Texas has right pieces for No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- This is what No. 1 seeds do:

•  Give up 30 points and 15 rebounds to the nation's best player and feel quietly satisfied when everyone else around him shoots a combined 26 percent.

•  Win every game in February for the first time in 45 years.

•  Pass the 800-pound gorilla in the conference on the mock bracket superhighway.

Texas is the nation's only school with wins over three teams in last week's AP top six. (US Presswire)

That's what Texas did in beating Kansas State 74-65 here on Monday night. Any similarity between the streaking Longhorns and a No. 1 seed in the Big Dance is strictly intentional because even as they finish with an impressive flourish, something is obviously missing.

Kansas suddenly looks more like chump than chimp.

Remember the Jayhawks? Earlier this month, they were the Big 12's best team -- again -- penciled in on everyone's top line. That was both an indictment of the insanely early editions of bracketology and Kansas' talent.

As of Monday, the Jayhawks have been left behind in the conference they're used to owning. They have lost to both teams who played here. That was before the worst lost of the season Saturday at Oklahoma State. They can't find a go-to player or any momentum heading into March.

Texas? The only school in the country with wins over three teams in last week's AP top six -- Tennessee, Kansas and UCLA. That, and suddenly 1½ games ahead of the Jayhawks with three conference games to play.

"It's debatable who has the best team in the conference right now," said Longhorn guard A.J. Abrams, who was being charitable. Kansas might be lucky to land one player on the all-conference team, which might please some in Balanced Scoring Land. But at hip and trendy Bramlage Coliseum, two-fifths of the All-America team was on display -- Kansas State's Michael Beasley and Texas' D.J. Augustin.

Beasley can't be stopped by anyone short of Tim Duncan. That explains why Kevin McHale and Steve Kerr were among the NBA big wigs scouting the game. In the last two games, Beasley has scored 74 points, almost half of K-State's total. Sounds selfish and certainly unbalanced, but it is fun to watch. Kansas State is what Texas was last year with Kevin Durant. It must get Beasley his touches and hope for the best from this young team especially when teammate Bill Walker drops a floater in the commode like he did on Monday (0-for-14 from the field).

Wonder how McHale and Kerr are going to grade that the redshirt freshman who was -- snicker -- thought at one time to be a lottery pick?

Back to the reason Walker stunk out loud. Off to one of its best starts in its history (24-4), the Horns have won eight in a row. With the game tied 50-50 in the second half, Beasley sat down for his longest blow of the game, 1 minute, 56 seconds. In that span, Texas went on a 7-0 and never trailed again.