Does Texas really have the best front line in the country?

Kansas State's two best players are Jacob Pullen and Denis Clemente.

There really isn't much of an argument to be made against that statement.

Pullen is the scorer, a legitimate first team all-Big XII performer and a sleeper for league player of the year. Clemente is the playmaker, a dynamic point guard that has reigned in his scoring and shooting output in an attempt to be a better facilitator.

Kansas State rode the coattails of those two en route to a 15-2 record and a top ten ranking heading into tonight's game with Texas.

So if I was to tell you that Pullen and Clemente combined to go 4-24 from the floor, 0-8 from three, and 9-17 from the line to finish with just 17 points and 10 assists against 8 turnovers, there's no chance that K-State could have beaten No. 1 Texas, right?

Right?

You should know who Jamar Samuels is after his performance against the Longhorns.
(photo credit: FOXSports)

Wrong.

Many predicted a Kansas State win in Manhattan, KS, tonight, but few could have predicted that the Wildcats would have done in by beating up the Longhorns in the paint. Curtis Kelly had 17 points and 8 boards and Jamar Samuels came off the bench to score 20 points and add 12 boards of his own as the Wildcats simply worked harder, hustled more, and were tougher, both physically and mentally, than the Wildcats.

Because it certainly wasn't a pretty performance from K-State.

They shot just 38.5% from the field. They were just 1-12 from deep. They missed 12 free throws. They committed 18 turnovers.

While the Wildcats offense didn't show up, their defense sure did.

Texas never got into a rhythm at the offensive end. The Longhorns took quick shots, they forced contested jumpers, they threw up tough runners in the lane. They played without the poise and the composure and the patience that has made them so difficult.

And they were beaten up inside.

Its not a stretch to say that Texas has the best, and deepest, front court in the country. Coming into tonight, Damion James, the Big XII's all-time leading rebounder and a kid that will have amassed 50 double-doubles by the time his career is done, had thrust himself into the conversation for national player of the year, and rightfully so. Dexter Pittman has been an immovable force on the block, as he is making more than two-thirds of his field goal attempts. Gary Johnson, a former Texas high school player of the year, is the country's best sixth man. And that doesn't even take into account Alexis Wangmene, Clint Chapman, and Matt Hill, all of whom could start for half of the Big XII.

But on this night, the Longhorns didn't have the best front line on the floor.

Curtis Kelly made all UConn fans question the intelligence of Jim Calhoun for letting him leave, as he consistently beat the Texas front line down the floor in transition and to offensive rebounds. Jamar Samuels made all Kansas State fans question the intelligence of Frank Martin for bring him off the bench as he had 15 points and 7 boards, 4 on the offensive end, in leading K-State to a big first half lead.

It isn't just what Kelly, Samuels, and company were able to do in the paint, its what they forced the Texas front line into. James finished the game just 3-12 from the floor, finishing with just 9 points and 7 boards in 35 minutes. Dexter Pittman was just 3-7 from the floor with 6 points and 7 boards in 16 foul-plagued minutes. Gary Johnson finished with only 5 points and 5 boards on 2-6 shooting.

If you want an idea of how well Kansas State played in the paint, one only needs to look at one stat - at the half, the Wildcats were up 36-26. Of their 36 points, 33 came either from in the paint or at the foul line. The only points that didn't? A three from Samuels that capped an 18-4 run.

But if you've been paying attention, it should come as no surprise that the Wildcats front line came to play.

Jamar Samuels and Curtis Kelly are both double figure scorers. Wally Judge, Dominique Sutton, and Luis Colon provide length and athleticism that few team can mach up with. Oh, and they've been the best offensive rebounding team in the country.

But for anyone watching this game, what should have stood out was the mental toughness showed by these two teams. Texas, whose back court is made up of mostly freshman and sophomores, struggled to find good shots. Kansas State forced them to rush offensively, resulting in terrible shot selection and 18 turnovers. A 9-22 performance from the foul line only further complicated matters.

Kansas State, on the other hand, showed quite a bit of poise. Texas came storming out of the gates with an 18-7 run to open the second half, but Frank Martin never burned a timeout. Instead, he allowed his kids to weather the storm. They responded by scoring six straight points to push the lead back to 49-44. Texas would come back one more time, tying the score at 51, but once again K-State answered without the benefit of a time out. The Wildcats went on a 12-1 spurt, capped by a put back lay-in from Rodney MacGruder.

Texas never again threatened.

I think it may be time to start considering the Big XII a three horse race.