You may have seen this coming.
I’ve been immersed in Big 12 hoopla, despite the fact that the conference is down this year, and that the tourney is being held in disinterested Dallas—as opposed to KC, it’s rightful, hoops-crazy locale. But as I said, the tournament’s been on. The Jayhawks are playing and I’ve been tracking.
Watching KU apply a haymaker to Oklahoma State after the Sooners drew first blood was eye-opening. Less so was the Nebraska execution today, which surprised no one, least of all me, who predicted the outcome within two points. Tomorrow the Jayhawks face the Texas Longhorns to do battle for shiny Big 12 hardware.
Some of you have probably been wondering: Given the 25-point wax job that Texas applied to the Jayhawks in Austin, am I really going to make a prediction about the championship? Earlier, John B. was asking me the same question, thinking, no doubt, to expose my foreknowledge of the assured KU loss. But no.
This time the good guys win.
You see, I watched the Longhorns eke out a seven-point win over a mediocre Texas Tech team. And I today watched them barely survive Texas A&M. This ‘Horns team is ridiculously loaded with talent, but they’re playing vulnerable. And KU is still hurting from the Austin debacle. They’re also aggressive and slightly cocky.
This gives me room to prognosticate a little. Here’s what will happen en route to a Jayhawk victory.
- KU’s C.J. Giles will show up tomorrow, forcing NBA-caliber center LaMarcus Aldridge to take contested shots. Once upon a time, people were saying C.J. was a lottery pick himself, and he needs to take off the ballerina slippers and remind us. The well-muscled duo, Darnell Jackson and Sasha Kaun, will take turns pushing Aldridge further up the lane.
- I need double digit scoring from Brandon Rush. The Longhorns have so many offensive weapons, they’re sure to put points on the board, and Rush can’t wilt like he did in Austin. Rush tends to be a barometer for the fate of the ‘Hawks.
- Finally, KU will have to limit their turnovers. I’ll take anything below fifteen.
Prediction:
Kansas 71
Texas 68
The Jayhawks will corral the Longhorns, but just barely. Maybe a last-minute trey from Mario Chalmers? I'm out on a limb (balanced on the rim), calling for the win.
4 comments:
"I'm out on a limb (balanced on the rim), calling for the win."
Well. You could always take up rapping if this prognostication stuff doesn't go well for you.
Hook 'em.
The Jayhawks have won (and proved your prophetic status) and the tourney slots have been chosen.
As soon as I discovered that the Jayhawks would be in Auburn Hills, Michigan (a mere 3.5 hour drive away from me) I hopped on the web to see how much tickets cost. My hopes were instantly crushed--$115 for the nosebleeds is to steep for anything but a final four game; and even then I'd probably have to sell stuff to justify the huge expense. How much is just under two hours of basketball heaven worth to you?
What a game. What a day. What a pick. ;)
ESPN just called, asking if I'd like to do some color commentary on "most likely office pool winners" during the week ahead. My official title would be "Bracketology Assistant." I told them I wanted a title without "assistant" in it, as that sounded second-best, and the guy who'd called (Seth Davis I think?) got a little offended. Hard to say if the deal will go down.
Man oh man. Now that the 'Hawks have brushed the Texas dirt off the trophy, it's looking grand.
Tim, I'm not sure what I'd do in your situation. We definitely wouldn't be able to afford two tickets, and I'm not sure how Lindsay would handle staying home. Since you're also a married man, this is a choice you'll have to weigh for yourself.
Ariel, congratulations to your 'Hawks on an impressive win. I had not counted on Aldridge having such an off day.
But it's my turn now to give voice to something I've worried about all season and which I'll be posting about later: Texas' season-long (to my mind) inconsistency of play (as opposed to ability). No one doubts Texas has the athletes to make a deep run in the tournament--recall the early talk about Texas being a Final Four team. And I'm not too worried about our perimeter play; that seemed just fine on Sunday. But as you know, teams with consistent inside presences tend to go further in the tournament, and if Aldridge has another game in the Dance like he did on Sunday, I fear that that will be that.
All that said, I think this year's tournament will be a very good one from a fan's point of view. No clear favorite; lots of mid-levelers with legitimate shots at deep runs . . . what could be better?
(I'm letting that "Texas dirt" line go, just for now.)
Post a Comment