1. The QBs, of course. The most intriguing position of all is always one to watch. This year Blaine Gabbert comes in as the de facto starter (as if he wasn’t last year). Jimmy Costello, last year’s #2, and Ashton Glaser, #3, have another year under their belts and will work hard to make the scout team hum. Then, the newcomers, a couple of four stars even. James Franklin and Tyler Gabbert. They’ve enrolled early and both think they can dent the two-deep. I’m skeptical, but you never know. I predict that at the end of spring Blaine and Costello are 1-2 again.

2. Voodoo Tatum. His back is healed and he will be going at full strength this spring. If the four-star JUCO recruit can make the two-deep at LB, where Mizzou is deep as can be, then we’ll know we really have something special. I recall the videos when he was recruited where he looked like a man among boys (of course, that happens a lot with these videos), so I’m really hoping he can dominate. Also, I’m an old man with a tweaky back so when any kid hurts his back I root extra hard for them. Plus, I’m calling him Voodoo, which is cool.

3. The WRs are a question mark with the loss of the two seniors who caught about 96.5% of the passes last year. I have a feeling Jerrell Jackson will be on an All-Big 12 team in 2010, but who else will step up? I like the looks of a healthy Kerwin Stricker (sporting #9 – no pressure dude) and a shifty L’D Washington. Many people love them some Wes Kemp and while I’m not sold on his skills, I’m willing to be wrong. The coaches love TJ Moe enough to abandon the redshirt, which seemed like a given, so there might be hope for him making a big jump. The fall will bring a whole hell of a lot of talent into the mix, so these kids are going to battle this spring so as not to be forgotten when Lucas, Sasser, and Hunt make the scene.

4. Dom Hamilton came on big time last season and I’m thinking he might have another leap in him. I’m not saying he’s going to go all Suh on us, but a force in the middle opposing coaches have to gameplan around is definitely possible. And a key to supporting the goodness that is Aldon Smith and the question mark that is the Tiger secondary.

5. I’m looking for someone to challenge Gettis and Rutland as the starting corners. Whether it’s Steeples or Edwards, I want the spring to end with at least one OR in a starting CB slot. I like Gettis and Rutland, but if the Tigers are going to take a step defensively the quality of coverage will have to improve.

I’m also, of course, looking forward to any inkling that the coaching philosophies have changed some for our second-year coordinators. Not sure what might be revealed this spring, but as I noted in the final post-mortem, change is necessary and I believe it’s coming.

To wrap this up, the ESPN blog fellow has his pre-spring power rankings up. Mizzou is 4th behind, in order, UT, OU, and NU. The North stacks up like this: NU, MU, KSU, KU, CU, ISU.

Still no respect for the Cyclones even after out-bowling the Tigers. Oh well.

Football!!!!

As far as the game today goes, its pretty much as previewed last game. If KU’s big guys play well or Sherron plays well, its going to be pretty tough to win. Tigers will have to feed off the emotion of Senior Day and the Zou, turn them over 20-25 times, and knock down shots. Its pretty much that simple. Thanks to Taylor’s heroics the other night, the pressure on the Tigers will be much less than it would have been had they lost in Ames. Staring at a three game losing stretch, and firmly on  the bubble would have made this game that much harder. While the  Tigers still have an outside chance at a first round bye in the conference tourney,  really the important thing is the big Dance. Having punched their ticket, they should be playing like they have nothing to lose today.  While a win won’t easy, we all know this game is a toss up today.  I have seen much worse MU teams pull out wins in Columbia. 

One thing that might be interesting is whether KU tries the triangle and two defense against English and Denmon if they are in the game at the same time.  They used it effectively in the games against KSU on Clemente and Pullen, and I could see Self giving it a try here.  I think there is a chance you might see it today a bit, especially if their bigs get in foul trouble like they did the other night.

While there is not too much to analyze game wise, I wanted to take a quick look at the three seniors who have truly been instrumental in the turn round of the program.   While I doubt any of these three would make it a list of the top 50 Tigers of all time (maybe Tiller), their contributions to the team concept and their effort as as good as anyone who has ever played for the Tigers.

JT Tiller:  Mike Anderson’s first recruit who followed him from UAB, Tiller really got his chance when Stephon Hannah got pissed about not getting some chicken wings.   Since that time he has become the the poster child for the Fastest 40 minutes in Basketball with his defensive intensity, and unselfishness.  Offensively, his skills are limited which I think he learned early this year, he still has an outside shot at scoring 1000 points in his career.  He can point to his Big 12 Co-defensive player of the years award in 2008-09 and his 23 points against Memphis in the round of 16 last year as career highlights.  While he was frustrating to watch on the offensive end of the floor at times, you never questioned whether the kid was going to give full effort every time out.  While the Tigers should be able to replace his production on the offensive end, his defense will be missed next year. 

Zaire Taylor:  He has been one of the more inconsistent Tigers over the past tow years, but no player in recent memory has hit more big time game winners that Taylor.  His end to end Edney like shot the other night was nothing short of spectacular, but the two he hit before that were even bigger since they tied the game each time.  His shots against KU and UT  I think propelled that team last year.  Solid defender who really bought into Anderson’s system and excelled.  He was frustrating at times when he seems to disappear in games like he did for most of the game in Ames, but all anyone is going to remember about him is the size of his “Onions”  at the end of games.  Not a bad legacy to have as a player. 

Keith Ramsey:  A guy every team needs.  I am sure all the coaches in the Big 12 would love to have this guy on their team.  Gives full effort every night doing the little things like rebounding, defense, and cleaning  up the glass on the offensive end.  His  block of Brackens and subsequent full court sprint and put back pretty much eptiomized his career at MU, and were two of the biggest plays of that game.  I have been a little hard on Ramsey given his limited offensive game and his tendency to provide absolutely no production, but guys like Ramsey are what make teams winners.

What have these three accomplished?  To date as a group they are 53-14 over the last two years, with a Big 12 Tournament Championship and a Elite Eight appearance.  Given where the program was just a few years ago, there is no question they have help turn it around.  Along with Carroll, Lyons, and Lawrence, these three helped to put Tiger Basketball back on the map.  Let’s hope they go out on a high note on Senior Day.

72-70. Tigers make Quantrill proud.  Taylor with one more game winner.

The NFL’s scoop on Danario:

Alexander is a huge WR with adequate straight-line speed and good ball skills, especially when going over the middle and catching the ball in traffic. He is competitive to the ball when covered and should have an immediate impact as a red zone receiver at the next level. He still needs work on his route running skills as he will telegraph his moves at times. He is more than just a willing blocker and has shown the kind of work ethic and competitiveness to make you think he could develop into a quality receiver at the next level.

That’s all good. His strengths are his size and competitiveness and weaknesses are the time it takes to get to top speed and his health. Of course.

Kurtis Gregory participated in the drills, or so I’m told, but you wouldn’t know it from the NFL Combine website. Apparently he wasn’t a “top performer” among OL in any category, which can’t bode well for his NFL future. But, we’ll see. It Colin Brown can get drafted, then maybe Gregory can. The overview:

Gregory is a high-character lineman who played tackle in college but projects as a better fit inside, at guard, for the next level. He has marginal initial quickness and is not a natural knee-bender so he struggles to leverage his blocks. He understands blocking angles and makes quick decisions but is simply not quick or agile enough to project as a make-it at the next level. He does not do a great job of bringing his feet with him and often ends up falling off blocks and going to the ground. If intangibles were a determining factor, he would be a starter, but he is not athletic enough to be more than a backup, at best.

He’s also a people-person who shows intiative. Yeah, intangibles don’t set a scout’s heart to racing. And, NFL, it’s true that Gregory played tackle in college, but not much. He was a guard.

Jared Perry got his chance and didn’t fare too poorly. From what I can tell, the NFL only reports the “top performers” so I don’t see his combine 40 time. He was slower than 4.49, the tenth best time among WRs, which is no surprise. The NFL seems to like his speed, though, and gives him a reasonable chance at getting a good look. At the combine, Perry broad jumped 10′1″, the 9th best, and did the three cone drill in 6.75 seconds, the 5th best. The overview:

While Perry has good height, he is lacking in bulk as well as playing strength. He plays the game fast and shows the acceleration to run by defenders on go routes down the seam and can adjust to catch the ball in stride. He is not real competitive to the ball when going over the middle and in traffic and will let the ball get into his body which allows defenders to knock the ball loose. He tends to run sloppy routes and will need to learn how to set defenders up to run underneath patterns. He can develop with added strength but looks more like a late-round type, if not a free agent.

Finally, there’s Sean Weatherspoon, possible first round draft pick. He raised his stock with his performance in Indianapolis. He was a top performer for LBs in four categories – the 40, bench press, vertical, and 60-yard shuttle. A great day for him. He also weighed in at 239 pounds, about 10 pounds less than his senior season playing weight. He’ll need to stay around there to keep up in the League.

He ran a 4.68 40, which I know is a disappointment to him. I don’t check twitter much, but am aware that he was tweeting his hopes to run in the 4.5s. He’ll get another crack at that at the Pro Day. Still, he ranked in the top ten of linebackers, so it’s not like it was awful.

His bench was awesome – he did 34 reps, second among linebackers to Donald Butler from U Dub. Four OL and two DL did more reps than Spoon. Suh did 32 reps. Spoon is strong like bull.

He can also jump through the roof registering a 40 inch vertical, second best among the LBs and tenth best at the combine.

What does the NFL website say about Spoon?

Weatherspoon is an excellent combination of size, strength and athleticism for the position. He is a tough hard-nosed linebacker that plays with a great motor. Weatherspoon is a solid tackler but not a thumper in this area. He runs well and shows good range in pursuit as well as in coverage. Weatherspoon leverages the ball well with good angles and proper body positioning. He uses his hands well to ward off blockers and maintain gap responsibility. Weatherspoon is an intelligent linebacker that possesses great intangibles that along with physical attributes which should make him a productive player as a rookie.

It looks more and more like Weatherspoon will be taken in the first round, at least if guys like McShay and the countless mock drafts are to be trusted. After that, I’d guess Danario still gets drafted but not until the fourth or fifth round. I would still be surprised if anyone else gets drafted, but I was surprised last year when six Tigers were taken. Hopefully more surprises are on the way.

Jack Perkins (good football name) is actually a linebacker/fullback. From what I’ve found, he’s 6′1″, 225, has a bad knee, and Scout.com calls him the top prospect in Alaska. Here he is scoring a touchdown:

Unfortunately, KSU got hot, we actually turned it over more than they did, and they shot 21 more FTs than we did. Game over. When you get a total of 10 points from guys over 6’ 7” inches, you really have a hard time winning. Give the guys credit, they never gave up and couple of breaks down the stretch and they might have actually won. Now, Wednesday becomes a really big game.

I never really felt like we played our type of game. Half court offense was bad again, the big guys (especially Bowers) were having trouble with the size and physical play, and just seemed we played reactionary instead of proactively if that makes sense. KSU took the game to us, even when they were struggling to score in the first half. You just felt if the KSU shots started falling, we really had no chance.

Good: Not much

Ramsey: I thought he played very well in a really physical game when Bowers was giving us nothing. 10 points and eight rebounds from him are very solid and he was clearly our only force inside.

English: 13 and 5, but 5 TOs. I actually thought English played well until he tried to do too much. One possession late in the game he dribbled for like 30 seconds and shot a fade away two. He was clearly feeling like he needed to do something at that time since no one else could make anything.

Defense: First half anyway. Holding a team to 19% is fantastic.

Bad:

Denmon: Three points, on 1-8 shooting. His only make was late in the game when he cut the lead to five, but before that he was not good. Coming off his last two games, I did not expect that performance. My one beef of him is his consistency. He will play very well for a couple games, and then becomes non existent in another. If the Tigers are going to do anything in March, he has to play more consistent.

FG%: Reared its ugly head again. 32% not going to get it done, especially on the road.

TOs: KSU with only 14, and we had 17. Points off turnovers KSU 21 MU 10. No chance to win a game against a good team with those numbers.

Ugly:

Bowers: 0-7 and no FTAs. While I think Bowers is the most talented player on the team, he sometimes struggles in a more physical game. He only had five points in Lawrence. You know Moore is not going to provide any offense, so Bowers has to really step up. Where have you gone Justin Safford, Tiger Nation turns its lonely eyes to you?! Can’t believe I wrote that. Yikes.

Bench: Nine points. The bench has been one of the Tiger’s real strengths this year, but not Saturday. However, when Miguel Paul is your leading scorer off the bench with six, I don’t like your chances. I think they only scored three points total in the 2nd half, and that was Denmon’s late three. Again with Bowers starting now and the wrong Denmon getting off the plane in Manhattan the bench was a non factor.

Wednesday night is a hug game. While I still think we are in or at least on the right side of the bubble, the weekend results sure didn’t do us any favors. There has always been this talk of whether the conference will get 6 or 7 teams in, and with OSU beating KU (on CBS no less) seven looks likely. I sure would not want to give the committee any reason to think just six. Chet is much better than I am at this, but look at these numbers:

Team              Record         Con           RPI        Games Left
aTM                19-8               9-5            13           OSU, @OU
Baylor            21-6              9-5            12           @TTU, UT
MU                  21-8              9-5             35          @ISU, KU
OSU                 20-8             8-6             25          @aTm, NU
Texas              22-7             8-6             24          OU, @BU

If we win on Wednesday night, and get to 10 wins, I think we are in the tournament. I don’t see how the committee can keep a 10 win team in one of the best conference out. However, if we should lose on Wednesday and then lose on Saturday, I think there has to be some concern.  Then, if we happen to lose in the first round of the Big 12 tourney, you are looking at a four game losing streak. Are we still in? Probably, but I don’t want to take a chance, especially with the upsets that always happen in other conference tourneys. I think Baylor and  A&M are locks.   While I know we beat both OSU and UT, OSU does have that win against KU, and you know we have no chance if the committe decides only six get in and it becomes MU v. UT for the final spot.  Tigers really need a win in Ames.

Last time I predicted a war, and 56 fouls and 73 Fts later, the Tigers pulled out a win in a game that could have gone either way. I would expect the same thing although the foul numbers and Fts might be reversed. Not saying that the Tigers got he home town officiating, but we did shoot 43 Fts which is by far our season high. Don’t expect that number again in Manhattan.

Really nothing has changed since my first preview    http://atomicteeth.fantake.com/2010/01/08/ksu-preview/  . On paper these two teams have been very simliar in Big 12 play(rank in parentheses).

PPG KSU 87.3(T2) MU 76.3(4)
DPG KUS 70.2(4) MU 69.4(3)
Scoring margin KSU 8.2(2) MU 6.9(3)
FG defense KSU 42.5(6) MU 42.1 (3)
3FG defense KSU 33.7(4) MU 33.6(3)

KSU has a big advantage in FG%, rebounding, and FTA while the Tigers are much better FT%, steals, and turnover margin.

The same analysis still applies to this game. If our bigs play well, and we turn them over we have a real shot. Last game, Sutton, Kelly, Colon and Samuel scored a combined 18 points. Safford, Ramsey, and Bowers scored 30. Tigers actually out rebounded KSU 35-30.   Of course the loss of Safford could have a major effect on the ability of our bigs to match up.  The debate as to what the loss of Safford means to the Tigers was hotly debated by the AT crew yesterday.  While he has shown flashes as an offensive player, he is limited defensively. More importantly for this game,  I think the loss of a big body hurts our depth, especially in a game like this one which will be very physical.  means more Bowers and Ramsey, but could mean foul trouble. Let’s hope Steven Moore actually steps up and plays well, and doesn’t foul out in five minutes. KSU turned it over 21 times, including nine for the guards. Even with all that, we only won by six and had to make plays at the end to do it. Saturday,we are going to have to play even better than that in order to win.

KSU has been playing very well since its loss to KU in overtime. They have won six straight, including four on the raod. I think a lot of that can be attributed to the improved shooting of Clemente. He’s averaging 20.8 over that span, and to me this team will go as far as that kid takes them. When he plays well, they can play with anyone. Pullen is coming off a 28 point game against TTU and is averaging 17.2 during the same stretch. Tigers have won 5 out of 6 and have gotten contributions from pretty much everyone, especially English and Denmon so the guard play should be fun to watch.

Prediction:  Does not set up well for the Tigers.  Satruday night in the Octagon of Doom, second seed on the line, revenge game, and the Tigers a little undermanned inside.  Going to take a big effort defensively, and  some hot shooting to win.  Don’t see it in Manhattan. KSU 72-65.

That is a 71% chance of getting a bye. Much higher than either one of us expected.  As we analyze the remaining games it is apparent that we should be huge Oklahoma fans.  In order to get a first round bye we really need Oklahoma to beat Texas A&M or Baylor at home.

Rick Barnes has taken a lot of hits in the last few weeks. I guess by going 3-5 in your last eight, that kind of thing tends to happen. Of course, nobody was talking very much during the previous 17 games, so it’s a “what have you done for me lately?” kind of feel I would guess. Well Ricky is going to be front and center in COMO tonight.

From everything thing I have read about this game, everyone thinks this game will be a track meet with both teams pushing it up the floor and it more than likely will be just that. There is probably no other team that likes to push the tempo in the Big 12 more than Texas. Gene Claude’s man crush, Ken Pomeroy, puts Texas at 5th in the nation with the Tigers at 20 with regard to tempo. They are averaging 83.7 points per game, and lead the conference with 80.1 in conference games. Tigers currently sit in sixth with a 74.4 P/G. Overall, Pomeroy ranks Texas at No. 8 and the Tigers at No. 13, but he predicts a 78-76 Tiger win. Sounds about right.

We know what the Tigers are going to do from start to finish: pressure the guards into turnovers, hope the threes fall, and wear down the big guys. There’s really nothing more to say about that, so I thought I would look at what Texas might do to try and neutralize the fastest 40 minutes.

Now I don’t know what Rick Barnes is going to do, but whatever he does will dictate the outcome of this game. He may just say this is what we do, we are more talented, and we are not going to change. Ricky very well might be right in that case. Call me crazy, but if was Rick Barnes and Texas, I would slow this thing down. Here’s why:

The Press vs. the TX Freshmen

Freshmen J’Covan Brown has taken over as the point guard for the Longhorns. His back court mate is freshmen Avery Bradley, and the other guard is junior Dogus Balbay. There is no question that these three guys are exceptionally talented. But, they have never experienced the type of ball pressure they will tonight. Texas was lucky this game was not on Monday night as they have had time to prepare, but they still might not be ready. Texas has done a nice job in only averaging 14 turnovers per game this year, but again they haven’t see the 40 fastest minutes. If I am Barnes, I try to do everything I can to make the freshmen more comfortable against the press.

How do you do that? First thing I would do is try to attack it early. See what these guys can do given their abilities, and try and get some easy baskets early. If the freshmen struggle, then its time to change strategy in a hurry by throwing it over the top to James, and walking it up and slowing it down to a half court set. More importantly, you stop the press by not allowing MU to get into the press. When the Tigers make shots, the press just comes in waves and the fastest 40 minutes is just that. The faster the game is, the more chances for the Tigers to take and make the kinds of shots they want, and then set up the press. If you put the Tigers in a half court game and force them into an offensive set, especially against your defense, the less likely will you have situations where your freshmen will face the pressure.

Tigers Half Court Offense:

Anybody who has watched the Tigers knows that in the games the Tigers have lost, there has been significant stretches of time where the half court offense sucks ass. Even in some of the wins, there were times when we struggled for minutes at a time to get shots. As good as the Tigers have been at FG defense (.414%), Texas is just as good (.418%). The fact that the Tigers have just broken the 40% mark in field goal percentage in conference play indicates we are struggling to make shots. Why allow us to get lay ups and transition threes with an up tempo game, when we have shown the inability to really score consistently in the half court. On top of that, Texas three point defense is 31.5% which is good for 3rd in the conference. If I was Barnes, I would make us work on every possession, which means slowing the pace down. As I pointed out above, the half court defense and the slowed down tempo should help in limiting the effectiveness of the pressure.

Rebounding:

Texas is the number one rebounding team in conference play, while the Tigers come in at No. 10. The difference in rebounding margin is almost 10 per game. Rebounding has been the killer for the Tigers all year, and tonight will probably be no exception. Do you realize that we don’t have anyone in the averages more that four defensive rebounds per game in conference play? Bowers averages three on the offensive in, and he gets those on athletic ability and desire. You have Dexter Pittman and Damion James who should pretty much get every rebound they want. In an up and down game against the Tigers, I think you limit your advantage in that area because of the open looks and turnovers that the press will create. If Pittman and James control the glass, the Tigers’ chances for winning go way down so why not use that advantage on the boards.

Dexter Pittman/Damion James:

Outside of Steven Moore before he lost the weight, there is no one that match the shear bulk of Pittman. If he gets it on the block, we really have no answer. So it’s important for the Tigers to keep him off the floor. How do you do that? Make the fat kid run and run. He can’t keep up in a fast paced game, and you limit his time on the floor. If you are Rick Barnes, don’t you want the kid to play as much as possible? The only way this happens is if you slow the game down. I like our chances if Pittman plays below his 19 minute per game average. If he plays more than that, I don’t think the outcome will be favorable.

There is no one that has the size and strength to match up with Damion James down low, or anywhere for that matter. If Texas does not have a 2-1 or 3-2 break, I would slow it down, and get your best player the ball in position to score. At worst, you cause a double team which should free up your shooters or allow good offensive rebounding position for the other guys. Texas is shooting 39% from three in conference play so they can knock them down. Instead of taking a chance on a reckless fast- break, how about just setting up something for your All American down low where he is probably unstoppable.

The only caveat to this strategy is the FT% of these guys which is 54% for Pittman and 65% for James. I would take my chances.

Will Barnes slow it down, or will he try to run with us? My bet is if tries to run with the Tigers, he plays right into our hands and the pressure as Fran likes to say “will be cumulative” and the Tigers will win. IMO, their best chance to win is to get us into a half court game which should allow them to take advantage of the strengths and our weakness. I would emphasize this even more with Ramsey running around on a gimpy leg. I will be anxious to see how he Barnes plays it.

Key Stats to watch:

Texas FTs. Texas is shooting a horrendous 61% percent from the line in conference play and 62% overall. As a team, they have shot 655 FTs to 544 for the Tigers. The obviously get to the line more than the Tigers, and lets hope the shooting woes continue. As shown above, Pittman and James have struggled from the line and Bradley shoots an incredibly low 48%. However, Brown is shooting a sterling 91%. If the Tigers fall behind, look for Anderson to turn up the pressure even more knowing the Texas struggles. Hack a Longhorn

Tigers FG%: I think we have to shoot over 45% as a team in order to win. Texas is too good for us to shoot that poorly and still win. This isn’t ISU and NU. Given our deficiencies on the boards, and our half court struggles, lets hope this means the threes are falling and we are getting fast break lay ups. I don’t see us winning a game shooting under 40% with the anticipated rebounding problems.

Turnovers: Texas only average 14 per game so if the Tigers can get them to turn it over more than 20 times, the game should be going our way.

Prediction: If this game is in the 80s, I think the Tigers win. If we have a game in the 60s or low 70s, Texas has the edge I think. My bet is Barnes is not smart enough to use his advantages, and the Tigers win by six.

I am going to try to keep this simple. 

Requirement #1 – Finish 4-2 – The Tigers are 6-4 in conference and trail KU, KSU, Baylor, Texas A&M and Texas.   In order to have any chance of finishing in the top 4 I believe we have to finish 10-6.  That requires winning four of:  vs UT, at NEB, vs. CU, at KSU, at ISU, vs. KU.  At the risk of spoiling Requirement #2 below, one of those wins needs to be Texas.  I am willing to count on losses to KSU and KU, meaning we have to win road games at Nebraska and ISU (easier said than done) and beat Colorado at home (as easy to do as it is to say).  For purposes of the remaining analysis I have ruled out any chance that we finish 5-1 or 6-0…I hope I am wrong.

Requirement #2 – Beat Texas – For obvious reasons I am willing to make KU a lock for the top 4 (they might have mathematically clinched that already).  I am also willing to make KSU a lock given their easy remaining schedule.  While OU has a tie-breaker against us, I have counted them out because they would have to finish 6-0 to move in front of us if we satisfy requirement #1 by going 4-2.  Similiarly OSU would have to go 6-0 to finish ahead of us and I don’t see that happening either.  Thus there are four teams fighting for two spots. We have to finish ahead of any two of : Texas, Texas A&M and Baylor.  Unfortunately we have already lost the tie-breaker to Texas A&M and Baylor.  That really means Texas has to be one of the teams we finish ahead of and the only realistic way to accomplish that is to beat them on Wednesday.

Requirement #3 – Finish Ahead of Texas A&M or Baylor- This is where we lose control of our destiny.  Because we lose the tie-breaker to Texas A&M and already stand a game behind them we need them to finish 2-4.  Assuming A&M loses to Kansas tonight they would need to finish 2-3 in their remaining five games (at ISU, at BU, vs. UT, vs OSU and at OU).  Losing to UT or BU wouldn’t be terribly helpful so we really need to be rooting for ISU, OU and OSU. 

We are in better shape against Baylor because we are tied in the standings.  We need Baylor to finish 3-3 in their remaining five games (vs. TTU, at OSU, vs. ATM, at OU, at TT and vs. UT).   Since losses to Texas A&M and Texas have diminished benefits we really need to hope for strong performances by OSU, OU and TT.     

Requirement #4 – Texas must lose one more game – Texas remainining schedule is full of South opponents: at TT, vs. OSU, at ATM, vs. OU and at BU.  Hopefully their loss at Mizzou will extend their skid.   Of course if Texas wins at Texas A&M or at Baylor it does counterfeit our chances under Requirement #3 above. 

Long Story Short – Its not over with yet but the odds are long.  We really have to beat Texas and finish at least 4-2 which I think is doable.  Beyond that Texas must lose another game, preferably to TT, OSU or OU.  Baylor must go 3-3 in their remaining six games (3-2 if we are fortunate enough for Texas to beat them) or Texas A&M must go 2-4 in their remaining six games (2-2 if we are fortunate enough for Kansas to win tonight and Texas to beat them in College Station).   To assist you with your rooting please follow this simple guide:

1. Always root for Kansas and Iowa State (except when we play them)
2. Always root against Baylor
3. Always root against Texas A&M except when they play Texas
4. Always root against Texas except when they play Baylor

19:00  English air ball, but nice rebound by Safford.  4th foul on Lomers 38-35. If Bowers is not on the floor, Safford is our most active player.  Why is Keith Ramsey even playing?

17:00 First bucket by Udoh, but Kimmie answers from downtown.  40-38.  I like the way this half has started.  We are much more aggressive on both ends of the floor. Again, why is Ramsey playing? ON cue, here come Bowers.

15:37 44-42 Baylor. Safford to Bowers.  Those two are really having nice games.   Pace picking up. I like.

14:26 Udoh can really pass. Man we could use a guy like that. Hasn’t scored much but he would be perfect us with his shot blocking and passing out form the post.  Would rally give us a chance against Aldrich.  We get close, and the fall back. 47-42 Baylor.  Just feel like if we can get a lead, they might panic a bit. 

12:30 Time out Baylor.  Boy we had a real chance for lead.  Baylor really taking some bad shots right now.  Good TO by Drew there.  That’s what Anderson should have done against aTm.  Great play by Baylor. Kudos to Drew 49-46. BTW, love any commercial involving Holly Starr.

11:05 Under 12 Timeout. Three by Tweety and just like that down six again. 52-46.  Still only nine turnovers for Baylor. 

10:53.  Long three by Taylor at the end of the shot clock.  Huge shot.  We were in danger of being down 8 or 9. If Keith Ramsey is not going to rebound on the defensive end he has to sit.

9:30  Taylor again.  Another huge shot.  54-52

7:48  Under eight timeout.  Good point by Simon.  That Zone makes you shoot the mid range shot which is not our strength, but our interior passing has been great.. 5-10 from three is really outstanding.  49 percent for the game  shows we are getting it inside more than normal.  13 assists on those 19 makes. No points for Dunn in 2nd half.

6:46  English bucket and one. Another good drive.  59-56.  Gotta make that free throw. Need to get the lead.  Just can’t get over the hump.

5:39  Dunn must have heard me.  61-56.  Huge possession here. English settling again.  Bowers with another good play. Yes, if you haven’t figured it out, I love me some Bowers.  Dammit, turnover.

4:55.  Good TO by CMA there.  Need to have a good possession on both ends.  Ughhhhh. another offensive rebound.   We really need a bucket.

3:36 Under four TO.  On  the road and still in the game with under four minutes is about all you can ask, especially with only causing 11 , making 8 less FTs, and getting outrebounded by 10. OU is done.  Crazy how many things have gone wrong for them.  Need a bucket coming out of the timeout. Fucking Udoh with the block.  4 minutes with nothing.  Another one of our dry spells and at a bad time. Down to 44% for the game, and 0-3  from three in the last few.

2:11  Once again, here is where we need “the guy”  who can get us a bucket.  Still nothing offensive and really no movement.

1:48 JT Tiller, Really?! That was about as unlikley a shot as we have had in a long time but keeps us alive. 61-59. 

:46.9  HUGE!  Kimmie with bucket, and one and the intentional foul.  That was a bad call, but I will take it.   Kimmie make only one but we finally have a lead 62-61.  Crazy. What will Baylor do foul or not?  I would foul,

:6.2 Dammit Tiller misses.   However, Dunn to the line on the drive.  90% shooter on the line.  Jinx time.  Miss it Noonan.  Nope. YEP. 

:1.3 are you fucking kidding me?  Really? Did that just happen? REBOUND!  That is a killer.   Come on CMA work some magic.

Nope.  Almost. That really sucks.  Chance to steal one on the road against  a good team.  Lost the tiebraker to them which could be big, plus a would aahve been a great tournament resume win.   Once again, rebounding is the killer( -12 and -7 on the offensive side).  Only  13 forced turnovers and 5 steals.  Actually shot the ball well for once,  but once again a big stretch with nothing.  When we need a bucket, we just can’t get it.  

Man, that would have been a big win.  2-2 in  stretch where 3-1 is needed.  Texas at the ZOU on Wednesday.  Another big game that we need to win because we still have @KSU and KU left, with road trips to Lincoln and Ames in there as well.  Tough couple weeks coming up. 

2:34