The two teams I'd most want to avoid are Okie State and UT (in either order). I'm basing that on the fact (assumption?) that we'll beat Texas this weekend, and its hard to beat any team three in a row. That same rule could also apply if we make it to the finals and play KU.
Funny, though, it doesn't feel like the rule should apply if we meet Baylor a third time.
I hear how difficult it can be to beat a team 3 times in a row, but often times I believe that is just thrown out there as a cliche. Granted, I haven't researched and seen records between two teams playing against each after they've already played twice during the regular season. That would be an interesting stat....I'm sure statgeek or campbest can find numbers on that somewhere.
Having said that, I feel the same way about Baylor. I tend not to forget what happened during the regular season and look at how the games were played when matching up with a team we've already beaten (or lost to) twice. I think it boils down to three things mainly:
Overall talent level
Matchups (size vs. speed, tempo, defensive/offensive efficiency)
Intangibles (is a team playing with urgency or have they mailed it in)
Re:Baylor...they may have slightly more talent (per recruiting) than we do, but we matchup well with them (their big guys aren't physical except Gathers) and they don't care for playing defense much. And their coach sucks.
Re:OSU...they are obviously talented, but we matchup extremely well from a physical standpoint and their coach sucks as well. However, they have some added motivation with Flopper back and playing for their tournament lives.
Re:Texas....their talent is about equal with us, but outside of Kansas, I think this is our worst team matchup. They are long, athletic, rebound, and play tough defense. Our saving grace is that they don't defend the perimeter as well as the interior and Texas isn't a very good offensive team at all...unless they are getting a bunch of offensive rebounds. Barnes is a good coach, but I will take Kruger every time in that matchup.
Re:KSU....they're extremely limited offensively unless Foster is on. They play great defense, but there aren't overly big, which has helped us in our games with them. And K-State isn't good away from home (only wins against TCU and Tech). We play well on the road which makes this a decent matchup for us on a neutral court.
RE:ISU....they are talented at the offensive end, but aren't overly big either. They are athletic and can rebound, but don't play too tough on defense much of the time. They are a great team at home....not so much away from Hilton. I wouldn't mind this matchup at all.
