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Longhorns' game against Stanford not in the bag yet
By Colby White
Doesn't feel right, does it?
A trip to Houston for the Sweet 16 in what should amount to another home game and a 26-point night for A.J. Abrams on 6-10 shooting from behind the arc should make Texas fans feel pretty good about the Longhorns. But the numbers don't lie - nor do they comfort. Sunday against Miami, Texas led by 16 with 4:15 remaining in the game only to watch the lead be slowly chipped away by the Hurricane's three-point shooting and brought down to two. And then, with less than two seconds left and the game on the line, there was D.J. Augustin's air-ball free throw that made you cringe. Does that sound like a No. 2 seed? Every fan has reason to feel a little worried, especially considering the way Texas let the Hurricanes back in the game. Miami, an overrated team who gets the benefit of the doubt because they're in a tough conference, simply put together runs behind their 3-point shooting (6-of-11 in the second half) thanks to Texas switching in and out of the 2-3 zone. That sounds a lot like the Big 12 title game against Kansas. Texas, who likes to play on the perimeter, played the zone in order to keep the Jayhawk's big men out of the paint. The result: Kansas shoots 60 percent from deep (15-of-25) and ends up taking the title. Now consider who the Longhorns have to match up with next: a Stanford team that touts the Lopez brothers, the best twin duo since, well, Stanford's last set of twin big men. (Remember the Collins brothers? Let's hope the Lopez brothers do better in the NBA.) If Texas decides to play the zone in order to contain Brook and Robin Lopez, then it leaves open Stanford's shooters to burn the Longhorns from deep in the mold of Miami and Kansas. The only question is, will Stanford's shooters be as deadly as Kansas' or fall short like Miami's. It's tough to make predictions, though we pundits do make it look easy, but Stanford is shooting 47 percent from three in the tournament thus far (tied for 15th best) and reserve Kenny Brown - a Texas native, ironically - is shooting 75 percent, best among players who have played in two games. He's only 6-of-8, but you get the picture. All those numbers make for a scary amount of doubt for a No. 2 seed and the possibility for a bitter Sweet 16. The Texan strives to present all information fairly, accurately and completely.
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