Post Game Points: Texas v. Oklahoma

1. WHEN AJ IS ON... No one in the country can shut him down. Last night, Abrams showed how important he is to the Texas offense, as he almost single-handedly brought Texas back from a 10 point halftime deficit. He hit off the catch, off the dribble and (for the first time I've seen) off the jab step. AJ has to be one of the smartest screen users in the country as well. He has the ability to know exactly how to use the screen. His go-to is usually the curl around the screen, but when OU was over playing that last night, he was able to fake the curl and fade off the screen for an open three. He made the correct decision all last night and was able to hit huge threes for Texas.

2. THE MOST EFFECTIVE OFFENSE... Has been when Justin Mason runs point while AJ and DJ Augustin run off base line screens. I love the offense for two reasons: First, AJ's previously discussed productivity off the screen. Secondly, I like when DJ catches the ball in the triple-threat, before he has used his dribble. I feel the DJ is much more affective this way. He has the ability to shoot off the catch. But his added ability to drive or pass from the triple threat makes him more effective with the ball. It utilizes his quick first step, all the while leaving the pass and shoot options open.

3. INTERIOR DEFENSE... Is still a problem. The Sooners, and especially the Griffin brothers, were able to get good post position and easy inside shots all game. While Connor Atchley is a decent defender, he lets his man get position way to close to the basket. Several times OU was able to feed their post, who was essentially standing under the rim. When Blake Griffin caught the ball at the free throw line, he was always able to take it strong to the rim. Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman play hard, but they are just not experienced enough on the defensive end to always be in position. The same can be said for Gary Johnson, but with slightly less effort given. Dexter Pittman saw limited action against OU, but played decently and made a nice hustle play, diving out of bounds for a loose ball. He just doesn't have the stamina yet to be effective for long streched of game. Gary, Dex and the young posts must develope fast for Texas to be able to compete for a run in the NCAA's.

4. JEFF CAPEL HAS DEVELOPED... The same angry face as former OU coach, Kelvin Sampson. I thought it was impossible for a coach to be as whiney as Sampson, but Capel looks to be his spitting image, minus the customary blue denim shirt and red tie. I get that referee calls can be frustrating, but a coach that is on the refs too much will lose his credibility and will just come off as a cry baby. The OU fans also seem to follow the lead of their coach, as they booed nearly every call against the Sooners as if it had cost them the game. Its not like many expected much more from the Oklahoma bunch, but that really got old after a while.

5. TEXAS STARTS THE GAME: Worse than any team I've seen in recent memory. Once again the Horns dug themselves a 10 point hole to start the game. OU came out like most Texas opponents, and hit every shot they threw up for the first 8 minutes of the game, while Texas could not find the bucket on any shot. This start essentially cost the horns the game in College Station, as the Aggies were able to play hard and extend their lead. Fortunately, Baylor and OU were not able to do the same with their large, early leads. This is the exact kind of thing that costs teams in the NCAA Tourney. High seeds come out to an energetic lower seed, get down early and never recover. Texas needs to focus, for the rest of the season on good starts. This is also how favored seed win in March. They come out and dominante the underdog from the tip and never let them emotionally in the game. This will be key for Texas down the stretch.

Big XII Weekend Capsule: Week 1, Part 2

Kansas State (10-4) at Oklahoma (12-3)
- This game is probably the biggest contest of the weekend in the Big XII. Neither team has a great shot to compete against the Big 3 in the conference, but the winner of this game will be in the drivers seat towards making an NCAA tournament bid. It could be very likely that these two teams sit 4 & 5 in the Big XII at the end of the season with very similar tournament resumes. Kansas State is lead by their two stars, Michael Beasley (24.3 ppg/13.3 rpg) and Bill Walker (15.3 ppg/6.9 rpg). They make a formidable front court tandem as both can play inside and out and can run the floor, handle the ball, and score. It will be a difficult test for Oklahoma's two leading scores, PF Blake Griffin (Fr; 14.7 ppg/8.8 rpg) and C Longar-Longar (Sr; 12.7 ppg/6.1 rpg). Both are more traditional big men and will have a difficult time dealing with their athleticism. If they can attack Kansas State inside and get Beasley in foul trouble, Oklahoma will have a good chance to win this game.

Prediction - Oklahoma 67, Kansas State 64

Iowa State (10-5) at Baylor (12-2)
- No, really. Baylor is good. And they proved themselves on the road, with wins at Wichita State, Notre Dame, and South Carolina. They also lost to #3 Washington State by 3 and Arkansas by 7 in Waco and beat Winthrop. This team has 5 guys scoring in double figures and deep and talented guard play. With Curtis Jerrells, LaceDarius Dunn, Aaron Bruce, Henry Dugat, and Tweety Carter, Baylor can play with any team in the country. The one glaring weakness for the Bears is in the front court where Kevin Rogers is expected to pick up most of the slack. This is the weakness that Iowa State will need to attack if they have any hope of winning this game. With three forwards and a center scoring in double figures for the Cyclones, they have the weapons to attack Baylor's weaknesses. It will come down to which team can dictate the pace and their style of play. And that's where you think that Baylor's backcourt will prevail.

Prediction - Baylor 82, Iowa State 69

#3 Kansas (15-0) at Nebraska (11-2)
- With wins over Arizona State and #16 Oregon, behind the play of first team All Big XII center Aleks Maric (Sr; 16.2 ppg/8.4 rpg) , Nebraska has looked its strongest in the past four years. Will that matter against Kansas? No. This team is too talented, too deep, and too well coached. They have been tested against Arizona, USC, Georgia Tech, and Boston College this season and they have handled them all. The only time they look vulnerable is when they get complacent. Their roster is littered with future NBA players and are the clear favorite to win the Big XII this season. They won't drop their conference opener.

Prediction - Kansas 87, Nebraska 69

Big XII Weekend Capsule: Week 1, Part 1

Big XII Conference play opens this weekened with Kansas State and Oklahoma meeting for an important early matchup in Norman. #13 Texas and #3 Kansas also have challenging road tests in Missouri and Nebraska to start the conference slate. Everyone knows Kansas, Texas, and #10 Texas A&M will be battling for the crown at the end of the season, but it will be interesting what other teams will be in the mix towards the end of the season out of a group that includes Oklahoma, Kansas State, Missouri, and could it be, Baylor? Here's a look at this weekend's opening week matchups...

#13 Texas (13-2) at Missouri (10-5)
- Former UAB coach Mike Anderson has come to Columbia with his high energy, high pressure system, and it has already begun to show results. With a good recruiting class in place for next year, Anderson has this program on the right track. While they aren't ready to contend right now, Quin Snyder did leave some non-criminal talent at Missouri. Missouri is lead by DeMarre Carroll (PF/Jr; 14.8 ppg/6.8 rpg) and Stefhon Hannah (PG/Sr; 13.9 ppg/5.5 apg). But Missouri will run a lot of players at Texas and pressure the entire game. DJ Augustin, AJ Abrams, and Justin Mason will all be called upon to handle the ball and face the pressure, and if they can hold up, Texas' offensive fire power should be too much for Missouri to handle. The guard play at Texas is its strongest point, and the recent play of Damion James and the addition of Gary Johnson has Texas at the strongest it has been all season.

Prediction: Texas 87, Missouri 79

Texas Tech (9-5) at Oklahoma State (9-5)
-It is strange to not have Tech and OSU near the top of the Big XII. But this year both programs are in rebuilding mode. At times both have looked very good and very bad. Tech with wins over #14 Gonzaga and a one point loss to #25 Stanford, and losses to Sam Houston State, Centenary, and New Mexico by 17. Oklahoma State with wins against LSU and Washington by 25 and losses to Illinois, Oral Roberts, and #13 Marquette by 30. Tech is lead by Martin Zeno, but I'm told they have other players. The backcourt of Alan Voskil and John Roberson are the only other threats with both scoring in double figures. Oklahoma State will counter with their three guards, James Anderson, Terrel Harris, and Byron Eaton. The game may very well come down to the play of Marcus Dove inside for Oklahoma State. If he can have a big day he will take the pressure off of his guards to win the backcourt battle.

Prediction: Oklahoma State 65, Texas Tech 59

Colorado (8-6) at #10 Texas A&M (14-1)
- You would think Colorado is a talented Division III team the way they don't have anyone over 6'6" that averages at least 13 minutes a game. I guess that also could explain why they couldn't beat New Orleans. No, not the Hornets. The...um...well New Orleans....College/University/High School? Richard Roby leads this team in scoring, rebounding, and attempts to kill himself or a teammate. I suppose I could go into how Texas A&M is playing well under Mark Turgeon, and Josh Carter has developed into a solid go-to threat, and how DeAndre Jordan is getting better every game averaging 10.3 ppg and 7.3 rpg, and how this program will continue to get better as they've already signed two ESPN 150 recruits for next year from, get this, Florida? But really, I think all you need to know is that Colorado is really, really, really bad.

PREDICTION: Texas A&M 81, Colorado 63

Tomorrow: Kansas State at Oklahoma, Iowa State at Baylor, and #3 Kansas at Nebraska

Hey, it's the NBA!

The NBA returned to action last night, and the Spurs picked up right where they left off. Kobe Bryant also put in his application to become the next Allen Iverson, as he hoisted up 32 shots, scoring 45 points, in the losing effort.

Despite the loss to the Spurs, LaMarcus Aldridge had a solid night for the Blazers. With the injury to Greg Oden, Aldridge is going to be relied on heavily this season to reach his potential in his second season. He got off to a good start, scoring 27 points on 12-19 shooting in 36 minutes. He also stayed out of foul trouble which was a consistent problem in his rookie campaign. The Blazers shot themselves in the foot a bit trading Zach Randolph before the season. Now with the injury to Oden, Aldridge will have every chance in the world to prove himself.

Kevin Durant begins his rookie campaign with a team with all kinds of question marks. It is obvious that this is Durant's team. He is their superstar. However, his durability is already becoming an issue with his sprained ankle that he's trying to come back from. However, the bigger question marks would certainly be the talent around Durant which is pretty non-exsistant. Durant will be fun to watch. The Sonics will not be. Though, I think you have to say the biggest questions mark is how far away this team is from becoming the Oklahoma City Sonics. Would they stay the Sonics? Or would they become something that locals can get behind, like the Oklahoma City This State Sucks?

TJ Ford will begin his second season at the helm for the Toronto Raptors. Ford is coming off career highs in points and assists and more importantly a season that he was pretty healthy throughout. While Ford is the starter in Toronto he will have to perform, as Toronto has quite a few people fighting for some playing time in their backcourt. He split time last season with Jose Calderon, and a late season trade added Juan Dixon. Now through free agency, Carlos Delfino and Derrick Martin joined the fray. Ford will get every opportunity to be the lead guy, but he will need to perform.

Daniel Gibson will start the season as the starting point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, coming off his post-season emergence, where he become one of the few reliable and useful players that the Cavs had outside of LeBron. Gibson, in only his second season will have every opportunity to play regardless of his performance. This is the case when you have Eric Snow and Damon Jones as the only other people that could possibly take away playing time. Gibson is only in his second season, but it looks like he may have found himself a niche in Cleveland.

Royal Ivey finds himself in a new home in his fourth season, joining the Milwaukee Bucks after three years in Atlanta. Ivey finds himself in a contributing role with Milwaukee as he will be one of two guards to come off the bench. He should find himself as a backup at point guard as well as a rotational player in the lineup. He had his moments in Atlanta, but could never seem to find his place. Hopefully, in a place with a little more stability, he will be able to find his key in the offense.

Maurice Evans and Chris Mihm are back and healthy in Los Angeles. With the lack of a designated lineup and bench, minutes should be full and plentiful. Right now Mihm finds himself behind Kwame Brown and Andrew Bynum, but as inconsistent as they have been, Mihm will certainly get a chance to get in the game and make something happen. Evans should remain a player that gets 15 to 20 minutes a game in the Los Angeles rotation.

Looking around, blast from the past, Kris Clack is on the roster for the Austin Toros, NBA D-League team. He is joined on the team with Brad Buckman. Also, former Longhorn Brian Boddicker has left his Turkish club and signed with Grupo Capitol in the Spanish League.