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Texas head coach Rick Barnes has congratulatory words for Kansas forward Thomas Robinson after the Jayhawks' win.
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KU vs. Texas
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2012 KU senior speeches
Senior speeches from Tyshawn Taylor, Conner Teahan and Jordan Juenemann following KU's 73-63 victory over Texas March 3, 2012.
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KU vs. Texas
Kansas defeated Texas, 73-63, on Saturday, March 3, 2012, at Allen Fieldhouse.
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KU coach Bill Self
Kansas coach Bill Self talks to reporters following the Jayhawks' 73-63 victory over Texas on March 3, 2012.
Kansas vs. Texas
With 25 points, 14 rebounds and yet another victory, Kansas University junior forward Thomas Robinson put the final stamp on his player-of-the-year campaign during a 73-63 victory against Texas on Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse.
Count UT coach Rick Barnes among the growing number of people who think Robinson’s monster season was enough.
“I told him after the game, if I had a vote, he would be my vote for (national) player of the year,” Barnes said. “I know he’s been through a lot the last couple years, but just the way he’s carried himself and playing against him, he’s terrific.”
In what turned out to be a showdown between potential All-Big 12 stars, Robinson and UT junior J’Covan Brown put on quite a show during the second 20 minutes Saturday. While Brown got hot early, scoring nine of the second half’s first 13 points, it was Robinson whose performance proved to be the difference.
“He causes problems,” Barnes said of Robinson. “We just didn’t have an answer for him tonight.”
Added UT big man Clint Chapman, who finished with 10 points and seven rebounds in 28 minutes: “Give him all the credit. He’s the best player in the country, and he took advantage of every opportunity that we gave him.”
While most of Robinson’s buckets came within the flow of KU’s offense, Brown scored his game-high 33 points as a result of his gun-shy teammates. Limited to just 1-of-6 shooting and four points in the first half, Brown scored 29 points in the second half to keep Texas within shouting distance of the Jayhawks.
“I think he’s been terrific all year, but what happens with our team is, Thomas (Robinson) is scoring (for KU), and I think our guys sit and wait for J’Covan to go down and do something,” Barnes said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”
Saturday’s loss dropped the Longhorns to 19-12 overall and 9-9 in Big 12 play. Afterward, most of the attention at the postgame news conference turned to UT’s status as a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament. Barnes said he would not lobby for his team because he didn’t think it was necessary.
“I believe in that basketball committee,” he said.
Still, he seemed like a coach who wished his squad would have done a little more during the regular season to secure its spot.
“We were in New Jersey, getting ready to play North Carolina State,” Barnes recalled of the TicketCity Legends Classic back in November. “And about five minutes before the game, I could’ve counted everybody in the stands. There was not much atmosphere. I told the guys before the game, ‘I promise ya, if you guys don’t think this game’s important, wait ’til March.’”
Texas is one of just six schools in the country to have advanced to each of the last 13 NCAA tournaments. With that streak in jeopardy, it’s clear that the Longhorns are hoping to deliver one final message to the tournament committee at next week’s Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
“Do we have to win another game?” Barnes asked. “I don’t want to win just one. I want to win another one and another one and another one.”
Added Brown: “I look at it like we have to win every game we play, every time we step on the court. It doesn’t matter who we play. But if we go in there and don’t execute and play for 40 minutes, we’re gonna be home early.”
KU coach Bill Self talks about signing of Andrew Wiggins May 14, 2013
Ben McLemore interview March 28, 2013
360 QTR of Cowboy Stadium March 28, 2013
Jayhawks arrive in Dallas March 27, 2013
Jeff Withey talks about the team staying loose March 23, 2013
Comments
jayhawker_97 1 year, 2 months ago
JBrown always steals the show here in AFH. thank God tonight was his last one
BigManU 1 year, 2 months ago
He's only a junior!
Alohahawk 1 year, 2 months ago
True. But we can hope it's his last.
jayhawker_97 1 year, 2 months ago
really? my bad, i thought he's a senior. either way, it's still good to see competitive players in da House.
lawrence_is_my_middle_name 1 year, 2 months ago
Yeah, not just in AFH, he rips us apart wherever we play him, Austin, Lawrence, wherever...
drgnslayr 1 year, 2 months ago
Ha.... I was thinking the exact same thing! I've cursed at him during some of our closer games because the guy is pure money and such a threat.
I know he is liked and respected by CS, staff and players, too.
In some ways I am glad he is a senior... but I'll miss watching his competitiveness and talent. He's a natural scorer and he can punch in 30 pts before you know it...
I'm guessing his playing days are not over. Can't really see him making it in the NBA, but there is plenty of ball played around the world and J'Covan should do well for himself.
Good luck, J'Covan!
dougmd 1 year, 2 months ago
Rick Barnes is a great coach and clearly a good person. He didn't have to say the things to or about Thomas that he did.
jayhawkinATL 1 year, 2 months ago
Both Bill and Rick can't be wrong about Scotty Drew! LOL
okiedave 1 year, 2 months ago
Barnes desparately wants Robinson to move on to the NBA.
drgnslayr 1 year, 2 months ago
Barnes is a nice guy and quality person. I'm glad he possesses such moral fiber... especially while heading up a team like Texas. Imagine another Scott Drew in our league and at Texas?!
jhox 1 year, 2 months ago
Say what you want about Barnes' coaching, but he does run a classy program. I see the body language of his kids and it reminds me a bit of our guys (actually maybe a little less boisterous than our guys, truth be told). They don't come out pointing at the crowd and taunting the crowd like Baylor and to some extent MU. Granted, this is a year where they probably haven't had a lot to talk about, but even their great teams with Durant were quiet and just went about their business. He's had great recruits, but you never hear a negative word about his recruiting tactics, unlike the classless guy in Waco.
lee3022 1 year, 2 months ago
I do agree with the classy part. The question about Barnes is why his elite talent does not win more. Think about having LaMarcus Aldridge and Kevin Durant through three seasons (but not together) and not even winning the league. He has a tendency to ride his star in our games and that proves not quite enough. However, he does own a win in AFH and that is rare as 8 caret diamonds.
BPSkelly 1 year, 2 months ago
What almost always floors me about Texas is that for as good of recruiter as Barnes is -- and he usually gets as talented kids as KU does -- its pretty staggering how many of them barely improve from Freshman to when they leave. He gets great talent but im not sure how good of 'developer' of that talent he and his staff are.
In fairness, a lot of that could be hype when they recruit (hype at UT, comeon'). And he's had some awesome players. It just seems to me that most of the time they're the same guy when they show up as when they leave.
Am I being harsh? Probably. But when you get that much talent, that often which Barnes does, its crazy to me that they havent beaten us out a couple more times or done more damage in the Big Dance... thats all.
REHawk 1 year, 2 months ago
It is a huge tribute to Bill Self that he keeps winning against Longhorn talent. Even with Durant, Texas was thwarted by Bill Self Ball.
HighEliteMajor 1 year, 2 months ago
Er, except last season at AFH to end the winning streak .. but who's counting?
BayHawkaholic 1 year, 2 months ago
Major High . . . Getting in touch with your inner mean streak??? I'm not counting. As in, that one doesn't really count.
oldalum 1 year, 2 months ago
Surely you know how that was done. I'd love to have played that game a day earlier or a week later.
Bangkok_Jayhawk 1 year, 2 months ago
That is MR. Robinson to you Rick.
phogphan2000 1 year, 2 months ago
The new RPI formula has made it nearly worthless, they ought to just revert back to the simple .25 .50 .25 if they want to use something without points I think Texas should be in ahead of teams like UConn and Northwestern that couldn't muster .500 conference records and don't have much else to their names either. Texas had to play a very difficult dbl round robin in the Big12 and pretty much came out like you'd expect a good but not really good team to. They won the games they were supposed to, lost the games they were supposed to. If they can get one win in the conf tourney, should be Iowa St, ought to be in without a doubt.
Anonymous58 1 year, 2 months ago
Do not forget...the game we lost to Texas last year was the day after Thomas lost his mother. The kids were up ALL night with him and so were the coaches. Really tough on kids that age because they rarely experience the death of a parent yet they are old enough to totally understand what a huge loss it is. So....that game just doesn't count in my book except to say how great it was that the entire team, coaches, and Thomas conducted themselves in such a classy way, with NO whining about the circumstances, and tried to do their best.
mikendal 1 year, 2 months ago
"I believe in that basketball committee," head coach Rick Barnes said.
That's all good and fine, Rick, until you don't see your team up on the board. Like Bobby Knight said last night on the tube, Texas needs to win two games in the Tournament to get in. I honestly agree.
jaybate 1 year, 2 months ago
Barnes is a tough customer.
He coaches butcher ball.
He brought it to the Big 12 and ever since the B12 has grown rougher and rougher.
But the last two years he's shown he has some heart and he's shown he's standing with Self on recruiting and against a lot of the guys doing it the wrong way.
Any guy who reputedly dislikes Scott Drew can't be all bad. :-)
But here's why I can't yet give him a big, wet kiss.
Did you see that Clint Chapman flop in front of Tyshawn?
What kind of a small gnad play was that?!!!!
And it was just lucky that he flopped under a Texas player' that could have been one of KU's guys and we could suddenly be out of the running.
I know, lot's of coaches coach flopping.
But only Barnes coaches both Butcher Ball and flopping.
He didn't rough KU up too much yesterday, because he would have suffered more for doing so than playing it straight.
Barnes is like Frank Martin that way.
Yes, they are gracious losing.
But don't forget for a second that if they ever get you down, they are going to stomp you into the ground and leave you for dead.
Its how they are and they'll never change.
That's why its thug ball at heart.
Ever see a thug that acted like a wise guy when he was outnumbered and would get the crap beaten out of him, if he tried to keep thudding?
Nope.
But when they get the numbers on you, these classy guys suddenly start treating you like you're in a dark alley.
So: I like Granny Barnes more than I did, just as I like Frank Martin more than I did, but the leopards still have spots, see?
BayHawkaholic 1 year, 2 months ago
Mr. Bate, I watched the play in slow mo and super slow mo, and saw exactly what you saw. Possible charge on Tyshawn (he was pretty straight up), but most likely an intentional flop from Chapman. Tyshawn barely grazed him and Chapman must outweigh TT by another 15-20%. Feel bad about the broken wrist (?), but TT is hardly to blame. Neither Mushburger or Knight speculated, then again they were probably trying to find a fifth sentence in which to use the words "poster boy".
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