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College Basketball: Preview of Texas @ Oklahoma State

Posted by Trips Right on February 28th, 2009 under Basketball

Sorry about not writing up the Texas Tech game. Watching the game I felt like I was being water boarded by some scientists from the RAND Corporation. And then, to make matters worse, I was watching the game in a Tulsa sports bar with a Marquette fan from Milwaukee who blamed me for jinxing Dominic James’ broken foot. To top it all off, there was a carny style impish looking female with freakishly big arms who kept interrupting by challenging me to “arm wrassel”. Negative ghostrider. The pattern is full. “But I worked really hard on these guns.” To which I replied, “Why?” It was Oklahoma after all. Why should I be surprised?

Ironically the boys travel to Stillwater to face a Cowboy squad with its collective backs against the wall. Win and OSU is likely in the tourney, lose, and OSU would have to beat KSU and Oklahoma to get in. This a big one so Texas better lace ‘em up tight. Here are the keys to the ballgame for Texas.

Keep Byron Eaton In Front
Eaton really won’t hunt his perimeter jumpshot, instead Byron will probe and prod a defense looking for penetration oppurtunities that allow him to kick to OSU’s terrific collection of perimeter shooters. If teams don’t help to cut off Eaton’s dribble penetration, however, he’s looking to take his football body right to the chest of shotblocking centers and forwards to draw fouls and free throws. Eaton has shot an astounding 215 foul shots which is about a hundred more than anyone else on the team. Dogus Balbay has to keep Byron in front by turning him. If Byron can get a shoulder past you it’s over for even the strongest on ball defenders. Make him crossover or reverse pivot with the basketball and you can keep BE out of the lane. I would also give him a cushion until he knocks down a couple J’s.

Make Terrel Harris and Byron Eaton Jumpshooters
You’re going to have to give to get against the Cowboys because they roll out 4 pretty good perimeter scorers. Terrel Harris hitting 3’s for the Cowboys, however, is fool’s gold. Ditto for Eaton. You’ll have to overshow and hedge to Obi Muonelo and James Anderson but you’re doing the Cowboys a favor when you waste energy and scarce perimeter help resources by chasing Harris and Eaton off their jumpshots. Texas is better served by going under ball screens involving Eaton and Harris, and enticing jumpers when this pair is coming off of down screens or baseline screens. If you over commit to their jumpers, you open things up for the Cowboys’ two deadly shooters.

Chase Obi Muenelo Off His Jumper
Obi doesn’t like to put the ball on the deck and go to the hole, so it would be a good idea for Texas to jump on his shooting arm on the catch and force Muenelo to try to do damage on the dribble. If he’s allowed to get into a catch and shoot rhythm, Texas is going to have a nightmarish time slowing down OSU’s best player. James Anderson.

Guarding James Anderson
Texas doesn’t have a player on the roster that can slow down the talented 6-6 guard. If I was Barnes I’d consider all out denial with either Justin Mason and Varez Ward in a an effort to make Anderson work to find offense. James was a ridiculous 12-16 from the field last time out against the Horns, and if he’s able to duplicate that performance today, Texas likely loses.

Patience
OSU is going to speed up the game with 4 and sometimes 5 perimeter players on the floor so Texas has to be careful not to get into a running game for the sake of running. If Texas has numbers on the break then punishing the Cowboys in transition is in order. If Texas has 3 on 3 or worse, Dogus needs to find shots for players in the secondary break or run offense. OSU makes a ton of easy looks available for opposing teams that simply run offense, so Texas has to do a good job of being patient, moving the basketball, making extra passes, and not bailing out the Cowboys with bad shots early in the shot clock.

Pittman and the Lilliputians
If Texas wants to get Pittman involved against OSU’s 4 guard look, it’s going to have surround the big man with quickness and ballhandlers to maximize the ability to control tempo. Abrams, Balbay, Mason, and James/Ward give the Horns the ballhandlers and quickness needed to keep OSU from dictating game speed. This also allows Texas to use Abrams on the strongside and then take advantage of an OSU overplay by quickly reversing the basketball for an easy entry to Dex on the weak block. OSU has zero answer for Pittman in this game. Dex needs 20 minutes today.

Texas better bring it, because OSU is going to be sky high knowing what’s on the line. It’ll take a hellacious effort for the Horns to win, because this is a horrible spot for Texas.

Thoughts?

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24 Responses

  1. Nero said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 8:19 am

    Did you drink any ORION beer in Tulsa? It’s Japanese and amazing, and I’m pretty sure it is only available on the west coast and oddly, Oklahoma, here in the US. You sure can’t find it in Texas.

  2. Bob in Houston said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    I agree, tough spot.

    But to a certain extent, I think the attitude of this team has turned a bit. They know that it’s not going to be as bad as it was. They can play loose. Can you imagine the “Here we go again” thoughts had they not beaten OU? Tech, like everyone else, it seems, was hitting threes whenever needed. But they kept poise and turned it around.

    As far as that goes, Tech is giving OU fits right now.

    What am I sowing here? If they play a decent game, I think they have a decent chance to win.

  3. Scipio Tex said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    I have this penciled in as a loss and I hope to be surprised.

    Thanks for the breakdown. Has Eaton improved on defense at all this year? Everytime I watched him, his effort level is shit on that end if he doesn’t get an immediate steal.

  4. absolut said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    Talladega Nights is just coming on TBS if you are interested in watching funnier car wrecks and guys who score. We are offensive-to watch……..

  5. kchorn said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:05 pm

    “Watching the game I felt like I was being water boarded by some scientists from the RAND Corporation.”

    Seeing what’s going on today, I imagine the scientists this time will be from Yoyodyne or Weyland-Yutani.

  6. Facebook User said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    If they play a decent game…

    Our offense is just a train wreck.

    When was the last time Damion hit a jump shot? Or Mason?

    Dex is a weapon when he’s not being guarded by his own man and Balbay’s man.

    Trips – Please write up next year’s team. It’s my understanding we have some guys who can score.

    And we’re big but we’re slow off the floor. Chapman, Atchley, Dex are all getting schooled by quicker guys who are better leapers. Often when they have position.

    Man, this is depressing.

  7. Callkevin said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    18 points in the first half with 29 seconds to go.

  8. absolut said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    We need Harrison Smith to come off the bench and spark us to a 20 point loss.

  9. absolut said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

    I also see dead people. Can’t believe I called the Smith substitute. Actually think he is a pretty damn good player compared to some of his other team members. A 3 from Smith. Shit.

  10. Gavin31 said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:30 pm

    Texas might be one of the dumbest teams I have seen in a long time. They get close and then turn the ball over or foul. Also, can James or the Turk make a freaking layup?

  11. Gavin31 said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:32 pm

    How is Chapman allowed to play for a Division 1A school? Sit the white kids at the end of the bench.

  12. DirkNash said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:49 pm

    Why can’t Damian James make a layup? Can’t do that in the NBA.

  13. Gavin31 said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    Why are they playing up so close on them? STOP FOULING! That’s how they lost to Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas St.

  14. RansomStoddard said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    So our offense has deteriorated to where we rely on Harrison Smith shooting threes to score. Pathetic

  15. Servant Girl Annihilator said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

    Holy crap. I feel like it’s f’ing Groundhog Day wathing the Horns lose another game with AJ Abrams running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

    Are we really that uncreative on offense?

  16. RansomStoddard said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 5:09 pm

    And we get beat by 9 by a team that is likely NIT bound. About right.

  17. Facebook User said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 5:13 pm

    And we get beat by 9 by a team that is likely NIT bound.

    Maybe we’ll beat them in the re-match!

  18. Bob in Houston said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    Did I say “decent” game? Of course I meant “dreadful.” And they still had a chance to win. (shakes head)

  19. ATXHornsFan said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    well that sucked. Nice rally, but turnovers and inability to execute doomed us.

    On a happier note, it was a great day at the Disch. Great pitching from Taylor Jungman in the 1st game and Cole Green in the 2nd, with Wood closing both.

  20. no shit said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 8:41 pm

    “Are we really that uncreative on offense?”

    no, Barnes is that bad on offense and always has been when not assisted up by an all-american/all-world point guard. sounds like another certain coach on campus, different sport…

    they didn’t even compete tonight, no hussle for loose balls, etc…Our offense is very big 10ish; we were lucky to have 18 in the first half. awful.

    Bob, you still think “we’ll compete” against Kansas? ha.

  21. longhornmatt said:

    February 28th, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    “Dex is a weapon when he’s not being guarded by his own man and Balbay’s man.”

    The solution to this is so simple. Put Abrams and Dex/Damion on one side and clear everyone else out. Pass to Abrams on the wing, and let him enter the ball into the post. We did it twice tonight, and we got the ball into Pittman both times. He had a three point play on one of them, and he missed a good look at a hook shot on the other.

    But no we can’t do this, because then AJ wouldn’t be able to mindlessly run around screens for 35 seconds – never actually getting open, of course, because he refuses to curl cut into the middle or do anything else to counter the defender from trailing him over the top of the screen. No, we certainly can’t sacrifice that part of our offense to actually get the ball inside.

  22. beowulf said:

    March 1st, 2009 at 4:40 am

    Barnes is still in the Top 10 Best Coaches on Campus. Around 6th or 7th now.

    Give him a break.

  23. Bob in Houston said:

    March 1st, 2009 at 10:01 am

    Yeah… Kansas is good, but not special.

  24. no shit said:

    March 1st, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Barnes is still my favorite coach on the 40 acres.

    kansas is down this year but osu is not even close to “good”; at least not kicking our ass double digits good. ya know? frustrating.

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