More often than not, Kansas University’s basketball team has found success against Texas.
All-time, KU is 23-8 against the guys in burnt orange.
But winning in Austin, Texas, hasn’t come as easily for the Jayhawks. UT has prevailed six times in 12 tries.
It so happens the Frank Erwin Center is the site of Saturday’s showdown between two of the Big 12’s most talented teams.
You might remember last season [Kansas hit a major road block at said arena, losing 81-69][1] as the Longhorns swatted 12 KU shots.
Dating back to last season, No. 17 UT (14-4 overall, 3-2 Big 12) has won 17 of its last 19 at home.
What’s more, Texas has a history of success against Top-25 teams under coach Rick Barnes at home. The Longhorns are 34-19 vs. AP ranked teams at the Erwin Center.
This season, UT is second in the Big 12 in scoring defense (56.3 points allowed) to TCU (55.7 allowed), and leads the league in field-goal percentage defense (34.4%) and blocked shots (7.7 a game).
No. 11 Kansas (15-3, 4-1) will increase its chances of winning on the road Saturday afternoon if the Jayhawks can make at least 40% of their shots. In the Barnes era, Texas has held 276 opponents to below 40% shooting, and the Longhorns are 249-27 (.902 winning percentage) in those games. This season, UT is 12-1 when holding foes below 40%.
With all of that in mind, here are the Longhorns KU has to worry about in Austin.
LONGHORNS STARTERS
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**No. 10 — Jonathan Holmes, 6-8, senior F**
An interior veteran for the ‘Horns, he averages 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds while hitting 46.5% of his shots.
However, Holmes has been off at times this season, including in a few recent Big 12 games:
– 0-for-10, 0 points in 34 minutes, in a loss at Oklahoma State (Jan. 10)
– 2-for-9, 4 points in 30 minutes, in a loss to Oklahoma (Jan. 5)
– 3-for-5, 9 points in 23 minutes (4 fouls), in a win at TCU (Jan. 19)
Maybe his most productive game of the season came in a Jan. 17 win over West Virginia: 16 points, 11 rebounds. But he only made 2 of his 6 field goals in that one, while cashing in at the foul line (11-for-12).
The lone scholarship senior for Texas, Holmes hit a game-winning 3-pointer with 2.2 seconds left in the Longhorns’ November win at Connecticut. The big man doesn’t mind stepping outside, and has hit 24 of his 65 3’s this season (36.9%).
*– [hoop-math.com][2] nugget: Not only does Holmes not take many shots at the rim (33.6% of his 152 attempts have come at that distance), he doesn’t shoot a great percentage there (49%).*
**No. 1 — Isaiah Taylor, 6-1, sophomore G**
An injury to his left wrist in late November forced him to miss 10 games this season, but Texas managed to go 8-2 without its floor general.
Taylor returned just in time for Big 12 play. In his eight games this season, he’s averaging 11.4 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals, while making 39% of his shots and 6 of 18 from 3-point range.
He’s not a pass-first point guard. Despite the time he missed, he is sixth on the team in field goal attempts (82) and averages 10.3 shots a game.
*– hoop-math.com nugget: Taylor shoots more 2-point jumpers than he does shots at the rim or 3-pointers. 41.5% of his shots have come in that in-between range, and he’s only made 9 of 34.*
**No. 55 — Cameron Ridley, 6-9, junior C**
The guy is a load in the paint: 6-foot-9, 285 pounds. When he gets position, look out.
Ridley made 8 of his 10 shots and scored a season-high 19 points in UT’s 27-point victory over West Virginia last week. And he added six rebounds and four blocks to his stat line.
In his last two games, he’s averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.5 blocks, while hitting 70.6% of his shots.
The big man has a team-high 38 offensive rebounds (2.1 a game) and averages 8.7 points and 4.8 boards.
In the NCAA Tournament last season, his last-second put-back beat Arizona State and sent Texas to the Round of 32.
Defensively, he turns away 1.8 shots a game (third in the Big 12).
*– hoop-math.com nugget: 62.6% of his shots come at the rim and he has made 74.2% of them this season. His 18 put-backs lead Texas.*
**No. 2 — Demarcus Holland, 6-2, junior G**
He earned the team’s defensive player of the year award in each of his first two seasons in Austin, Texas. His ability doesn’t show up in his individual stats (9 steals, 3 blocks). Holland just has a tendency to lock down the man he’s guarding and work hard to be in the right spot defensively.
That’s part of the reason he leads Texas in minutes played (30.0 a game).
Holland averages 7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists, and he’s a selective 3-point shooter (10-for-22) who also makes 49.5% of his total field goals.
He contributed 10 points, 4 boards (3 offensive), 5 assists and 2 steals in UT’s most difficult game of the season, at No. 1 Kentucky.
In his last two games, though, Holland hasn’t generated many points: 4 vs. WVU and 2 at TCU in a combined 63 minutes. He did set up teammates for 4.5 assists in that two-game span.
*– hoop-math.com nugget: Keep him mid-range and you should be OK defensively. Holland has only hit 3 2-point jumpers in 20 attempts, while he converts 64.2% of his shots at the rim and 45.5% of his 3’s.*
**No. 21 — Connor Lammert, 6-9, junior F**
A role player in the starting unit, he averages just 5.1 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Lammert’s one double-double this season came against Long Beach State, and he had 9 rebounds (4 offensive) in UT’s loss at Kentucky.
He has tried to be a spot-up 3-point shooter for Texas but has little success doing so: 12-for-42 (28.6%). He has scored 6 points or fewer in seven straight games.
In Big 12 games, Lammert is only averaging 3.8 points in 15.2 minutes and shooting 35.7% from the field.
*– hoop-math.com nugget: Lammert actually leads UT rotation players in FG% at the rim: 77.8%. He has made 14 of 18 with 8 coming via assists.*
LONGHORNS BENCH
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**No. 52 — Myles Turner, 6-11, freshman F**
Finally, we get to the most talented player on the Texas roster.
Perhaps the Longhorns’ biggest name, Turner comes off the bench but leads UT in scoring (11.8 points) and rebounding (6.8 boards) while playing just 22.4 minutes a game.
The freshman big man, [who chose Texas over Kansas][3], also leads his team in blocks (2.7) and personal fouls (2.5).
His knack for swatting foes’ shots puts Turner atop the Big 12 in blocks per game.
Barnes experimented with starting him for a three-game stretch that included UT’s first two Big 12 games, but the 6-foot-11 freshman only scored 8 points at Texas Tech and 4 against Oklahoma.
In Turner’s last three games, back in his reserve role, he scored 18 at Oklahoma State, 16 vs. West Virginia and 11 at TCU.
Turner not only gets to the free-throw line, he makes his trips count. His 77 attempts lead UT and he shoots a team-best 88.3% at the line.
*– hoop-math.com nugget: Almost half (47.9%) of Turner’s attempts are 2-point jumpers. He has hit 26 of 68 (38.2%).*
**No. 3 — Javan Felix, 5-11, junior G**
Another highly productive sub, he scores 10.5 points a game.
Felix led Texas with 15 points against TCU, and has made at least one 3-pointer in all 17 games he has played in this season. He made 2 of 5 from long range in the road win and has hit 30 of 81 on the season (37%).
In Big 12 play, he leads the Longhorns in scoring (11.6 points) and has connected on 11 of 25 3-pointers (44%).
Felix has scored in double figures in 7 of his last 10 games.
*– hoop-math.com nugget: Tied for the team lead in field-goal attempts (152), Felix takes the majority of his shots (53.3%) from 3-point range. Only 15.8% of his attempts have come at the rim, where he has made 13 of 24 (54.2%). But he does make 44.7% of his 2-point jumpers.*
**No. 0 — Kendal Yancy, 6-3, sophomore G**
When Taylor was out, Yancy averaged 7.2 points, and 4.4 rebounds in 27.2 minutes. He started and scored 14 points on 6-for-10 shooting in 34 minutes against Stanford (an overtime loss).
On the season, he averages 4.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 19.4 minutes.
Yancy has struggled as a 3-point threat, making just 7 of 26 attempts (26.9%).
*– hoop-math.com nugget: All 11 of his 2-point jumpers have been unassisted.*
**No. 44 — Prince Ibeh, 6-10, junior C**
The backup big man only plays 10.4 minutes and scores just 2.4 points a game, but he’s the kind of defensive rim protector KU has struggled against.
Ibeh ranks 10th on UT’s all-time career swat list, with 122 and has 21 blocks this season.
He had a season-high 7 rebounds in just 13 minutes at TCU.
*– hoop-math.com nugget: As you would expect, Ibeh doesn’t venture outside of the paint often. 78.8% of his shots come at the rim and he makes 65.4% of them,*
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2014/feb/01/unbeaten-no-more-texas-hands-kansas-first-big-12-l/
[2]: http://hoop-math.com/Texas2015.php
[3]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/2014/may/01/myles-turner-taps-ut/