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So Texas will fall short of a big statement win at home. Somehow a team with all this talent continues to practice mediocrity. For Kansas, Bill Self certainly has stabled the ship after a 30 point blowout loss to Temple a few weeks ago. Impressive play by all the Jayhawks in a true team effort as they defeat the Texas Longhorns on the road 75-62.
Kansas makes slight work of the Texas press and Cliff Alexander essentially seals it for the Jayhawks. The freshman has been superb today.
Kansas just gets a too good of a look, too easily. Ellis makes both charity baskets. Texas answers and its a 9 point game now with 1:36 left in regulation.
Just another offensive board for Kansas after sloppy boxing out. Myles Turner, who had an impressive game, just foulded out as he put Cliff Alexander on the line, who made both. Isaiah Taylor then gets a layup and an extra point oppurtunity to keep this game from being over.
Sooo many second chance points for the Jayhawks. No wonder the Longhorns are down 12 with 3:03 left.
All the hype about the Texas front court and Kansas didn't seem to care today. Seems the Jayhawks have been able to score with ease inside the past 5 minutes. Real problem for Rick Barnes and the out look of the future.
For a Kansas team that has struggled in the intesity department at times, they have no shortage of try-hard today. Frank Mason III and Perry Ellis add a basket a piece to give UK a 10 point lead with 4:43 remaining.
HELPPP! Brennan Greene is unconcious today. A highly contested trey ball is perfect and a huge shot that takes the wind out of the Texas sails. Alexander adds one of two free throws the next possesion. If Texas isn't careful they could let this get out of hand.
Can not say enough about the freshman Myles Turner today. He's doing all he can to keep Texas in this game. He slams back an Isaiah Taylor miss as we head to the under 8 time out (7:19 left to be exact) with Kansas still leading 53-50.
Jamari Traylor and Cliff Alexander execute the perfect zone Kryptonite play and complete an alley-oop. That really silenced the crowd.
Texas needs to clean it up! Another bad shot leads to a non-foul call and a Kelly Oubre Jr. layup in transition. Kansas has taken control of the game now. 51-46 Jayhawks with 9 minutes left.
A broken play leads to a Brennan Greene deep look and it drops right through the nylon. Kansas up 47-44 now on the road in a hostile environment at the under 12 T.O. 11:23 left in the game.
Kansas answers with 5 consecutive points capped by a Seldon Jr. 3 and now were tied with 12:40 left.
The Texas bigs are taking over. Beautiful footwork by Turner on one end leads to a duece and then Prince Ibeh swats a Kansas jumper.
Myles Turner hits a nice jumper. It's scary he can do that with his physical prowess. Jonathan Holmes then hits a 3 as the crowd and Texas bench errupts. A time out is taken at the 15:14 mark and Texas is out to a 4 point lead with a 42-38 score.
3 minutes into the 2nd half as Rick Barnes takes a time out with 17:09 remaining.
Isaiah Taylor with the pretty floater to give Texas the lead but Jamari Traylor takes it right back. Have a feeling this game is going to be back and forth all the way til the end.
Back underway here in Texas!
Texas point guard Isaiah Taylor leads all scorers with 11 points which he contributed 2 grabs, 1 dime, and a swipe to go along with it. For Kansas it has been an efficient first half for junior Perry Ellis who is 4 for 5 from the field resulting in 8 points. Freshman Kelly Oubre Jr. has been a needed force for Bill Self's squad as he is on the potential double-double train with his 4 points and 5 rebounds.
After 20 minutes down in Austin we have a super close contest. #11 Kansas leads #17 Texas on the road, by the slimmest of margins, 32-30.
Huge swing there. Kansas runs the clock down and a Mason deep 3 is off the mark. Taylor takes the outlet and gets down the court in 6 seconds to draw a shooting foul as time was about to expire. He makes both freebies and that will do it for the first half!
Cliff "Don't Call me Clifford" Alexander emphatically puts back a Mason miss. The freshman McDonalds' All-American finally seems to be ready for the big stage after some early struggles. This is a big game for him to prove he deserves the accolades he received before he arrived on campus.
Kansas still look super inexperienced in some spots. That'll happen with so many underclassmen on the court. In fact both teams exchange sloppy turnovers. Who can distance themselves as the final 120 seconds of the 1st half tick off.
Someone needs to call "Wreck It Ralph" because Javan "Fix It" Felix is cold from the field. The junior who comes off the bench for Texas is 0-3 from the field so far.
Isaiah Taylor has 9 points now and has been very impressive early in this contest. Cameron Ridley gets a tough layup over Perry Ellis with a foul to go along with it as he will look to make this a 2 point game when we get back. 2:53 remaining in the half.
Texas trying a smaller lineup down the stretch here with just 2 bigs and 3 guards on the court.
I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS. To much going on to keep up with. All I know is this game is awesome. Frank Mason ends the havoc with a layup plus the foul and now Kansas has a 5 point lead!
Nevermind, the foul wasn't shooting, but Mason still gets his first 2 points of the game with an elbow jumper.
Headed to the under 8 time out here in Austin with 6:54 left on the clock. Perry Ellis will check back in for Kansas and Frank Mason III will attempt to get his name in the box score with two free throw attempts when we return. Kansas 19, Texas 17.
Dumb foul commited by Jonathan Holmes after a Cameron Ridley missed post shot. Then commits another one 20 seconds later on the other end. Have to be smarter then that, esecially as a senior. Kansas has stepped up on the defenseive end and have shown the intensity they haven't had at some points during the season.
Not sure if 7 foot Freshman Myles Turner jacking up deep balls is what Barnes wants.
A 7-0 run for the Jayhawks including 5 points from Brennan Greene give Kansas a 2 point lead at the 9:35 mark.
So, Texas decides to go 2-3 against a sub-par shooting Kansas team. Makes sense when you have 3 bigs on the court who block more then Kevin Connolly on twitter.
It's crazy how big of a role Connor Lammert plays in this Rick Barnes offense. He seems to have the ball in his hands an awful lot.
11:45 remaining in the 1st half as we head to commercial. Texas has been impressive so far on both ends of the court. Both teams need to be more cafeul with the ball as the turnovers are starting to pile up.
Connor Lammert DENIES the freshman Cliff Alexander at the rim after a great zone offense has Ellis finding a cutting Alexander. Still 15-10 Texas as the scoring has stopped.
Perry Ellis is special. If Kansas wants to be succesful he really should get a touch or two every possesion. Run the offense through him and he can facilitate to guys like Greene and Seldon.
Wow! Holmes beats the double team and finds Taylor for a tough fade away from the elbow as the shot clock was about to expire.
at the under 16 time out we've enjoyed a super fast paced game so far. A lot of up and down and some long distance chucks (some good, some bad). Texas leads 11 to 8.
Connor Lammert finally gets one to go. 3 point specilist, Brannen Greene, checks in relatively early for Kansas and gets a 3 for the Hawks on the other end.
Perry Ellis finally gets the Jayhawks on the board at the 16:45 mark.
Just like that senior Jonanthan Holmes breaks the seal with a trey. Then Taylor gets a steal and converts on the other end with a layup that results in an and-1.
No scoring here yet as both teams look sound defensively.
Andddd away we go! Kansas gets the first possesion and Wayne Seldon Jr. misses the open 3.
Another big matchup? The point guard position. Sophomore Isaiah Taylor - sophomore Frank Mason III. Who ever plays the best out of those two might be the deciding factor.
Moments from the start of #17 Texas - #11 Kansas.
10 minutes til tip-off in Lawrence. Look out for the matchup of Perry Ellis down low - a formidable Texas front court. Should be a good battle down there today.
Stay tuned folks! We got a good one on our hands today. Texas has a lot to prove today and Kansas is ready to reassure that they are the team to beat in the Big 12. A lot of talent on the court but which team will show up for these two very Jekyll and Hyde squads.
The game starts at 2:00 PM EST, so stay with VAVEL USA for full coverage.
These are two extremely talented teams, and with Kansas' depth and speed going against Texas' bigs and defense, it should be a classic. Texas may have the slight edge with the home crowd behind them and their size, but this game could go either way. Both coaches are etched into college basketball lore, and both want Big 12 titles. A win today will go a long way towards that goal for the year, so stay tuned with us throughout to see the results.
Isaiah Taylor, the team's floor general, had been out for a stretch due to a broken left wrist, and during that time Texas struggled, losing to Stanford at home. When Taylor returned, those struggles remained with Taylor finding trouble gaining his consistency back, as Texas fell to Oklahoma at home in a rout, and to Oklahoma State on the road. The offensive problems were glaring during this stretch, as the frontcourt of Holmes/Turner/Ridley/Ibeh was lackadaisical and sluggish. Rick Barnes has whipped them into shape now, however, and now they are rolling.
Texas, on the other hand, is laden with vets. Rick Barnes has his squad playing very strong defense, with all-around talented freshman Myles Turner leading the squad with 11.8 points a game along with 6.8 RPG. He is their catalyst, providing energy and leadership on the court when they need it. Texas' size is a force anywhere on the court, as Jonathan Holmes continues to expand his game. Cameron Ridley has disappointed many throughout the year, as his offensive output has been slim. However, in the 'Horns' big win over West Virginia last week, Ridley came alive, scoring 19 points while garnering 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. If he is producing along with Holmes and Turner, Texas is a brute to tussle with down low. Let's also not forget about Prince Ibeh, who has come off of the bench to give the team a spark when one of the bigs is tired.
Kansas is a team with a wide array of talent, with veterans balanced with freshmen to keep the team charging. Perry Ellis is the team's leading scorer, but has experienced some consistency issues. He is a big forward, but sometimes forgets to use his size to his advantage. When he struggles, it's time for the next man up to step forward, and Kansas is loaded. From freshmen phenoms Kelly Oubre Jr. and Cliff Alexander (both talented on both ends of the floor), to the young shooting corp of Wayne Selden Jr., Frank Mason III, Devonte Graham, and Brannen Greene, Kansas has the size and depth once again to contend for the Big 12 title. However, with such a young team comes inconsistency woes, half-to-half struggles that have been driving coach Bill Self mad. The team is growing up before our eyes, and that doesn't mean there won't be bumps in the road.
This 2:00 PM EST matchup at the Frank Erwin Center is sure to be a treat. The Kansas Jayhawks have won countless Big 12 championships over the past decade, but this year feels a little different. Although they are still #11 in the nation, they are facing stern challenges from conference foes such as these Texas Longhorns, the Oklahoma Sooners, the West Virginia Mountaineers, the Baylor Bears, and of course the one team that has already beaten KU in conference play, the Iowa State Cyclones. All of these are sternly in the mix for the conference championship, as there is no clear favorite (although Iowa State is trying hard to make themselves into one).
Good afternoon, and welcome to VAVEL USA's LIVE coverage of Kansas - Texas, a key Big 12 matchup that is sure to change the landscape of college basketball. These two storied teams meet up in Austin, Texas, as the first of two meetings between the reveled schools. Let's get rolling!