BEVO BEAT Men's Basketball

Who would win the all-time matchup? Texas men versus Kansas

Posted January 20th, 2017

Chris Bils Hookem.com Staff

@chrisbils

Texas fans are a loyal bunch, and we appreciate that. But I think all of us here can admit that the polls we’ve attached to these all-time matchup posts have been a little slanted. Nonetheless, we’ll give the all-time Longhorns the benefit of the doubt and call them undefeated heading to Allen Fieldhouse.

Kansas is a different animal. While a conversation about Big 12 football should begin and end with Texas and/or Oklahoma, the same can be said about the Jayhawks in basketball. History here is rich, and this roster shows it. Bill Self has won the past 12 conference titles, but not a single one of his players cracked the starting five. These players were picked by Joe Harrington, so you know they were chosen with care.

Let’s get to it.

Kansas

G Darnell Valentine, 6-2 (1977-1981) — 15.4 pts, 5.2 ast, 3.6 reb

G Jacque Vaughn, 6-1 (1993-1997) — 9.6 pts, 6.4 ast, 3.0 reb

F Bud Stallworth, 6-5 (1969-1972*) — 18.2 pts, 6.7 reb

F Danny Manning, 6-10 (1884-1988) — 20.1 pts, 8.1 reb, 2.3 ast, 2,951 career points

C Wilt Chamberlain, 7-0 (1956-1958*) — 29.9 pts, 18.3 reb

*Freshmen were not eligible to play on varsity

Texas

G T.J. Ford, 6-0 (2001-2003) — 12.9 pts, 8.0 ast, 3.8 reb

G Travis Mays, 6-2 (1986-1990) — 18.4 pts, 4.8 reb, 2.3 ast

F Kevin Durant, 6-9 (2006-07) — 25.8 pts, 11.1 reb, 1.3 ast

F LaMarcus Aldridge, 6-11 (2004-2006) — 13.5 pts, 8.2 reb

C Chris Mihm, 7-0 (1997-2000) — 14.6 pts, 9.8 reb, 2.8 blk

5-second breakdown

The star power in this game would be unbelievable. Ford and Mays could likely hold their own on the perimeter, and Durant is always going to get his, but poor Mihm and Aldridge. Manning is one of the greatest college players of all time and Chamberlain was perhaps the most dominant player ever. Seriously, if you haven’t already, go back and watch the video pasted above. It’s amazing. This game could easily get out of hand, but there is an X-factor that didn’t exist when most of these Kansas guys played. If Durant can get really super mega-hot and Texas starts knocking down 3-pointers, then this thing could get fun.

On the bench

How could we say no to a Rick Barnes-Bill Self matchup? Fun fact: Barnes is one of only nine coaches to beat the Jayhawks inside Allen Fieldhouse since Self took over the program in 2003. It happened in 2011, breaking a 69-game home winning streak for Kansas. J’Covan Brown led the Longhorns that day with 23 points in a 15-point comeback.

The bench

Just for kicks, we’ll add Brown to the Texas bench that already includes D.J. Augustin, Avery Bradley, Damion James, Joey Wright and Lance Banks. Self gets to bring a couple of his best players into the mix for the Jayhawks: Sherron Collins (13.2 pts, 3.9 ast) and Perry Ellis (12.5 pts, 5.8 reb). We’ll also add Paul Pierce (16.4 pts, 6.3 reb), Kirk Hinrich (12.4 pts, 1.5 stl., 4.7 reb.),  Nick Collison (14.8 pts, 8.0 reb) and Raef Lafrentz (15.8 pts, 9.1 reb).

Who wins?

Who would win the all-time matchup? Texas men versus Kansas https://t.co/Dj1OR6MGYn

— Hookem.com (@bevobeat) January 20, 2017

Missed the rest?

All-time match up series: 

• Texas vs. TCU
• Texas vs. Iowa State
• Texas vs. Oklahoma State
• Texas vs. Kansas State
• Texas vs. West Virginia

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