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Monday, March 12, 2007

Longhorns laud KU ‘D’

Jayhawks slow Durant in second half

By Tom Keegan

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Oklahoma City — Almost every time Texas has played a basketball game this season, much of the postgame talk has centered on the brilliance of freshman Kevin Durant.

He had another huge game in an 88-84 overtime loss to Kansas University in the title game of the Big 12 conference tournament, but afterward he wasn't at the center of the postgame conversation. That talk took a back seat to how difficult points were to come by for the Longhorns.

"They're a good defensive team," Texas sophomore A.J. Abrams said. "They kind of cracked down when it came to clutch time, so we've got to give them credit. They made plays in overtime."

Durant matched a career high, scoring 37 points for the fourth time this season to go with 10 rebounds, six blocked shots and two steals.

"They did a great job of pushing me out of the lane, and they played great help defense," Durant said. "I credit them. I just was missing shots, and they did a great job."

After the first half, Durant made just four of 16 shots. He was scoreless in the overtime period.

Texas was given a No. 4 seed in the East region and will face New Mexico State in Spokane, Wash., in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and the winner of Southern Cal-Arkansas in the second round if it advances.

"I think we're a tough team," Longhorns coach Rick Barnes said. "I think we're a confident team. I think for a group of guys who started from ground zero and to be where we are right now, I'm proud of the way they've grown throughout the season. I'm proud of the way they've gone into different situations and competed every night. Regular season, postseason, we came up a few plays short here, but nonetheless, I'm happy for these guys because they've continued to get better."

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Big 12 Tourney: KU vs UT

Texas trailed by three points when Barnes called a 30-second timeout with 21 seconds remaining in overtime. Freshman point guard D.J. Augustin came out of that timeout and with 14 seconds left put up a driving shot that Darnell Jackson grabbed out of the air with his right hand.

Barnes explained the decision not to go for a game-tying three-point shot.

"He had a couple of different options," Barnes said of Augustin. "He could go for two or do a dribble handoff. We knew they would defend the three-point line very well. They obviously defended the basket well, too. It worked out for them. It didn't for us. Again, we will put it in his hands and let him make the play. We felt like he could get by, and we wanted him to, and he had some other ways he could go with it."

The loss, the selection committee revealed on TV, cost Texas one place in its seed.

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Comments

dagger108 (anonymous) says...

How do you take a #1 seed into OT, and lose a place from 3 to 4?

That's even more preposterous than beating a tourney team then losing to the #1, but not making the dance at all. That is a total lack of respect for the Big 12, and how it has grown with so many new coaches this year. Maybe there are 2 championships left for the state, and a little redemption for the league.

March 12, 2007 at 3:03 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

thanks32758 (anonymous) says...

I totally agree Dagger! I was expecting the head of the selection committee to say KU had to win the last game to get a no. 1 seed.

March 12, 2007 at 3:18 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Roysoldboy (anonymous) says...

Allowing Arkansas into the tournament and cutting Texas back because they lost in OT to the number 1 seed is pretty bad but what they did to KSU showed no respect for the Big XII and that is wrong. They beat Texas Tech by more than 20 in the tourney and then are overlooked for a spot in the Big Dance. That dampened my feelings about the Hawks getting the #1 spot a bunch. I would love to see at least 3 of our 4 make it to the final four.

March 12, 2007 at 8:29 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

justanotherfan (anonymous) says...

The NCAA has slighted the Big XII all year. Allowing Arkansas (Arkansas?!) into the tournament but denying K-State is ridiculous! Stanford?! Pathetic. And I agree with Dagger... how Texas is punished for losing to KU in OT is beyond my understanding or comprehension. They also punished Texas A&M by dropping them to a 3. I hope all the Big XII teams make it to the Sweet 16 and at least two get all the way to Atlanta. Down year. Ha. They're idiots.

March 12, 2007 at 9:02 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

Lebowski (anonymous) says...

Yeah dagger, the whole system doesn't use logic. I always look at it this way...

If you have 3 super powerhouse teams in the nation who cannot lose to anyone bet each other... and 2 of those teams are in the same conference and lose OT thrillers to each other. Then that 3rd team would be called "#1" no matter what. But there is no way of proving that they are better because they do not play the other powerhouse teams..

Texas loses a couple of leads to one of the best teams in the land and it costs them dearly. They are probably a two seed if they win both games against KU.

What I think needs to go into the selection process is just overall performance evaluation. Not "good wins, bad losses, etc". How a team plays with a lead, how a team deals with losing members (injury, foul trouble), how a team comes from behind, how they handle whatever an opposition throws at them. What obstacles has a team overcome?

The problem is, that would involve the selection committee watching games and actually having a clue what they're talking about. And it gives them more BS that they can say justifies their biased decisions.

March 12, 2007 at 9:35 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

JNgohawks (anonymous) says...

all in all, it is up to the 4 big 12 teams in the tourny to prove people wrong and earn respect, if we have a bad showing it will carry over to next year. Go big 12!!!

March 12, 2007 at 9:56 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

RockerBabe (anonymous) says...

I agree that KSU was "snubbed" by the selection committee and I agreed whole heartily with Digger Phelps on ESPN. They deserved to be in the NCAA tournament.

The Big 12 only got four invititations while the ACC got seven. What's up with that? Money or politics or both? I hope the four teams from the Big 12 all make it to the Elite 8! An off year, ha!

March 12, 2007 at 10:27 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kranny (anonymous) says...

What the selection committee meant was that if Texas would have won, they would have been a 3 seed instead of a 4.

March 12, 2007 at 10:41 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

kylecisnum1 (anonymous) says...

ku and a&m in the 'ship! ku wins 74-69

March 12, 2007 at 10:50 a.m. ( | suggest removal )

prairie_rattler (anonymous) says...

the great thing about NCAA DI basketball, is that a week ago... everyone had a chance... win your conference tournament, and you're in... lose early, and take your chances on the committee's perception... really nothing for KSU to complain about now (but a lot to look forward to next year).

March 12, 2007 at 1:14 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

CMKUbLu304 (anonymous) says...

did anyone else notice that Kevin Durant IS the Texas Longhorns? He had almost half of their points, as usual. I'm just glad we've proven to them and to the world that Kevin Durant can't beat a good team by himself. We had what 4 guys who either had or almost had 20 each? That's a team.

As far as Kstate, I think they should have made it in. I also don't understand why Florida got the top 1 seed, seeing as how no one even thought they would get a 1 seed at all. And then how both Ohio state and us got the 2 lowest 1 seeds......when we deserved the top 2! I hate the damn east coast bias with a passion. Both us and Ohio State had better records, won our conference tournaments(while I know UNC and Florida did too), and ranked #1 and #2 in the country and we get passed over for two teams who had lost like 2 games in the same week prior to their tournaments? come on now, if that's not a bias, I don't know what is. Crap. But its ok, cuz even tho they put us the furthest away from home, and in an extremely tough bracket, we'll come out of it. I have faith in our boys. Go Hawks!

March 12, 2007 at 1:39 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

UCLA is overrated. They're getting all the love because they're UCLA. I have them losing to Pitt in the Sweet 16. It'll be KU and Ohio State in the title game, and KU is gonna school Greg Oden like they schooled Kevin Durant, and we will prevail!

March 12, 2007 at 2:49 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jhwkfan162515 (anonymous) says...

But as for KSU getting snubbed, now I'm convinced that it's time for the field to be expanded to 80 teams, with 20 teams in a region, and seeds 13-20 playing a preliminary round on Tuesday or Wednesday. I would also favor having all pre-Sweet 16 games played on the home floor of the top 4 seeds in each region.

March 12, 2007 at 2:56 p.m. ( | suggest removal )

jaybate (anonymous) says...

Texas is the BEST four seed in the history of college basketball and the NCAA tournament. Texas will kick the snot out of almost every team they play in the tournament. They will go far.

KSU got snubbed for one reason--the same reason they became such a good team this year down the stretch. Bob Huggins. The Prince of !@#$% Darkness is a heckuva basketball coach, but he's the kind of guy who doesn't get the benefit of the doubt from guys hiding behind closed doors making seeding decisions. The guys making the seeding decisions all see themselves as very upstanding citizens and righteous persons. Huggins convinces everyone at Kansas A&M to turn Bramlage into some kind of Satanic black out cult in which Huggins prances around in black suit and purple shirt like Satan in Paradise Lost...does he really think the pious persons doing the seeding and needing someone to look down up on as they whore out the seeding process to big market teams aren't going to scapegoat him?

Getting rejected when he's on the bubble is the price he pays for playing the roll he's chosen in life. Bob Huggins is a rebel. Rebels get the girl sometimes, but they don't get the love and approval of the girl's father.

March 13, 2007 at 12:12 a.m. ( | suggest removal )