Kansas a big test for Horns
AUSTIN — Moments of truth aren’t always written large on the court. More often than not they’re discreet, fleeting enough to go unnoticed unless one knows how and where to look.
In a macro sense, Saturday’s meeting with No. 3 Kansas (8-1, 2-0 Big 12) is the epitome of a defining moment for No. 8 Texas (7-1, 1-0). But the outcome of this prizefight in at Allen Fieldhouse will depend upon the dozens and dozens of small acts within the game.
“It’s funny you use that statement (‘moment of truth’) because I feel like every time you’re going after the ball or every time you’re defending a ball screen or every time you’re in a free-throw boxout, that’s a moment of truth,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said Friday during a Zoom conference. “So it’s something we talk about sometimes with our guys. Certainly every game, you know, is a chance to show where you are, the growth that you’ve made.
“For us, we haven’t played in quite a while, so our guys are excited to get back on the court against anyone, let alone getting a chance to go up to (Allen) Fieldhouse and play against Kansas.”
This game between the Big 12’s supreme power and the most talented Texas team of the Smart era will set the tone as conference play ramps up in 2021. The Longhorns haven’t returned from Lawrence, Kan., with a win added to the ledger since January 22, 2011.
Snapping that ninegame road losing skid against Kansas would slingshot Texas into contention for a No. 1 or No. 2 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, something the program hasn’t accomplished since 2008.
But coach Bill Self’s Jayhawks haven’t shown too many cracks through nine games. Their only stumble came during the season opener in a 102-90 loss to No. 1 Gonzaga, which remains undefeated thanks to its historic offense and
luxuriously deep bench.
It’s a matchup that will require Texas to channel a violent mindset on the court, which Smart likens to concerted aggression in all facets, but particularly on the glass and the defensive end.
Kansas, led by senior guard and 2020 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Garrett, ranks No. 7 in defensive efficiency and No. 13 inoffensive efficiency among Division I teams, per KenPom.com. It also averages a plus-9.3 rebounding margin and 4.3 blocks per game.
“Violence is something that we promote as a team on the court,” Smart said. “It doesn’t happen as a team unless the guys that make up the team play that way. So it’s a point that we make some times to our guys, that in order for it to be a team concept we need you to do it, and we need you to do it.
“Greg (Brown) in our last game, that was probably his most violent game. And Kai Jones has made a lot of progress from a year ago in that area.”
Brown put the whole five-star package on display in Texas’ last game, a 77-74 home win over Oklahoma State on Dec. 20. The 6foot-9 freshman threw up the best line of his young career — 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting, 3 for 7 from 3point range, 14 rebounds and three blocks in 26 minutes — and looked every bit like a player who could push Texas’ talented group of veterans to greater heights.
Jones also has been a revelation this season as a lob-catching, shot-swatting, floor-stretching weapon. The springy 6-foot-11 sophomore will be vital against a hard-nosed Kansas team that ripped down 19 offensive rebounds and drained 163s in a 79-65win over No. 7 West Virginia on Dec. 22.
“As far as playing Texas, they are athletic and lanky,” Kansas junior forward David McCormack (10 points, 11 rebounds versus
West Virginia) said, per the Kansas City Star. “Being a physical player, I know if you get into them, they like to avoid physicality. I try to play to that as far as my strength.”
Texas’ greatest strength is its defensive ability.
It allows 88 points per 100 possessions, the fourth-best mark in the country, per Ken Pom. Brown, Jones and junior wing Brock Cunningham provide an interior sturdiness that can extend to the wings, while guards Matt Coleman and Courtney Ramey are two of the most menacing backcourt defenders in the league.
And throughout the course of Saturday’s game, they’ll confront dozens of transient moments of truth. How the Longhorns respond will show whether they’re truly primed for the program’s deepest run in over a decade.
“If you’re playing the Big 12, you get a chance to go there once a year,” Smart said. “And now you want to put your best foot forward.”