Barnes: Nobody catching KU

Even if Texas pulls it off tonight, Coach Rick Barnes said he doesn’t give his Longhorns or anybody else much chance of catching the Big 12-leading Jayhawks, who take a three-game lead in the loss column into the game.

“I think it’s pretty much impossible,” Barnes said. “I don’t see them dropping three games. I don’t. They would have to give it back. They’re extremely difficult to play at home, and they’re a good road team because of their experience. It will be extremely tough for anybody to catch them.”

LEADERSHIP LACKING
A lack of leadership on the floor has been a problem for Texas over the past few weeks. When things go wrong during a sequence, there’s plenty of talent on the floor that can make a play, but nobody to direct traffic.

“I don’t think we've have a person who can do that, someone who can take over a game, since D.J. Augustin left,” Barnes said. “We had it earlier in the year with Varez Ward (before his season-ending injury), a guy that had the respect of teammates, and Dogus (Balbay) could do that, but it’s not within his personality to step out and do it.

“A guard has to do it, the kind of guy who when you haven’t scored in two possessions, say, ‘This is what we’re going to do right here and right now.’ No question we need that.”