Huskers 411

By Brian Smith
FOXSportsSouthwest.com

With conference play in full swing, attention can now be turned away from random weekday out-of-conference tilts and tournaments in tropical destinations to the day all college sports were made for: Saturday. There may not be a bigger Saturday all season in the Big 12 because of the game that will take place in Lawrence.

Game of the Week: #10 Texas (15-3, 3-0) at #2 Kansas (18-0, 3-0)

Last year, a trip to the Sunflower State was the onset of the avalanche for Rick Barnes Texas team. The Longhorns entered Manhattan with a perfect record and a number one ranking nationally. They left bruised, battered and defeated at the hand of Frank Martins Kansas State squad. UT never really recovered its first blemish. Beginning with the loss in Bramlage Coliseum, the Horns dropped 10 of their final 17 contests. Sandwiched in the middle of those losses was an 80-68 decision at home against Kansas. Although the score looked relatively close, the Jayhawks showed what the top-ranked team in the country was supposed to look like by going on an early run and holding off the Horns for the remainder of the game.

Fast forward one year and the Jayhawks still have a chokehold over the conference, but this years Texas team has a different feel to it. These Longhorns have fight in them. They not only want to win; they need to win. Theyre just plain tough. From the beginning of the season, this relatively young group gelled quickly and nearly won the Coaches vs. Cancer classic. Outside of a bewildering 20-point loss to USC, Texas has remained consistent and perhaps most importantly not played down to its level of competition. Losses to two of the Big Easts best by a combined three points are no cause for shame. Hop on board, Texas fans: this boat is real.

That said, on Saturday the Horns will head into the toughest place in America to win. The Jayhawks have won 69 consecutive games at Allen Fieldhouse. Their last loss: Feb. 3, 2007, when Acie Law and Texas A&M pulled out a 69-66 win.

The news only gets worse: the Morris twins are back, and theyre better than ever. While Marcus has kept up his ridiculously high shooting percentage, Markieff has come into his own as a rebounder. He leads the conference in that category with nearly nine boards per game. The Jayhawks are a true center short of a truly complete team, but the Morrises combine to form a sort of pseudo-five man with nearly unlimited range and tremendous rebounding ability. UT freshman forward Tristan Thompson would have his hands full with just one of Marcus or Markieff. The combination of both may simply overwhelm him.

On the other end, Texas has a weapon that nobody not even Bill Selfs defense, which ranks second nationally in efficiency can truly stop. Like Connecticuts Kemba Walker or BYUs Jimmer Fredette, Horns guard Jordan Hamilton can only be contained, and even then it doesnt happen very often. The difference between Hamilton and those other two guards: height. Hamilton holds the edge in that category by a wide margin, standing at 6-feet, 7-inches. While Hamilton has a very accurate set shot, he seems to find the bottom of the bucket more often when he shoots off the dribble. He can be a shaky ball-handler, though, so Kansas will have to pressure Hamilton by throwing every known defense at him.

The defensive chess match between Barnes and Self and who will step up should the Morrises or Hamilton be contained will be what ultimately determines this game. Jayhawk fans know they can bank on their team winning 30 games every year. Last season made Longhorn fans wary of expecting anything in the seasons second half. But a win in Allen Fieldhouse could make this team turn a complete 180 from what it did in 2010.

Crucial Contest: Kansas State (13-6, 1-3) at (#11 Texas A&M (16-2, 3-1)

While one interstate battle between Texas and Kansas will be played up north, another one takes place down south. Frank Martins roster has been a fluid concept ever since the beginning of the season, when the Kansas State head coach benched star forward Curtis Kelly for the opening three games of the year due to behavior problems. Then in December, Kelly and guard Jacob Pullen were suspended for receiving improper benefits stemming from discounts at a department store. On Saturday, center Freddy Asprilla left the team to pursue professional opportunities in his native Colombia. The volatility regarding the roster derailed KSUs season before it even began.

Fans in Manhattan had high hopes, with their team receiving the nod as preseason favorite to win the Big 12. The Wildcats top-five preseason ranking didnt help them much against powerhouse Duke, which crushed them in their own backyard in Kansas City. While K-States defense has remained consistent, the offense looks downright anemic and the free throw shooting is still abysmal. With another conference loss during the week this time to North rival Missouri its safe to say that this is the biggest game of Kansas States season. A loss drops the Wildcats to 1-4 in Big 12 play, which makes their case for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament almost laughable. Thankfully, KSU stuck with a tough non-conference schedule and picked up a few quality wins. However, with a loss in College Station, K-State will need to win seven of its final 11 contests just to break even in conference play. Remember: the Cats still have to play Kansas twice, and Texas and Missouri once apiece. A sweep in every other game seems unlikely at this point. The Wildcats could be headed from the penthouse to the outhouse in faster time than any top-five preseason team in recent memory.

Meanwhile, the Aggies must pick themselves up and dust themselves off following a blowout loss in Austin. Before Wednesdays 81-60 meeting, Texas A&M had not lost a game since Thanksgiving Day. Questions lingered about A&Ms ability to match up with the big boys in conference, and as good as they looked against Oklahoma State, the Aggies looked that bad against Texas. The good news for the Ags is they get to play Kansas State in the friendly confines of Reed Arena. They also matchup very well with a KSU team that fouls on nearly half of its trips down to the defensive end of the floor. Texas A&M has a gritty squad of team players who frequent the free throw line at a very high rate. It may not be out of the question to see four or five different K-State players foul out of this game. The Wildcats must figure out how to move their feet and avoid reaching, or their bubble could be bursting in very short order.

Other conference clashes:

Iowa State (14-5, 1-3) at Missouri (16-3, 2-2)