While much of the attention this weekend will be focused on the likes of Greg Oden, Arron Afflalo, Joakim Noah, and Roy Hibbert, Longhorn fans will be paying special attention to Kevin Durant. One of four finalists for the Naismith Award, KD will find out on Sunday whether or not he will win the prestigious award as only a freshman. And if he does in fact bring home the hardware, you’ll find full coverage here at Longhorn Road Trip to peruse while eating your Monday morning bagels.

In the coming weeks, I’ll also be working to bring you the tales from the road that have yet to be posted. My goal is to unveil one a week, but if I’m feeling extra-productive, who knows what will appear. Along with that comes the remaining photo galleries, which includes all of the home games and post-season as well. And along the way, I will randomly be revealing different top-ten lists regarding my time following UT hoops — top arenas, top games, best fans, and the like.

If you don’t feel like visiting the page on a daily basis, you can always add the RSS to your news feed if you’ve got an aggregator. Or you could just join in with the hundreds of folks who are bookmarking the page. Either way, you’ll be sure to find new content all spring and summer as we await the start of the next season of Longhorn basketball….and perhaps a new season of road trips.

Last night

T.J. Ford was absolutely nails for the Raptors in their overtime road victory over the Washington Wizards last night. Ford chipped in with 23 points in his 30 minutes on the court and dished out six assists. And while none of Ford’s buckets were quite as crazy as Morris Peterson’s ridiculous three-point heave to tie the game with 0.02 seconds left in regulation, the Raptors needed every one of them to get to overtime and seal the victory. T.J. also added six rebounds before fouling out of the contest at the end of regulation.

Maurice Evans continued to struggle with his knee injury, missing his fifth straight game as the Lakers fell to the Rockets in overtime.

Today

Two national semifinal games aren’t enough for your huge basketball appetite? Or perhaps you just miss the play of Daniel Gibson. Today’s nationally telvised game with the Bulls should fit the bill on both accounts. And really, who doesn’t want to see Ben Wallace’s perfect cornrows? (2 PM Central, ESPN)

While they aren’t playing for much at this point, the Portland Trail Blazers look to have a pretty bright future. And a huge part of that is big rookie LaMarcus Aldridge. Of course, with the Clippers in town, many may watch this game just for the huge celebrity draw of Chris Kaman. I really love him in those Geico ads. (9 PM Central, NBA League Pass)

ESPN.com has a good, quick read from Pat Forde regarding the one-year draft rule and Wednesday night’s McDonald’s All-American Game in Lexington, Kentucky. While it was certainly weird to not have any future Longhorns to watch this year, it was quite enjoyable to know that everybody involved will be a part of March Madness just a year from now.

Even without a Longhorn on the McD’s All-American rosters, there was still a bit of a burnt-orange tinge to Forde’s column. After all, the Horns brought in seven freshman during the first season impacted by the NBA’s new rule. And apparently there’s a pretty good Longhorn frosh who wears 35 and has a penchant for exuberant chest-beating.

[UCLA commit Kevin] Love said he is close friends with Durant, talked to him often during the season and last chatted with him this week.

“He doesn’t know what he wants to do yet,” Love said of Durant’s pro decision. “I told him, ‘The only thing you can do is go down or get hurt, so you might as well go.’ But he hasn’t decided yet.”

If Durant makes any decision other than the one Love has counseled, he’s nuts. He served his time, played well, probably had fun. But whatever higher education he got beyond a jab series and a more polished spin move is purely incidental.

While Horn fans certainly aren’t sending Love or Forde any thank-you cards for those bits of unwanted advice, the same thoughts are certainly running through Longhorn Nation’s collective mind. But what the burnt-orange faithful can thank Forde for are some gems regarding big-time star Michael Beasley and the sickeningly cocky O.J. Mayo.

Game MVP Michael Beasley did cause a bunch of eyebrows to arch when he announced that he planned to stay at Kansas State all four years. His 23 points and 12 rebounds were the work of a guy who doesn’t need four years in school.

…”I would love to see him have the opportunity [to go pro], but he’s going to go to the best coach in the world for my son,” [Beasley’s mother] said.

That coach is Bob Huggins.

“He still needs some fine-tuning, and he’s going to get it,” [she] said. “Discipline, sportsmanship, character.”

There might be a few (hundred) coaches I’d turn to before Bob Huggins for fine-tuning in those areas, but to each his own.

Ziiiing! He’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to tip your waitstaff.

As for the pothead prima-donna, Forde said that Mayo “could use a conscience” and was “booed for his shameless shot selection.” O.J. finished the night 4-of-17 from the field. Looks like he’d fit in with the NBA folks already.

Last night

LaMarcus Aldridge had a rough shooting night, going 3-of-10 from the floor in a 96-92 loss to the Grizzlies. He grabbed six rebounds on the night and blocked two shots in his 28 minutes. The loss was the third straight for the Trail Blazers and put them a half-game behind Seattle in the cellar of the Northwest Division.

Tonight

The Raptors and T.J. Ford have a magic number of only six to clinch the Atlantic Division. They can trim a game off of that with a road victory over Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards.
(6 PM Central, NBA League Pass)

The L.A. Lakers look to end the Houston Rockets’ three game winning streak in a home contest at the Staples Center. Swingman Maurice Evans hasn’t seen the court for Coach Phil Jackson since March 18th, suffering from a sore right knee. With this game being nationally broadcast, Horn fans can only hope that Mo is ready to play again. (9:30 PM Central, ESPN)

Last night

The Raptors and T.J. Ford further solidified their hold on the Atlantic Division and moved into the third slot in the Eastern Conference with a 96-83 win over the Miami Heat. Ford just missed a double-double, dishing out nine assists to go with his fourteen points. He was a perfect 8-for-8 from the line on the night.

Daniel Gibson had a cold shooting night, going 0-for-4 in the Cavs’ loss to the Knicks. D-Gib played a little more than eleven minutes, but did chip in a steal and a rebound.

The Hawks were manhandled by the homestanding Charlotte Bobcats last night, but Royal Ivey wasn’t part of the problem. Ivey only played 43 seconds in the game and didn’t have any other marks on his stat sheet. Perhaps the Hawks could’ve used a little more of the famous Ivey defense in the 101-87 loss.

Tonight

The Portland Trailblazers host the Memphis Grizzlies tonight, where Rookie of the Year candidate Brandon Roy hopes to continue impressing voters. But Longhorn fans will be more interested in the play of LaMarcus Aldridge, who is averaging nine points and five boards a game. (9 PM Central, NBA League Pass)

With only three games left in the college basketball season — sorry NIT championship, but you don’t count — what’s a fan to do? While I’ve loaded up the DVR with some “classic” UT games from the past season and a couple of NCAA tournament games that were great, watching them will probably get old sometime in July. So in the interest of extending the shelf life of my off-season stockpile, it’s time to turn the attention to the NBA.

The nice thing about the NBA season is that you can pay complete attention to the NCAA until they cut down the nets and then tune in to David Stern’s product just in time to see the meaningful stuff. The League is heading down its homestretch and will enter its “second season” when teams play another 46,932 post-season games to determine a champion. I’m hoping to keep this space filled with some content by compiling a rundown of the performances by former Longhorns who are now playing in the League. Here then, is your first “Horns in the League” update:

Last night
It was a pretty slow day in the NBA, with only four games on the schedule. Maurice Evans missed his fourth straight game for the Lakers as they fell to the Grizz, presumably still struggling through the knee pain that has hampered his play in February and March.

Daniel Gibson turned in nearly 17 minutes for the Cavs off the bench. Cleveland defeated the Pacers, 105-94 to keep pace with division and conference-leading Detroit. Gibson scored six points — two from the charity stripe — and logged a pair of steals and an assist.

Tonight
T.J. Ford and the Raptors host the Miami Heat as they attempt to lock down the Atlantic Division title. (6 PM Central, NBA League Pass)

The Atlanta Hawks and Royal Ivey travel to Charlotte to ward off the evil powers of Adam Morrison’s pornstache. (6 PM, NBA LP)

D-Gib and the Cavs continue chasing the Pistons as they take on the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. The latest rumors have Isiah Thomas trading his entire lineup for a nickel and a pack of Big League Chew. (6:30 PM, NBA LP)

Yes, we’re alive and in Austin, not dead somewhere on a mountain in Montana. It’s been a weird, weird week without Texas basketball around to talk, think, or write about. I guess I didn’t realize it while the season was going on, but making all of these trips had essentially whittled my life down to school, work, and basketball. It’s kind of odd to have the biggest part of that suddenly missing.

But fortunately, tonight the NCAA tournament is back. I can only hope that these Sweet Sixteen games are as thrilling as Saturday’s second-round action. I may or may not get to a USC wrap at some point this weekend. In all honesty, that game was so ugly and demoralizing, I don’t have a whole lot to say about it.

There is still a ton of stuff going on in the basketball world, though. We’ve got ex-Horns playing in the homestretch of the NBA season, there will be a ton of coaching changes in the college ranks — Tubby Smith is out at UK as of today — and, of course, we get to play the “Will he or won’t he?” game regarding Kevin Durant.

Once again, apologies for the disappearing act this week and enjoy the ballgames tonight. Longhorn Road Trip should be back full force by Monday.

We’re just about five hours from the tip of Texas’ second-round NCAA tournament game in Spokane, Washington. And roughly fourteen months after Vincent Paul Young, Jr. and the Longhorns dethroned the Southern Cal Trojans in their own city, the two teams will meet again on the basketball court.

Last night was a pretty late one for those of us on the Longhorn Road Trip, meaning we overslept a tad this morning. And we’ve got to show these Spokies how to tailgate Texas-style, so we have to head to the arena shortly. Unfortunately, that means the pre-game report will be a little less detailed than usual.

The Trojans are not the best of scorers, checking in at 117th in the nation for offensive efficiency. But they still have their share of playmakers on the offensive end. Wayne Brady lookalike Lodrick Stewart is an absolute nightmare from three-point range, and could cause a major headache for a team like Texas that struggles in guarding the perimeter.

Freshman big man Taj Gibson is a hell of a player down low, and will be a tough assignment for Damion James and Connor Atchley. If the Atchley that showed up on Friday makes a return appearance today, it should be a good battle down low. James will also have to play a much better game this time out and avoid picking up early fouls.

Nick Young is a great guard for Coach Tim Floyd, and is leading the team in both scoring and minutes. Young can knock down the 17-footers with ease and is incredibly dangerous off the dribble. He can sink a floater on the run, or stop on a dime and arc one over a surprised defender. Young’s speed and ability to dribble penetrate could cause problems for the Texas guards.

Although he doesn’t play a ton of minutes, 6-foot, 11-inch freshman RouSean Cromwell can be a difference-maker in the paint. Against the Razorbacks on Friday night, Cromwell had an amazing defensive series where he blocked two consecutive shots without even leaving the floor. D.J. Augustin might want to be careful with his drives to the bucket against this guy.

On the defensive end, USC is one of the better teams that Texas has faced this season. Their defensive efficiency is 29th in the country, and they are especially stout in the paint. The Trojans limit opponents to 43.5% shooting from inside the arc, which is 18th out of the NCAA’s 336 D-1 basketball teams.

Texas is going to need a stellar game from D.J. Augustin and Kevin Durant, as usual. But as previously mentioned, Damion James and Connor Atchley must step up against a much better USC frontcourt. Quality minutes from Craig Winder will be needed to spell A.J. Abrams and Justin Mason, while even Dexter Pittman could be called on if the game settles into a half-court battle.

This is going to be another close game for the Longhorns, and USC definitely has the talent to knock them off. But I feel Texas can pull it out and advance to their fifth Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last six years. Post-game thoughts won’t be coming for a few days, as we are hitting the road back to Austin almost immediately after the game. In the meantime, crack open a few beers and settle in on the couch for a day full of basketball.

Not even Texas Pom could fire up a lackluster Spokane crowd

It certainly wasn’t a pretty game, but the Texas Longhorns avoided the nightmare of a one-and-done NCAA appearance by defeating New Mexico State 79-67 last night in Spokane. Freshman superstar Kevin Durant scored 27 points — 15 of them from the line — while guards A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin combined for 35 more to lead the Horns to victory.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair in front of a largely empty arena. Because of TV scheduling and the Spokane pod being played in the Pacific time zone, there were only 30 minutes between the end of the Oregon/Miami of Ohio game and the tip of the Texas/New Mexico tilt. Problem was, the games were part of different sessions which made it necessary to completely empty the arena and then re-admit everyone. In thirty minutes. We were at the front of the line, and still only made it to our seats as the Star-Spangled Banner was starting.

New Mexico State gave the Horns a brief scare in the second half. After trailing by 14, the Aggies fought back and reclaimed a 60-57 lead with 6:39 left to play. While my personal thoughts were circling around the insanity of a 40+ hour trip to see a loss to a thirteen-seed, the Horns were fortunately a little more focused on the task at hand. Texas allowed only two more field goals and three field goals the rest of the way, cruising through the final minutes to a double-digit win.

The biggest story of the game — besides the typical Durant-Augustin-Abrams domination — was the re-emergence of Connor Atchley. While Damion James was being whistled every two seconds for looking the wrong way at a New Mexico State player, Atchley was counted on to provide valuable minutes inside against Hatilla Passos and Martin Iti.

Sure, Connor had a few problems with the press late in the game. But his hustle on defense and on the boards was a huge part of the victory. Atchley ended up with seven points and six boards in 28 minutes of play, and even blocked another three shots. While it’s going to be important for Damion to have a big game tomorrow against the Trojans, it’ll be an incredible boost if Connor can play at the same level for a second time this weekend.

Once again Craig Winder played well in his short stints on the floor. In eight minutes, Winder gave the Horns four points and his usual spark off the bench. As odd as it sounds, Craig Winder could be key to a deep tournament run for Texas. He plays with much more intensity on defense than many of the Horns, and will be needed to spell the starting guards to keep them fresh.

A full USC preview should be coming later tonight or early in the morning. For now, we have to go investigate the St. Patrick’s Day happenings in downtown Spokane. And in the meantime, Hook ‘Em, Spartans!

It took 42 hours on the road and a few crazy setbacks, but we are finally in the Pacific Northwest and ready to watch the Horns begin the best postseason tournament in sports. Recipients of a 4-seed, the Longhorns draw the 13-seed New Mexico State Aggies, the winners of the WAC’s auto-bid. The Aggies held off Utah State to win the conference tournament despite throwing an inbounds pass out of bounds in the waning seconds with only a two-point lead.

Coached by Reggie Theus, the Aggies run an up-tempo game with high defensive intensity. NMSU’s possessions per game is 24th nationally. They will throw out a lot of full-court pressure and trap in the half-court sets, so it will be important for D.J. Augustin to stay out of foul trouble. When Augustin is not on the floor, pressure-oriented defenses have a field day with Texas’ less-seasoned guards.

New Mexico State is ranked 5th nationally in free throw rate, which indicates that they attack the rim a great deal and draw fouls in shooting situations. Unfortunately for the Aggies, they don’t have much success when they get there. Point guard Elijah Ingram shoots 84% from the charity stripe, but all of the other players with significant minutes are shooting 70% or worse.

The high tempo scheme employed by Theus also forces the Aggies to run fairly deep on the bench. Nine different players average over 15 minutes per game. If Texas allows the Aggies to run the game at their preferred pace, fatigue and depth could definitely come into play. The Horns only truly run six deep — perhaps now seven, if Craig Winder continues to pull solid minutes — and cannot affod to get into a track meet with NMSU.

Ingram is the only Aggie who takes many three pointers, and is making them 42% of the time. Former Kansas State guard Fred Peete and senior guard Shaun Davis also take a fair number from behind the arc, but neither is as dangerous as Ingram. For a Texas team that has often shown a weakness in guarding the perimeter, this could be an excellent matchup. The Horns like to collapse and clog the lane, so it could come down to a battle between the big men for NMSU and the sagging Texas defense.

The Aggies definitely have some trees in the lane that could cause problems for a much smaller Longhorn squad. Martin Iti is a 7-foot center coming off the bench for Coach Theus, while forwards Justin Hawkins and Tyrone Nelson rebound remarkably well. Texas needs to be careful to avoid offensive possessions that result in defensive rebounds and easy outlets into transition. And on the defensive end, the Horns need to keep the NMSU bigs off the glass. They are a great rebounding team and can get a ton of points off second-chance opportunities.

For now, I need to get some food and head over to the Spokane Arena. TV is obviously CBS, although there are also three other games that will be on across the country. I’m thinking the pull of Kevin Durant might make this the “national” game for any areas not tied regionally to any of the other games, but if you’re not from the Austin area, you may want to try a sports bar.

Post-game thoughts will be up late tonight, as we’ve got the USC/Arkansas game after ours. And if time allows on Saturday, I may try to write up the crazy journey to the game. Enjoy the wall-to-wall basketball action, and Hook ‘em Horns!