Norlander: “Texas has horses to make run at Kentucky”
Matt Norlander over at CBSSports.com is a fan of this year’s Texas Longhorns, as he should be. They’re a very good team, no doubt. But with the UK-Texas game only days away, Norlander is saying what Big Blue Nation doesn’t want to hear right now: Texas can beat Kentucky.
If the Wildcats are to lose a game (and they will lose a game), this would be the ideal opponent (though not the right site) to have it happen. Just six outcomes in, Texas has proven what it is (awesome on defense, fairly deep, capable of scoring at all three levels) while showing more than glimpses, but rather sustained evidence, of what it can be.
These guys are long and tall. And experienced. And familiar with each other, and that intrateam understanding has been vital in the past two weeks. Winning without Taylor has been ultra-impressive, given the venues and overt doubts about how the offense would manage without one of the best point guards in the sport. Yet Texas remains on course.
All good points, Norlander, but Shhhhhhhhh. We like to think the Cats are invincible.
But you’re kind of right.
[Texas standing tall in early going, has horses to make run at Kentucky]
26 Comments for Norlander: “Texas has horses to make run at Kentucky”
They can but they won’t. We’ll lose some games but I don’t see it being to them.
On the converse Kentucky has the Horses to make a run at Texas. Let us think we have Cal to plan a week in advance to play them on our home court. They have Barnes. Gee I really like our chances here.
I hope we go undefeated just so Norlander will have to eat his shorts.
It will be fun to read Norlander’s article after Texas loses by 20 or more points on Friday.
“If the game wasn’t at Rupp…”
“If Texas had their Point Guard…”
“If, if, if….”
terrible analogy to say texas has the HORSES to run at kentucky.
Clearly, the team to make a run at Kentucky is Incarnate Word, ranked #1 in two of three rating systems in Sagarin’s list:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaab/sagarin/2015/team/
myles turner will fade down the stretch
According to Sagarin, it is UK by 8
Bring it on, Longhorns…
One thing is certain, if its close Barnes will have his deer in the headlights look and not know what to do. He has to be one of the sports worst X’s and O’s coaches when the game is on the line. Therefore, I think UT has to be up 10 or more at the end to win and that scenario is more unlikely than UT winning the title, almost zero.
from what i recall he just drew up a great out of bounds play to win a game the other night
I’d have to agree with this as well. Texas may match up well on paper, but I doubt they can match up in talent on the floor. BUT, assuming everything is even on the floor I’d still rather have Calipari on my bench than Barnes. Especially after he public refused the UK job when he was never in actually in contention for it.
barnes, like a blind hog, finds an acorn every once in a while.
This game will be good and will be a great test for everyone on our team. Most importantly, the big guys will have an even matchup in which they’ll have to work for everything.
Thankfully they get to practice against it during every practice.
so does Texas, I don’t know if some of these guys are worth anything, I only recognize Turner and Ridley, but here’s the top of their roster by height: 6’11”, 6’10”, 6’9″, 6’9″, 6’9″, 6’9″, 6’8″ … so, they have plenty of tall, long guys to throw at us … the difference is our guys are All-American level talent
I don’t think we lose, but Norlander did get me a little more hype for the game
Hopefully the crowd is rowdy so the players can feed off of that energy.
Ain’t skeered. (now adding more words so KSR will stop telling me my comment is too short”
Texas WILL be the toughest test our players have seen to this point. They might find it hard to come back from a sluggish start with Texas. I’m excited to see what our boys have learned so far this season. If we have to take a loss, I’d rather do it right now to Texas than to UNC or UL later this year.
Texas got lucky and won that game the other night.They will not be that lucky friday night. Cats by 15
We are not losing to Texas. We are much better team. Also, we are going undefeated into the final four. If we have a few players having an off night we have pros that will step in. If Andrew has the flu then Tyler steps up.
They might have horses, but we got the Thoroughbreds baby!
Turner and Ridley will exhausted at halftime. Five minutes into the second half-dry heaves…
Of course Texas COULD beat this UK team. So could Kansas have beaten this UK team. So could Providence. But Texas has not yet played well enough to do it, and UK has not yet played poorly enough (even against Boston or Buffalo) to let it happen.
In 7 of 14 halves or regular-season play, UK defense has held opponents to under 20. And in 3 of those halves, our D has held opponents under the teens. Only in the Boston letdown after rocking the Chalk outta the Jayhawk did UK D fail to achieve an under-20 half. And still won that contest by 24 points or a 37% margin of victory.
Defense cures many ills, and the consistency and attitude (“we don’t want the opponent to score another point”) of our Wildcats so far suggests Texas is in trouble Friday night.
Norlander also picked Kansas to beat us in the CBS podcast the day before that game sooooo there’s that…
And Rick Barnes has removed his name from the offensive coordinator position at UK football.
Am I the only one who things Barnes has underachieved too many times to count?
Norlander wants a good game so he can say he was first on the scene.