Can we get a national pub thread pinned?

[McGrowlTowelZac]

A thread where national links and articles can be posted for all to read.  I waste a great amount of time on the internet, but even I forget to visit some websites.  It would nice to have a thread we can go to and find all the recent national news regarding the Cats...while its out there.

[WillieWannabe]

+1

[JohnnyUtah]

we already have a ton of stuff pinned though, I am on the fence about this. (because my opinion matters, thank Obama! )

[McGrowlTowelZac]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/gameflash/2010/01/18/56484_recap.html?eref=sihp

No. 10 Kansas State upsets No. 1 Texas 71-62

MANHATTAN, Kan.(AP) More than 15 minutes after the final horn, thousands of Kansas State fans lingered in the stands to savor a hard-earned victory.

No floor-rushing celebrations, no hopping on the scorer's table, just a loud, sustained ovation.

Even against the nation's No. 1 team, Kansas State and its fans, many wearing fake beards in homage to high-scoring Jacob Pullen , expected to win.

Jamar Samuels scored 15 of his 20 points in a dominating first half and the 10th-ranked Wildcats withstood a gut check rally to knock off top-ranked Texas 71-62 on Monday night.

''Teams rush floors when they do something phenomenal,'' said Kansas State forward Curtis Kelly , who had 17 points and eight rebounds against one of college basketball's best front lines. ''It's flattering. They knew we were going to win. They didn't have to rush the floor because they believed in us.''

Kansas State (16-2, 3-1 Big 12) had every reason to bow to the top-ranked Longhorns. But the Wildcats smothered Texas with their extended man-to-man defense to overcome a 1-for-12 effort from 3-point range and held on to beat a No. 1 team for the third time in school history. Samuels added in 12 rebounds and freshman Rodney McGruder chipped in 11 key points for the Wildcats, who used a late 11-1 run to take control in their record 14th straight win at Bramlage Coliseum.

When it was over, the players celebrated on the floor - by themselves.

''I think our fans understand we're not trying to celebrate in January,'' Kansas State coach Frank Martin said. ''They're going to wait around and see what comes the rest of the season.''

Texas (17-1, 3-1) matched Kansas State's defensive intensity, holding Kansas State to 38 percent shooting and bottling up high-scoring guards Pullen and Denis Clemente , who went a combined 4 of 24.

What killed the Longhorns - and their short stay at No. 1 - was offense.

Texas shot 36 percent from the field following a season-low 35 percent against Texas A&M, went 3 for 11 from 3-point range and hit just 9 of 22 at the free-throw line.

The Longhorns rallied from a 14-point first-half deficit with an early run in the second, but couldn't keep it going in their second week ever at No. 1, leaving No. 2 Kentucky (18-0) as the lone unbeaten team in Division I.

Avery Bradley had 11 points to lead Texas.

''We definitely played well enough defensively to win this game, but offensively, in the last two games, it's hurt us,'' Texas coach Rick Barnes.

Texas had passed every test on the way to its first No. 1 ranking.

The Longhorns beat North Carolina at Cowboys Stadium, Michigan State in Austin, and pulled out a tougher-than-expected road win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. It was a tough first week as the nation's top-ranked team struggled against Iowa State and Texas A&M, but Texas still won both.

Monday's game represented the Longhorns' toughest task so far - on the road in a juiced arena against a top 10 team.

They didn't seem ready for it.

Uncharacteristically frazzled, Texas struggled against Kansas State's pressure and its own indecisiveness, shooting 10 of 33 from the field with 11 turnovers to trail by 10 at the half.

''I think they guarded pretty well, but we missed some wide open layups and some crucial free throws that could have turned the game around,'' said Texas guard Justin Mason , who took just four shots and had eight points.

Kansas State fans were certainly ready, lining up outside Bramlage Coliseum the night before the game, many sporting fake Abraham Lincoln beards - a school giveaway - and ''Fear the Beard'' T-shirts in honor of the fuzzy growth under Pullen's jaw line.

Pullen joined in the fun, too, trotting out to warmups with a faux Lincoln before revealing the real thing.

The Wildcats fed off the facial-fuzz energy early, using their aggressive defense to hound the Longhorns into turnovers and difficult shots.

Texas managed to keep it close for a little while before Kansas State put together the kind of run the Longhorns usually snuff out opponents with: 18-4.

Samuels was the key, slashing inside on drives and putbacks, capping the spurt with a 3-pointer that put the Wildcats up 36-22.

Texas, of course, made a run, but Kansas State made all the plays it needed down the stretch, setting off in-the-stands pandemonium in the Little Apple.

''That's what it's about,'' Martin said.


Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/ncaa/men/gameflash/2010/01/18/56484_recap.html?eref=sihp#ixzz0d4iat90O
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[McGrowlTowelZac]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/12808324/posttexas-loss-qa-explaining-what-it-all-means

         
   
   

   
   

Kansas State beat top-ranked Texas late Monday night.

Final score: KSU 71, UT 62.

Now Kentucky is the nation's lone undefeated team.

You have questions.

John Wall and Kentucky are No. 1 now, right? Not necessarily. (Getty Images)    
John Wall and Kentucky are No. 1 now, right? Not necessarily. (Getty Images)    
I have answers.

Let's go.

Q: Does this mean Kentucky is really the nation's best team?

A: No, not necessarily. I've long believed there are three elite teams -- Kansas, Kentucky and Texas -- with fairly equal chances to win the NCAA tournament, and nothing that happened Monday is moving me off that opinion. Yes, Texas lost. But the Longhorns lost at Kansas State just like Kansas lost at Tennessee, point being that even great teams lose road games against tough opponents. What happened Monday night wasn't really a surprise to me or Las Vegas. Remember, the Longhorns were underdogs at Kansas State.

Q: So Kentucky would've lost at Kansas State, too?

A: Yes, probably. Which is why it's fair to conclude that Kentucky is the last undefeated team primarily because Kentucky hasn't played at a place like Tennessee or Kansas State. Kansas and Texas both have one loss, and in each case that one loss came on the road to a top 10 team. Meantime, Kentucky hasn't even played a ranked team on the road. That -- in addition to John Wall -- is the key to the 18-0 record.

Q: Why are you hating on Kentucky?

A: I'm not hating on Kentucky. I've already got the Wildcats No. 1, so I'm one of the few who won't have to move them up next week (assuming, of course, that they beat Arkansas this weekend). All I'm saying is that losing at Kansas State doesn't bother me much, that I don't feel any differently about Texas now that Texas has a loss. I still contend Texas is one of the nation's three elite teams, and that Kansas and Kentucky are the other two. You can reasonably pick any of them to win the NCAA tournament. But if you don't pick one of them, you're making a mistake.

Q: That said, the Longhorns didn't look good, did they?

A: No, they did not. I can acknowledge that, and I agree with the point a lot of people are making now, that Texas is playing too many guys. Depth is great, obviously. But I've never seen any reason to play more than eight or nine players in a college basketball game; it's unnecessary except for instances of foul trouble. And yet Rick Barnes has 10 players averaging double-figure minutes. I know he disagrees, because we've talked about it, but I think it's important to shorten the bench. Any well-conditioned athlete should be able to play 29 minutes a game, regardless of the pace. To date, UT has nobody averaging 29.

Q: So what about Kansas State? Can the Wildcats win the Big 12?

A: Why not? They're 16-2 overall, 3-1 in the Big 12. They don't have to go to Texas, and they've already been to Missouri. If they can split with Kansas and win their other home games, they'll have a shot considering ku still has to play at Texas. Would I bet on it? No. But it's the middle of January, Kansas State just beat Texas, and it's a legitimate debate. That alone is a testament to Frank Martin.

"Everybody's focus is on Texas and Kansas," KSU forward Curtis Kelly told me by phone late Monday. "But now I think Kansas State is going to be in that talk, too."