Quick B12 hoops notes FTC (from the couch):
The most important game for Texas this week is the one tomorrow against A&M, not the one on Saturday at Kansas.
First, it’s a rule of thumb that you need to protect the home court and win as many as you can on the road. This is the one over which Texas should have more control.
Second, while I’ve read some comments that suggest Texas has a good shot at ending KU’s long home-court win streak, and it’s certainly possible IMO (as opposed to likely), it’s also true that Texas will be fighting the clock on this one. They play late Wednesday, travel Friday and play Saturday afternoon. That leaves Thursday for prep, against a team that is as tough defensively as Texas, and has at least as many offensive options as any team the Longhorns will play this year. Meanwhile, KU dusted off Baylor last night and has four full days to prepare, if Bill Self chooses.
A&M may be slightly overrated right now, and hasn’t played a tough road game, but Texas certainly can’t take victory for granted.
It turned out that hammering Tech on your home floor may be the easiest thing any B12 team does this year. Kansas State did it Saturday but the victory didn’t carry over enough to Monday’s game with Missouri. It’s true that K-State somehow had pulled out the victory, I’d be writing a mini-obit for MU, or at least a reference to serious condition. However, given the Tigers’ effort Saturday against A&M, it seems clear which of the two slow starters is in better shape. The Wildcats’ inability to score is bringing back painful memories of Texas’s offense of last season.
The most interesting aspect of the KU blowout of the Bears may have happened off the floor. That’s saying a lot, considering how poorly BU played and the road map the Bears provided for beating them – basically show any sort of offensive movement, and Scott Drew’s team will watch you do it. After a couple of double-digit losses, they don’t even resemble the Elite Eight team of last year. They surely miss Tweety Carter and need more aggressive play from Perry Jones. Oh, and Quincy Acy has a hard time with anything that isn’t a dunk.
Anyway, the most interesting thing last night apparently was a marketing video shown before the game. You may recall that last year, at Kansas, Drew took his team into the tunnel, rather than have them be mesmerized by KU’s video, which featured all the Jayhawk greats and championship highlights from 2008. When questioned about this odd behavior, Drew claimed that the video was so loud that he needed a place to provide last-minute instruction. But this year, not only did this video include football highlights from the Bears’ big win over KU this season, but also, highlights from last season’s Northern Iowa victory over KU in the NCAA tournament.
And, at halftime, Drew claimed that KU was killing his team because it had been called the worst of the nation’s remaining unbeaten teams – first I’d heard of that. It's another glimpse as to why other Big 12 coaches are believed to hate Drew’s guts.