Saturday, February 25, 2006

Texas @ KU




ESPN preview
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Kansas visits Texas in battle for first place in Big 12
Gameday Matchup

AUSTIN, Texas (Ticker) - No. 18 Kansas' remarkable run to the top of the Big 12 Conference standings will face its toughest test with Saturday's visit to seventh-ranked Texas.
The two clubs enter the contest tied atop the league standings with three games to play, making the 16th meeting between the teams a critical one.
While Texas (23-4, 11-2 Big 12) was predicted to be in this spot, it likely did not expect to be challenged by the youthful Jayhawks (20-6, 11-2), who have used their starting lineup of three freshman and two sophomores to reel off 10 straight wins.
The last five victories have come by double figures, including Tuesday's 76-61 triumph over Baylor. Freshman Julian Wright scored a season-high 20 points on 10-of-11 shooting for Kansas, which held a 38-28 rebounding advantage and forced 18 turnovers.
Wright has started the last nine games, shooting 56 percent from the floor in that span. Fellow first-year player Brandon Rush, who chipped in 11 points and four steals Tuesday, leads all Big 12 freshmen in scoring with a 14.2 average.
The Longhorns may feel fortunate to be in a first-place tie after outlasting Kansas State on Wednesday, 65-64. They held a 10-point lead in the first half before seeing most of it disappear down the stretch and surviving.
P.J. Tucker recorded his 10th double-double of the season with 14 points and 12 rebounds and LaMarcus Aldridge had 16 and eight for Texas, which is one win shy of matching the school record for regular-season victories in a season.
The 1946-47 Longhorns squad that reached the Final Four was the only team to reach 24 victories before the postseason. Tuesday's victory was the 1,500th in program history.
The Jayhawks own an 11-4 series advantage, including a 90-65 triumph in the last meeting a little over a year ago

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