Texas Basketball vs. Kansas: 5 bold predictions for clash in Lawrence

Timmy Allen registers an insane stat line of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists

Senior forward Timmy Allen maybe had the best run of any Longhorns player against Kansas last season of any on that squad. He averaged more than 16 points per game, seven rebounds, and three assists. And one of those games saw Allen help the Longhorns down Kansas at the Erwin Center in Austin to split the regular season series last year.

Allen is a really important player in terms of the ability of the Longhorns to pull the upset in Lawrence on Feb. 6. Texas will need that playmaking presence inside the arc that Allen brings to the table to make it very difficult on Kansas’ defense to zone in on a facilitator to shut down.

And the fact of the matter is that when Allen comes ready to play on the offensive end of the floor, especially in conference play, Texas tends to do really well as a team. When Allen registers at least 11 points this season, Texas is an undefeated 6-0 in Big 12 play.

Yet, when he’s held to 10 or fewer points, Texas has registered a record of 2-2 in Big 12 play.

Allen’s mid-range game and ability to facilitate the offense from the high post and the elbow is something that is irreplaceable for the Longhorns. He’s able to pick opposing defenses apart with his distributing ability from almost anywhere in the settled half-court offense. But the ability to move the ball and find open shooters in almost any location in the half-court offense is a nightmare for opposing defenses to have to deal with.

And in terms of how Allen can pose a threat to the Jayhawks in this game, I think the lack of a true post presence while not having many players that can defend forwards like Allen with solid mid-range games very well means he’s in for a big outing against Kansas. If he can have a big game on the boards, then watch out for Allen to challenge for his first double-double of the season.