Sweet 16: (3) Stanford vs. (2) Texas

By Jimmy Sirody
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Texas is going to have to shoot well against Stanford and its twin 7-footers Brook and Robin Lopez in the ultimate matchup of contrasting styles Friday night at Houston in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA basketball tournament.

The Longhorns have attempted more than 20 three-pointers in 23 games, including eight of their last nine. More important D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams made at least 36 percent of their three-point attempts during the regular season.

Texas is getting ready to play a Cardinal front line that is the biggest left in the tournament. The closest thing to Stanford in the Big 12 is Texas A&M, which used four players 6-9 or taller. When the Longhorns weren't hitting from the outside (34.4 percent) against the Aggies on Jan 30, A&M sagged into the lane, took away double penetration and handed UT its worst loss of the season, 80-63, in College Station.

In other words Texas will need to keep shooting the way it did against Austin Peay (49.1) and Miami (43.9). The Horns were 23-of-48 from three-point range (47.9) in the first two games.

While Texas hoists nearly 21 three-point bombs per game, many of them are uncontested, thanks to Augustin's ability to penetrate the lane and then toss the ball out to his wide open teammates.

Everything Stanford does at both ends is based on its seven-foot sophomores. Brook and Robin have given new meaning to Twin Towers these past two seasons as they've changed opponent's shots on defense and been a point guard's dream on the offensive end. At a combined 14 feet and 515 pounds and possessing a mean streak, they beat opponents up and wear them down.

Stanford isn't as athletic and probably not as physically strong as Texas. But their ability to pound the offensive glass gives them a chance to knock off the Longhorns. The Cardinal is virtually unbeatable when Lawrence Hill gets involved in the offense. They are 11-1 when he scores in double figures.

At times this season Stanford has beaten itself, especially with turnovers. It placed in the bottom half of the Pac-10 in both turnover margin and assist-to-turnover ratio. However, that trend subsided for the most part in the latter half of the season, with the Cardinal committing single-digit miscues six times in conference play.

No team in the tournament would be happier to eliminate the clock than Stanford. Coach Trent Johnson's primary goal is slowing the pace, eliminating transition on both ends and pounding the ball in the post. It's worth noting that in Pac-10 play, no team converted fewer three-pointers than the Cardinal.

Texas has cashed six of its last eight against Pac-10 teams and it is 7-3-1 ATS in its last 11 games on a neutral court. However, the Horns have come up short in 13 of 19 as favorites of up to 6 1/2-points and in eight straight in the tournament with the same numbers in play. Stanford has 'covered' 15 of its last 19 on the road versus poor pressure defensive teams (forcing less than 14 turnovers a game) over the last three seasons.

Most offshore books opened Texas as a 1 1/2-point favorite, with the 'total' set at 135.

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