Kansas Basketball keys to avoid a falling into a slump against Texas Longhorns

Defend the paint!

In the classic military novel, The Art of War, the philosopher Sun Tzu states “So in war, the way is to avoid what is strong, and strike at what is weak.” When it comes to defeating the Texas Longhorns, the Kansas Jayhawks must avoid their opponents ability to score inside the paint and strike at their inability to consistently knock down outside shots.

So far this season, the Longhorns are ranked 27th in the nation in scoring at 79.9 points per game. They’re also 18th in the nation in field goals made averaging 29.3 makes per contest. While these numbers prove that Texas can score with the best of them, they are not highly ranked in shooting stats that would indicate they possess a roster full of knockdown shooters. They are not ranked in the top 50 in 3-pointers, attempted, made, or percentage. The same can be said of free throws; they are not one of the nation’s top 50 teams in any free throw category.

The Longhorns utilize a style of play that hasn’t dominated college basketball since the mid-2000s. Senior guard Marcus Carr is the only player shooting over 40 percent from 3-point land, but even he is more known for beating defenders off the dribble than for pulling up behind the arc. The team features five players who are shooting better than 50 percent from the field for the year, which is a testament to their ability to penetrate the interior. Teams that favor jump shots rarely shoot that high of a percentage.

In order to combat this, Kansas is going to have to utilize the versatility and athleticism of K.J. Adams Jr. and Jalen Wilson. Adams is leading the team in blocked shots at 1.0 per game and Wilson is leading the team in rebounding at 8.5 per game. While Adams doesn’t have to block shots to be effective, he must contest without fouling and disrupt enough looks to cause the Longhorns’ interior efficiency to dip.

Adams on the other hand must continue to crash the glass, secure rebounds and utilize his quick feet to switch out on guards when called upon. Otherwise, Texas will continue to have its way inside the paint and convert a multitude of easy-scoring opportunities.