In a major upset in NCAA Men’s college basketball, the No. 11 Texas Longhorns made the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks eat crow or more importantly the Longhorns devoured the Jayhawks for dinner after their 72-69 victory Monday night in Austin.
Monday against Kansas, point guard D.J. Augustin struggled going 1-of-13 from the field, but Connor Atchley and Damion James picked up the slack. Atchley was 4-for- 4 from 3-point range scoring 16 points while James had 12 points and 13 rebounds for the Longhorns.
A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin went 6-of-26 from the field, not very good for the top two scorers. With Atchley and James picking up the slack, the Longhorns were able to turn a four-point halftime deficit into the 72-69 win. The Jayhawks had a 23-13 rebounding edge at halftime and a 13-7 advantage in second half points.
The second half was a whole different story as Texas out-rebounded Kansas 23 -12 and had an 11-2 edge in second-chance points. Last year’s team with Kevin Durant was 17-7 at this point, while this year’s team is 20-4. It makes you wonder how a team that was supposed to be rebuilding this year and not even be a force in the Big 12, is now only one game behind first-place Kansas State University.
The Longhorns travel to Kansas State on Feb. 25 to take on the Wildcats. If the Longhorns win that game, then this Longhorns team could go deep into the NCAA tournament. The Longhorns may not be as talented as Duke, North Carolina, Memphis or some others, but this Longhorn team plays with a lot of heart and guts. When the NCAA tournament rolls around, that will probably get you a few wins. Whether it gets them all the way to San Antonio and the NCAA Final Four, only time will tell.
The Texas Longhorns travel to Waco Saturday to take on Baylor at 5:00 p.m. Baylor is another surprise team that’s done better than people thought they would do this season. Baylor almost defeated the Longhorns Feb. 2, but faded in the second half to lose 80-72. Baylor will be out for blood, while Texas wants to prove it can win a big game on the road before having to go up to Manhatten, Kansas to take on Kansas State.
In football news, the NFC defeated the AFC in the Pro Bowl, 42-30. Minnesota Viking running back Adrian Peterson was named the games MVP. Terrell Owens of Dallas caught two touchdowns in the NFC win.