All Eyes on Durant in Strong NCAA Debut
Saturday, March 17, 2007; 12:31 AM
SPOKANE, Wash. -- Kevin Durant had reason to be nervous. It was his first NCAA tournament game _ and possibly his last. At least that's how it looked until Texas took control against New Mexico State, thanks in part to their star freshman.
Durant had 27 points, including 11 of 12 free throws in the second half, and eight rebounds to lead fourth-seeded Texas to a 79-67 victory Friday night in the first round of the East Regional.
  Texas forward Kevin Durant (35) drives around New Mexico State forward David Fisher in the first half of an NCAA East Regional first-round basketball game Friday, March 16, 2007, in Spokane, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) (Elaine Thompson - AP)   The Gators are too much to handle in an 84-75 victory over Ohio State for their second straight national championship. On Hoops: Florida is a team for the ages, because in winning back-to-back national titles they took a very good team's best shot and still came out victorious. The Buckeyes are setback by the Gators' three-point shooting every time they try to make a run. Greg Oden, the public introvert, and Joakim Noah, the unabashed extrovert, share a common desire to savor college. Select CompanyFlorida joined a small group who repeated as men's basketball champion:Oklahoma State 1945-46 Kentucky 1948-49 San Francisco 1955-56 Cincinnati 1961-62 UCLA 1964-65, 1967-73 Duke 1991-92 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPFINAL FOURREGIONAL FINALSSouth West Midwest EastMULTIMEDIA Photos: Snapshots from the 2007 NCAA tournament. Video: Charting Texas freshman Kevin Durant's rapid rise to the top. Video: Post columnist Sally Jenkins talks about Durant. ON OUR SITETeam-by-Team Analysis:Coaching Tree: The Six Degrees of March's Mayhem (PDF) Flashback: A Quarter-Century Worth of Memories (PDF) TOURNEY TRACKER Share and compare your NCAA brackets. |
"Durant's a pro," said New Mexico State coach Reggie Theus, a former NBA All-Star guard, using the word no one in Texas wants to associate with Durant for at least another wondrous year in Austin.
"And pros know how to adjust. ... I will tell you from my own personal experience that when you're able to draw fouls, you will be a great scorer."
Even with a case of nerves.
Before Durant's seventh consecutive 25-point game, Wanda Pratt, called her son from Suitland, Md. She thought Kevin sounded unusually nervous. Even Texas coach Rick Barnes later he said he noticed his star was "jumpy."
But the 18-year-old freshman looked ever the cool veteran down the stretch.
Durant's long-armed tip-ins, smooth pivot moves, sudden pull-up jumpers and blocked shots had NBA scouts chuckling courtside. Even though he went the first 12 minutes of the second half without a field goal, he was effective from the foul line, finishing 15-of-16 overall.
Texas (25-9) made 25 of 26 of its free throws, with Durant's the only miss.
"Well, we expect him to make them all, you know," Barnes deadpanned.
Durant connected on two from the line after a rebound with 1:10 left to put Texas ahead 75-66 and essentially end the game.
Fellow freshman D.J. Augustin had 19 points and seven assists, and sophomore A.J. Abrams added 16 points for the Longhorns, who start four freshmen and have seven on their 12-man roster.
