Langford: Jayhawks ‘have to make shots’
Austin, Texas ? The bottom line, Keith Langford said, is Kansas University couldn’t put the ball in the basket Monday night.
“It’s no secret that it’s been tough for us sometimes to score,” Langford said after KU hit 25 of 65 shots (38.5 percent) in an 82-67 loss to Texas at Erwin Center. “We can’t give up easy baskets when we’re having problems scoring.”
Texas canned a lot of shots, especially a lot of inside shots — 36 points in the paint — in the Big 12 Conference battle.
“You have to credit their defense to a certain extent,” Langford said. “But we have to make shots. A big part of winning games is defense, but we have to make shots. We’ve got to pound it into our heads inside and out.”
Langford hit seven of 15 shots and three of four three-pointers. Wayne Simien scored 15 points off 5-of-16 shooting, while Aaron Miles was 4-for-7 for 14 points and J.R. Giddens 5-for-13 with 11 points. KU scored two points off the bench.
Texas ran its usual plethora of bodies at KU, but just two ‘Horns scored in double figures.
“They are probably the deepest team in the league,” Simien said. “They throw fresh bodies at you, and it’ll wear you down.”
Texas now leads KU by two games in the race for second in the league. Oklahoma State is three ahead of KU in the loss column.
“The best we can do now is third place,” Michael Lee said after failing to score in 10 minutes. “It’s our championship. We’ve got to play the best we can whether it’s third, second or first.”
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Late arrivals: The Jayhawks’ trip to Texas started out on the wrong foot. Because of mechanical problems, KU’s charter flight out of Topeka was delayed Sunday night because of a faulty light. KU coach Bill Self called an impromptu practice at Washburn University for two hours, then the Jayhawks flew to Austin, arriving at midnight.
Because of lightning in Texas, several media types flying out of Kansas City International Airport were delayed four hours Monday and arrived an hour before tipoff.
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Olson not on trip: KU senior Brett Olson did not make the trip. It turns out the Big 12 has a rule that only 15 players can make road trips. Earlier in the season it was believed all 16 Jayhawks could travel with the team, but only 15 could suit up.
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Buckman stays home: UT sophomore Brad Buckman, who made an official recruiting visit to Kansas his senior year of high school, made a bunch of his relatives happy when he decided to remain in his hometown of Austin to play college basketball.
Buckman’s dad, Brent, won a pair of national golf titles at UT in 1971 and 1972.
Lopsided loss for the ages
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See the photos: KU-Texas photo gallery“My dad has been there every step of the way, from taking me to basketball games when I was young to helping me through the recruiting process,” said the 6-foot-8 Buckman, whose dad accompanied him on his official recruiting trip to Lawrence three years ago.
“He has always told me the truth and never lets me get down on myself. It’s good to have someone to talk to who has been in my position before.”
Buckman’s parents were beaming last spring when Brad scored 11 points and grabbed four rebounds to help the Longhorns beat Michigan State in the Elite Eight and advance to the Final Four.
“Seeing my dad’s face with tears in his eyes once we won the Michigan State game was amazing,” said Buckman who this year averages 6.8 points (off 37.4 percent shooting) and 5.4 boards for the Longhorns.
“It was such an emotional moment and it was great to be able to share it with my parents.”