OU basketball notebook: Texas coach Rick Barnes says Kevin Durant happy in OKC

“What people in Oklahoma City should love is the fact he's always told me, ‘Coach, if I had my preference I would love to play for one team my entire career in the NBA,'” Barnes said. “And I know he loves being here. He loves it here. He loves Sam Presti. He loves what they're doing.

“He tells me people here are pretty good people. The fact is you guys got to enjoy him a little bit more than we did.”

Barnes said he was confident fame wouldn't change Durant.

“When we were recruiting him, what we actually said to him was, ‘You should want it all, not just what you do on the basketball court, but you have a chance to make an impact on a lot of people's lives with the way that you handle yourself,'” Barnes said.

“What he does on the basketball court will never cease to amaze me because I know how hard he works. But I get asked all the time, ‘Is he as good a person as he comes across?' I tell them, ‘He's better.' He's one of the best teammates we've ever had at Texas. It's not even close.”

CAN TEXAS CONTINUE NCAA STREAK?

Bracketologist Joe Lunardi has Texas as a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Texas has made 13 consecutive NCAA Tournament trips under Barnes. Before Barnes' arrival, Texas' longest streak was four straight NCAA bids (twice).