A Look At Texas

[mavrick1821]

How important is this game now!! 

UT (besides OSU) maybe the best shot we have of a good Big 12 road W.  UT gives up points, is weak on the boards and has played poorly all season against teams with good defenses.  We will need to contain Durant (less than 25pts), but I think we have multiple ways to beat these guys.  A game similar to ISU (offensive patience, D-pressure) should do the job.

Prediction:  KSU 68  UT 65  (Durant 22 of UT's 65)

Thoughts?

[Skycat]

Who do we put on Durant?

[kougar24]

Is Akeem tall enough to guard him?

Also, you know you're badass when "containing" you means holding you to 25 or less.

[ksu_FAN]

They struggled against an average NU team and lost to an average Villanova team, though both were on the road.  I expect them to beat Baylor and lose to Tech leading up to our game.  Its definately a winnable game and its not like Austin will be a really tough place to play.  Durrant and their other young talent will help them, but I like our defense and experience to give us a shot in this one.  Should be fun to watch.

We do have a couple that we must win before that one, but we're fans so I don't have a problem looking ahead a bit.

[mavrick1821]

EVERYONE! (LOL it will take the whole team).  If I had to choose...Akeem Wright with double teams all over the place.  We should make a point at not giving Durant an easy path thought the lane.

[Skycat]

Living in Austin, ut is my own personal fake internet rival.  I badly want scoreboard in both football and basketball.

We played them pretty tough in Austin a couple of years ago, and FAN's right there the Drum won't be an intimidating place to play.  Still, I'm not sure I like the way we match up with these guys.

[kougar24]

Wright is 6'6", Durant is 6'9". A significant difference when you're talking about the PF spot, but Huggins showed he was willing to do such a move when he let Hoskins guard Big Czech at ISU.

I imagine you're right about Wright (no pun intended) with double teams if/when possible on the low block especially.

[WildCatzPhreak]

What is Akeem, 6'6?  And Durant 6'8?  Akeem can guard him as much as guarding someone like Durant is possible.  The guy is just unstoppable.  As long as we force him to take those impossible shots that he only makes 1/3 of the time, we can win.  I think Akeem is the best guy to do that, despite being slightly shorter.  Keep Durant away from the basket and force him to take fallaways when he's taking the jumpshot.  Crash the boards hard.

[kougar24]

What is Akeem, 6'6?  And Durant 6'8?

Wright is 6'6", Durant is 6'9".

[michigancat]

I wonder if putting Cartier on him would be best.  He held his own with Taj Gray and his quickness (relative to most people that guard Durant) could limit him on the perimeter.

I think Hoskins will spends a lot of time on him, too.  Akeem doesn't have as much experience defending a post as Hoskins and Cartier.

[kougar24]

Cartier is generally crap at guarding the low block; he's not quick enough (or tall enough to make up for the flat feet), and he usually ends up fouling early and sitting often. I'd rather have Hoskins on him than Cartier, but once again, we need Hoskins in the game; i.e., not in foul trouble. I still think Wright is our best bet.

[ksu_FAN]

Cartier is much better at being physical this year.

Durant isn't a banger is he?  He can score in the low block, but he seems to be more of a finesse guy to me.  I say we rotate a bunch of different guys and bang the heck out of him.

[kougar24]

Actually, he's surprised me (Durant) when I've seen him thus far at how physical he's actually willing to be. With his shot and body size, you'd tag him as a finesse guy, but from what I've seen, that would be a dangerous assumption.

[michigancat]

Cartier is generally crap at guarding the low block; he's not quick enough (or tall enough to make up for the flat feet), and he usually ends up fouling early and sitting often. I'd rather have Hoskins on him than Cartier, but once again, we need Hoskins in the game; i.e., not in foul trouble. I still think Wright is our best bet.

You suck.

[kougar24]

Way to contribute.

[michigancat]

He absolutely owned Taj Gray when he wasn't hurt (look at the fouls):

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3086&SPID=213&DB_OEM_ID=400&ATCLID=110121

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3086&SPID=213&DB_OEM_ID=400&ATCLID=243304

[ChicagoCat]

I think it has to be Akeem with help in the post.  Akeem will guard him in the post with the body but hopefully keep hi far enough out where bennett and colon can come in and get some blocks, without putting them in a postiion to foul him. 

[Skycat]

I think Durant eats Wright alive on the block.  I'm not so sure that having Hoskins body him up isn't the way to go most of the time.

[JesusShuttlesworth]

Akeem Wright was born to guard Durant.  I see no other option.  AW may very well be the only defender in the Big 12 capable of shutting down the freshman phenom. 

That's they key to beating UT.  Durant has bailed them out of some games in which the rest of the team struggled.  Take away the Durant safety net, and KSU is very capable of winning down there. 

[WILDCAT NATION]

Is that game NATIONAL or REGIONAL on ABC?

[pissclams]

Zone him and deny him the ball.  Put Bennon (Afflonnet seems to have fallen by the wayside) in the middle and make them hit their outside shots.
UT is 9th in the league in FG# @ .446 (just above us at .432).  We try to man him and will get into foul trouble- Huggy's 4 guard rotation (martin, hoskins, harris, wright) is more important to our overall production than risking it by trying to limit what one guy will do on the floor.

We match up well with Texas, they want to run and gun but will have trouble scoring when they don't get 2nd, 3rd, and 4th attempts at making FG's each time down the floor.

[sys]

forget about durant and concentrate on keeping abrams and augustin from getting easy looks.

[michigancat]

forget about durant and concentrate on keeping abrams and augustin from getting easy looks.

At least contain him on the perimeter.  I think that's where he can do the most damage.  Let him try to beat us on the block.

[Skycat]

forget about durant and concentrate on keeping abrams and augustin from getting easy looks.

Mason has been a bigger threat from the arc in conference play than Augustin.

I agree with Rusty that we can't let Durant go off from the perimeter, but we're talking about a guy grabbing almost 14 rebounds a game in league, it's not like he's not a prescence down low.

[kougar24]

He absolutely owned Taj Gray when he wasn't hurt (look at the fouls):

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3086&SPID=213&DB_OEM_ID=400&ATCLID=110121

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3086&SPID=213&DB_OEM_ID=400&ATCLID=243304

I remember the game. I was there. One game. I was also at countless other games where Martin had to guard the low block and was in foul trouble and on the bench before I finished my Pepsi.

Gray was the exception. Foul trouble is the norm.

How good is UT beyond the arc? Throwing a 2-3 at them might not be a bad idea if they aren't world-beaters from outside.

[kougar24]

Eh, upon further review, zoning them for extended periods of time might not be wise. They shoot 38.8% beyond the arc as a team, including 3 players with > 42% accuracy.

 

[michigancat]

He absolutely owned Taj Gray when he wasn't hurt (look at the fouls):

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3086&SPID=213&DB_OEM_ID=400&ATCLID=110121

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=3086&SPID=213&DB_OEM_ID=400&ATCLID=243304

I remember the game. I was there. One game. I was also at countless other games where Martin had to guard the low block and was in foul trouble and on the bench before I finished my Pepsi.

He's done the same thing guarding wings.

And that was two games.

[sys]

How good is UT beyond the arc? Throwing a 2-3 at them might not be a bad idea if they aren't world-beaters from outside.

abrams is the best shooter in the big 12 imo.  can´t defend, but has an amazing shot.

[tmramrod91]

Colon has 5 good fouls, maybe the 5th could be a knock out blow to Durant, takes him out of the equation completely.

[coitus]

He's done the same thing guarding wings.

And that was two games.

gray went for 23 points in one of those games, shooting 75%.

is that good defense?


and it will be kent shutting down durant.  kent's due for his breakout game, and ut is it.