Timmy Allen draws another tough defensive matchup in Kansas' Jalen Wilson
After guarding two of the top scorers in the Big 12 during matchups with Baylor and Kansas State, Texas forward Timmy Allen is tasked with another difficult defensive assignment on Monday night.
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Allen, who was the primary defender on Baylor’s Keyonte George and Kansas State’s Keyontae Johnson, likely draws the tough task of defending Kansas’ Jalen Wilson in Texas’ nationally televised contest with the Jayhawks.
Wilson leads the Big 12 in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game. He also leads the league in rebounding with 8.6 boards per contest. He’s scored at least 10 points in every game this season and has reached 20 points in 14 of 23 KU games this year, including each of the last six games.
Last season, Wilson scored 18 points and 17 points in the Jayhawks two matchups with the Longhorns during the course of his third-team All-Big 12 season. This year, as one of the top candidates for Big 12 player of the year, Wilson has eclipsed 17 points in 17 different contests, including in seven of KU’s 10 conference contests.
In those two recent matchups with George and Johnson, Allen held them to a scoring total equivalent to each’s season average. This year, the super senior from Mesa, Ariz. has a defensive win shares value of 1.2 according to Sports Reference, second on the team behind Marcus Carr’s 1.4. Allen’s total win shares this year is 2.4, third on the team behind Carr’s 3.7 and Sir’Jabari Rice’s 2.5.
Allen, a 6-foot-6, 200-pounder, will need to play one of his best games on the defensive end to limit the 6-foot-8, 215-pound Wilson, but his teammates will need to turn in good defensive performances as well for the Longhorns to win in Lawrence, Kan. for just the third time in the Big 12 era.
Wilson is joined by three players who average at least 10 points per game. Star freshman forward Gradey Dick averages 14.2 points per contest; Austin Westlake product KJ Adams puts in 10.4 points per game; Texas Tech transfer Kevin McCullar averages 10.3 points per game.
Rice is a strong candidate to defend Dick for most of the contest. The Horns’ sixth-man sees a starter’s quantity of minutes and often draws difficult matchups himself. Defending McCullar and Adams will likely be a by-committee operation by Dillon Mitchell, Brock Cunningham, Christian Bishop, and Dylan Disu.
The influence of Texas’ big men on defense will be important in determining the outcome on Monday night, but Allen’s ability to guard the likely Big 12 player of the year may be the factor that decides whether Texas leaves its two-game Kansas road trip with two victories.
