A.J. Abrams

5-11 • Senior • Round Rock, Texas

Referring to Abrams as a point guard, the position he plays, really isn't entirely accurate.

Abrams is a scorer, plain and simple. He leads Texas with a 19.0 scoring average, improving from 6.4 as a freshman, 15.5 as a sophomore and 16.5 as a junior. He hasn't scored in double figures in only three games, and he has topped the 20-point mark in seven of Texas' 13 contests.

Arkansas coach John Pelphrey said he was most impressed with Abrams' ability to free himself from defenders for shots.

"He's going to get his attempts," Pelphrey said. "He's got this ability to get off what are bad shots for most, and they aren't for him. He's making an unbelievable (3-point) percentage (.448), and he's not taking spot-up, wide-open 3-point shots. He might never miss if he had those attempts."

How To Play Him

You just can't give Abrams any breathing room. Whoever guards Abrams -- and Arkansas freshman Courtney Fortson likely gets the first shot -- must completely smother him.

Even still, Abrams has shown an uncanny knack for creating offense, kind of like Fortson.

"It seems like the closer you get to him sometimes, the better he is," Pelphrey said. "He can shoot from odd angles. He can run around and turn and shoot. The way he moves and contorts his body really reminds you of Allen Iverson a little bit."

Strengths

Abrams' main positive attribute obviously is his ability to put points on the scoreboard. He ranks second in the Big 12 Conference in scoring, second in free throw percentage (.851) and sixth in 3-point percentage.

But Texas coach Rick Barnes said Abrams is more valuable to the Longhorns because of his intelligence.

"He has a great basketball IQ," Barnes said. "He's as smart as any player we've coached here."

Weaknesses

Unlike Fortson, Abrams doesn't do all that much to help his teammates score. He only averages 1.3 assists per game. For a point guard, that's abysmal.

Barnes said defense also used to be a weakness for Abrams. Not anymore, he said.

"From where he was freshman year to now, it's amazing to see the progress he's made defensively," Barnes said.

The Skinny

Arkansas needs an off night from Abrams to have any shot of upsetting the eighth-ranked Longhorns. Abrams has struggled in two of Texas' more important games this season. He had only nine points in 37 minutes in a win at Oregon and tallied only eight points in 40 minutes in a loss to Michigan State in Houston.

Pelphrey, however, knows that Abrams conquers defenses with ease more times than not.

"You have to respect him a lot because every single game people are saying, 'Don't let him shoot. Cut down on his attempts,'" Pelphrey said. "And he's still shooting 45 percent (from 3-point range) and still getting almost 20 (points) a night against a touch schedule."