested. That has allowed players such as Evans and guard Darren Kelley (14.7 points per game) more freedom. It has also provided more room for Owens to roam near the basket. One weakness the Longhorns have is that they aren't a solid shooting team, either from the field or the free-throw line. Although they averaged 71.8 points per game during the regular season, they finished last in the Big 12 in field-goal percentage (.415) and eighth in free-throw percentage (.652). Defending the Ball Although the offense can be sluggish because of the inconsistent shooting, the defense has been solid. And defense will carry a team deeper into the post-season than offense will. With Owens lurking in the lane, the Longhorns can afford to play tight on the perimeter and snuff out three-point shooters. No one in the Big 12 did that better than Texas during the regular season. The Longhorns held opponents to just 29.1% shooting from three-point range, the lowest mark in the conference, and 38.6% shooting overall, the No. 2 mark in the conference. As a result, Texas finished No. 4 in the Big 12 in scoring defense (65.4 points). Seed Analysis Exceeding the Seed Playing to Expectations Falling Short BRACKETOLOGY SCORE: 1.400 (1.000 is playing exactly to a team's historical seeding) Bracketology Report1985-2000:The Longhorns are among the best bets in the modern history of the NCAA tournament. Texas has exceeded its seed?sometimes dramatically?five times in 10 NCAA trips since 1985. It has only fallen short of seeding twice in that span, both times by just a single round. The Tom Penders Longhorns were especially effective in the tourney, reaching the Sweet 16 or beyond twice (1997, 1990) as a double-digit seed. Roster
 NCAA Basketball Championship Week It's March, which means the madness has started and invitations are being reserved throughout Championship Week.  Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories |  |
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