Coach: Rick Barnes, 11 years at Texas, 11 years in NCAA tournament.
How they got here: At-large bid; East first round: def. No. 10 seed Minnesota 76-62.
They'll keep winning if ...: They find other consistent threats to go with A.J. Abrams and Damion James. Without
another deadeye from the perimeter, Abrams is often guarded tightly by opponents who cling only to him outside while letting the other
Longhorns fire away. Two starting guards, Dogus Balbay and Justin Mason, struggle to score at times, while center Dexter Pittman is too
big to log many minutes and could be limited by the quick turnaround teams faces in the tournament.
Memorable moment: Texas avenged an earlier loss against Oklahoma to win its seventh in eight games against the
Sooners, 73-68, in a Feb. 21 victory at home. Although the victory was achieved with OU standout Blake Griffin out the entire second half
after suffering a concussion, Texas prevented its Red River rival from climbing to No. 1 in the polls. Senior guard A.J. Abrams was at his
streaky best, scoring 16 straight points over the final eight minutes while leading the Longhorns with 23 points.
A.J. Abrams
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Go-to guys: A.J. Abrams is deadly if left to roam the arc, while forward Damion James can muscle to the basket and
get garbage points as one of the Big 12's top rebounders. Together, they form a veteran combination capable of carrying the Longhorns.
Each ranked among the Big 12's top 10 scorers.
Strengths: Although his team struggled at times in the Big 12, veteran coach Rick Barnes willed the Longhorns to
another NCAA berth and preserved his perfect string of appearances at Texas. "I felt good about (the bid) going into the conference
season," a defiant Barnes said, coming off a typically tough nonconference schedule to go an uncharacteristic 9-7 in league. No doubt,
he'll have the Longhorns ready.
Weaknesses: Texas cannot afford injuries, like the ankle sprain that kept forward Gary Johnson out of three games prior
to a loss at Kansas to end the regular season. The Longhorns played well in that game, but withered down the stretch. Depth is an issue
inside, especially since Pittman, a 7-footer who weighs 300 pounds, can only go so long. Texas was the worst 3-point shooting team (31.8
percent) in the Big 12 and also struggled at the free-throw line (.672).
Coach: Trent Johnson, four years at Stanford, three years in NCAA Tournament.
How they got here: At-large berth; South first round: def. Cornell 77-53; South second round: def. No. 6 seed Marquette 82-81 in OT
They'll keep winning if: Stanford is proving its point: Size matters. Brook and Robin Lopez combined for 48 points against Marquette. Look for the Cardinal to plant Brook Lopez on the block and make the Longhorns stop him, which might invite coach Rick Barnes to go with a bigger lineup. Reserves Dexter Pittman (6-10, 299) and Gary Johnson (6-7, 235) haven't logged big minutes lately for Texas but will be in the mix. Pittman hasn't played more than 16 minutes in a game all season and Johnson is fighting an ankle injury. Texas has an approach that will look a lot like Marquette's with a guard-heavy rotation that lives and dies with a slash-and-cash, 3-point happy attack. Stanford took better care of the ball against Marquette, when point guard Mitch Johnson played 44 minutes but had 16 assists and one turnover. The Longhorns' scoring comes from their guards.
Memorable moment: All that separated the Cardinal from at least a share of the Pac-10 regular-season crown was a controversial foul call on Lawrence Hill on a shot block against Darren Collison with 2.5 seconds left in regulation at Pauley Pavilion. What appeared to be a clean block became two game-tying free throws by Collison, forcing the game into overtime, where the Bruins pulled away to pocket their third straight league title.
Brook Lopez |
Go-to guys: Sophomore Brook Lopez can be almost unstoppable inside. The 7-foot forward has a unique style and can appear awkward at times. But he is powerful and athletic and scores in a variety of ways around the basket. Plus, he has a mean streak that fuels his competitive nature. Junior forward Lawrence Hill has traditionally made big plays for the Cardinal, but his play this season has been less predictable.
Strengths: The Cardinal brings its defense virtually every game. This is a staple, the one aspect of their game that is unchanged almost from game to game. The defense funnels the ball into the lane, where 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez are waiting to swat shots. Both can find foul trouble, but neither typically leaves the ground to block shots, which tends to curb the hack attack.
Weaknesses: Stanford is an inconsistent shooting team from the perimeter. Mitch Johnson has overcome past reluctance to shoot when left open, but Anthony Goods and Lawrence Hill both have struggled this season to find offensive consistency. The Cardinal needs Goods, in particular, to shoot the ball well in big games.
