Big 12 opener a good gauge
Improved at 9-3, Longhorns host perennial league champ Kansas
AUSTIN — This time last year, Texas had already begun to unravel. The team limped out of its early nonconference schedule with a 6-6 record. It dropped home games to TexasArlington and Kent State, got run out of Brooklyn’s Barclays Center by Northwestern and Colorado, and failed to close winnable contests against Arkansas and Michigan.
By the time February 2017 arrived, UT had lost six of eight conference games, effectively ending its season with more than a month remaining.
This year looks a bit different. Feels different, too.
“Well, we’re definitely further along as a team than we were this time last year,” coach Shaka Smart said. “Not just in terms of our record, but we’ve played better overall. At the same time, we still have to keep getting better, and there’s a lot of areas for improvement. On Dec. 28, it doesn’t matter what the year is — we’re going to be saying we need to improve on X, Y, and Z going into league play. Our conference is terrific; every team is very challenging. It’s a great opportunity for us each time out to measure ourselves against one of the better teams in the country.”
Rugged conference
There’s no real way to ease into the Big 12 schedule. The conference is hailed as one of the nation’s toughest. Nine of its 10 teams are ranked among the top 50 in Ken Pomeroy’s ratings database, with only Iowa State outside at No. 75.
UT (9-3) will start with arguably the hardest of them all — No. 11 Kansas (10-2). The league’s longtime kingpin is perhaps more vulnerable than in recent years, especially while awaiting NCAA clearance for freshmen Billy Preston and Silvio De Sousa, but Texas and the rest of the Big 12 have learned never to take Bill Self and the Jayhawks lightly.
They have lorded over this domain for 13 years running and don’t plan on relinquishing control any time soon, even with No. 7 West Virginia, No. 10 TCU and No. 12 Oklahoma in pursuit. Texas can climb its way into that conversation by handing Kansas a defeat inside the Erwin Center on Friday night.
Problem is, KU has won seven straight meetings with UT and 15 of the last 17. Four Jayhawks average at least 15.5 points a game, led by junior guard Lagerald Vick (17.1). Sophomore 7-footer Udoka Azubuike is shooting 78 percent from the field in addition to grabbing eight rebounds and blocking 1.6 shots per game. Guards Devonte’ Graham and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk have hit more combined 3-pointers (76) than UT (71).
Boffo at Bama
But the Longhorns are coming off their best win of the season, a 16-point road win over Alabama led by freshman big man Mo Bamba.
“We can sit here and say it’s like every other game, but it’s not,” said Bamba, who is averaging 10.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 blocks. “It’s, in a big way, a statement game. It’s a statement game because it’s Kansas. But we think we can get out and beat them.”
Is help on the way? Sophomore guard Andrew Jones is nearing a return and could be available to play against Kansas.
“Andrew has been able to do some stuff in practice,” Smart said. “He’s still not full go, but he may be able to help us in this game just depending on how he’s feeling. Certainly would be excited if we can get him back on the court, because he adds a dynamic to our team that we need.”
Jones has missed four consecutive games since fracturing his right wrist in a Dec. 5 victory over Virginia Commonwealth. He leads Texas in scoring, made 3-pointers and 3-point shooting percentage. Junior guard Jacob Young has been starting in his place.