Texas faces its second-straight Big 10 opponent this morning as Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers come to town. The Longhorns are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, suffered last Saturday at the hands of Michigan State. Wisconsin comes into this one as winners of three straight, having only suffered two losses — both to teams currently ranked in the Top 10.

By the numbers

Bo Ryan’s teams are always known for their defense, and this year’s squad is no different. The Badgers are the best defensive team in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy, but offensively they are not too shabby either. Wisconsin boasts a +30.5 scoring differential per 100 possessions, which is slightly better than Texas’ +26.5 mark.

The Badgers are holding opponents to 36.6% shooting on the season. In the loss to Michigan State, the Horns shot only 39.3% for the game, their first game under the 40% benchmark on the year. Texas will have to really fight for its baskets today, and must grab as many easy looks in transition as they can.

The Badger team

Bo Ryan returns an experienced starting five, with two seniors, two juniors, and a sophomore. Big man Brian Butch is an integral part of the game plan, as he cleans up on the offensive glass and gives the team a shot at a ton of second-chance points. When he went down with an injury in the late-season game against Ohio State last year, the Badgers’ hopes for a Final Four run disintegrated.

Guard Trevon Hughes leads the team in both minutes and points, with 31.2 MPG and 15.1 PPG so far. He’s only six feet tall, so he is not a much of a mismatch for the Texas guards as some players they have faced in the past. If the Horns can actually shut down Butch as they did with Kevin Love against UCLA, the Badgers will have to rely on Hughes to carry the weight.

Michael Flowers has seen his game improve since being promoted to the starting role four games ago. He’s also not a tall guard, checking in at 6-feet, 2-inches, but if he continues his hot shooting it will make the Horns have to pick their poison.

The forwards on this Badger squad are big and effective, and will combine with Butch to create problems for Texas in the paint. Joe Krabbenhoft may have looked ridiculous in the high, striped throwback socks earlier this month, but 7.6/6.3 average is anything but funny. Marcus Landry has similar numbers, with 9.5 points and 5.1 boards per game.

What to look for

This is going to be a physical, slow-down affair, the type of game that causes problems for Texas. With the 11 A.M. start and students still on vacation, the awful atmosphere in the Frank Erwin Center could definitely let the Badgers hang around longer than they should. Texas needs to get out to a quick start and keep the dogs at bay, but also should not panic if they struggle early. Bo Ryan’s team is going to make it incredibly tough to score, so the Horns can’t afford to give in at any point.

Game is on ESPN2 this morning, so if you can’t make it down to the FEC, be sure to tune in.

Sure, there might be bowl games on today, but there’s wall-to-wall hoops action on ESPN2 and some local action on FSN for those in the south. A full listing of games on tap can be found a few paragraphs down, but for now let’s get to scores and news from the college basketball world.

Butler survived a scare at Southern Illinois, beating the Salukis on A.J. Graves’ 28-foot buzzer beater. It was only the fifth loss in the last 87 home games for SIU, who fell to a disappointing 5-6 mark with the defeat. Butler, meanwhile, is only one win away from running the table in their non-conf slate, having only lost to Horizon League foe Wright State.

Ole Miss is still undefeated! The Rebs knocked off Southern Miss, 78-58 in Southaven, moving to 12-0 for the first time in school history. And if that weren’t historic enough for Ole Miss, it is also the school’s first 12-game winning streak since 1926. With Alabama A&M next up on Wednesday, it looks like the streak should continue.

The Weber State Wildcats spoiled Eddie Sutton’s return to coaching, knocking off the San Francisco Dons, 62-54. Bitter Beer Face gets his next shot at 799 against the horrible Utah Valley State Wolverines on Monday night, but the Dons are pretty horrible themselves. Ought to be quite a thrilling match-up.

Chad Ford’s new draft rankings are out, and he’s got D.J. Augustin slotted 10th ($$). Fellow Big 12ers Darrell Arthur and DeAndre Jordan also cracked the Top 10, checking in at 7th and 5th, respectively.

Can anyone run the table this season? Fox Sports’ Dick Weiss won’t call it a lock just yet, but he concludes the Tigers have the best shot at it. While I don’t think they will put together six wins in a row come March, they definitely have a shot at an undefeated regular season. Their second-half defense against Big East power Georgetown was practically a clinic, and that was likely their toughest opponent on the schedule. The C-USA should be a cakewalk, but the Tigers could still potentially stumble against Arizona, Tennessee, or Gonzaga, although those three opponents will be played at home in the FedEx Forum.

Ready for a long day on the couch spent channel flipping between basketball and football? We’ve got you covered. ESPN2 has action all day long, starting with the Wisconsin/Texas game (11 AM CST), followed by San Diego/Kentucky (1 PM), Tennessee at Gonzaga (3 PM), OU against West Virginia (5 PM), Pitt and Dayton (7 PM), and that Arizona/Memphis matchup in the nightcap (9 PM). Local fans can check out Texas A&M hosting Florida A&M on FSN, tipping at 1 PM CST.

A hearty welcome to all the football fans who may have made their way over here now that the pigskin season is officially over for UT. We hope you enjoy your stay in the world of college hoops, a wonderful place where computers don’t decide who plays in championship games and even the smallest of underdogs gets an equal shot in the best playoff in sports.

North Carolina steamrolled Nevada last night, but lost guard Bobby Frasor in the process. The junior guard tore his left ACL and will miss the rest of the season, but don’t immediately think this is a huge loss for the Heels. Frasor was only averaging 17 minutes and three points per game so far this year after missing a lot of action last season with a foot problem. While this might cause some extra wear and tear on starter Ty Lawson, the Heels still have five other reserve guards on the roster who can try to eat up minutes.

Closer to home, Big 12 foe Mizzou torched Coppin State, 72-38. Coach Mike Anderson shuffled his lineup in this one, putting Stefhon Hannah and DeMarre Carroll on the bench to open the game. Mizzou’s high-pressure defense stifled the Eagles all night, forcing 22 turnovers and holding them to only 25.5% shooting.

There’s mostly just bowl games on TV tonight, although there’s a little mid-major flavor on the U, where a highly-disappointing Southern Illinios team plays host to 17th-ranked Butler (8 PM CST, ESPNU). And although it’s not televised outside of the Deep South, Ole Miss puts their undefeated mark on the line when taking on cross-state rival Southern Miss in a neutral-site game at Southaven.

Last night

Orlando took care of business at home and moved to 19-11 on the year, dispatching the Knicks, 110-96. Maurice Evans hardly saw the floor, making only a free throw in roughly six minutes of play. Coach Stan Van Gundy has been frustrated with the Magic’s poor showing recently, as they had dropped seven of nine heading into this one. As a result, he has mentioned lineup changes are coming, and perhaps a smaller role for Evans is a part of that plan.

The Nuggets steamrolled Milwaukee behind Marcus Camby’s triple-double, winning 125-105 in the Pepsi Center. Although it was a bad night for the Bucks, Royal Ivey still managed to shine. The guard had 14 points in 19 minutes of play to go along with two assists and a steal. Ivey was scorching hot from long range, hitting 4-of-6 from behind the arc.

Tonight

It’s been a rough December for Cleveland, who lost LeBron James for an extended stretch and has gone 4-8 this month. Things don’t get any easier tonight as Daniel Gibson and the Cavs head south to face the Mavericks in a nationally-televised game. (7 PM CST, TNT)

Seattle helped to build the “Big Three” in Boston by dealing Ray Allen to the Celtics this summer for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and rookie Jeff Green. Since then, the C’s have dominated the League, running out to a 23-3 record. Kevin Durant and the Sonics, on the other hand, have struggled to an 8-20 start with their young squad. Tonight the two teams meet for the first time at Key Arena, where Allen will be honored in a pre-game ceremony by his old team and city. (9:30 PM, TNT)

The holidays are over, which means that basketball is slowly ramping back up. Tonight features #1 North Carolina hosting Nevada (6 PM CST, ESPN2) and NC State heading to Seton Hall (6:30 PM, ESPNU). Most Texas fans will probably be busy watching Duane Akina’s porous defense getting lit up by Arizona State, but we’ve got to cover all the bases for those non-Horn fans who read the site.

Eddie Sutton is back? Unfortunately, he didn’t end up at Colorado, where we could’ve sworn we saw him watching the CU/Texas game last January. Instead, he’s going to step in for the San Francisco Dons and try to get that 800th win. He’ll likely get two more in his last 17 games, but I kind of hope he doesn’t. He left his Oklahoma State program reeling and is now returning to the game for a very self-serving reason. That doesn’t seem like the coach I had come to begrudgingly respect over his years with the Pokes.

Checking in with the polls this week, Texas is sitting at 9th in both the AP and Coaches. The sportswriters around the country are all over the map, with Luke Winn leaving the Horns in 5th and ESPN writers putting Texas ninth. Jay Bilas still had the Horns in 5th and “Bracketologist” Joe Lunardi slotted them 7th, but the rest of the writers were pretty much split between 9th and 11th for Rick Barnes’ club.

Bob Knight’s in trouble again with the Big 12 after questioning a call in the Tech loss to New Mexico. I’m not sure what purpose these “reprimands” really serve, but you can be sure it’s no skin off of ol’ Bob’s back. It’s incredibly stupid that such a minor comment is worth this much attention. After all, it’s not like Knight was saying the refs cost his team the game — they lost by 17 — but rather was responding to a simple question posed by a reporter.

We open by wishing our readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, delightful Kwanzaa, and of course, a fabulous Festivus. We’re alive and well, back in Austin and catching up on all the rest we missed last week. Of course, the constant driving means that sleep isn’t the only thing we’ve missed out on — daily Fast Breaks and the Horns in the League also pulled a Houdini.

That leaves us with another lengthy NBA update tonight, so we jump in the Way Way Back Machine and travel to last…

Sunday

T.J. Ford missed the Toronto game against Boston, still recovering from that scary injury suffered against Atlanta. The Celtics continued their league domination in the meantime, downing the Raps by a 90-77 count.

The Trail Blazers continued their hot streak, topping the Nuggets 116-105 in the Rockies. LaMarcus Aldridge missed the game with plantar fascitis in his right foot.

The Lakers won the battle of Los Angeles by downing the cross-town rival Clippers, 113-92. Chris Mihm rejoined Phil Jackson’s game plan, playing 15 minutes and grabbing three boards. Mihm also added a bucket in the winning effort.

Monday

Royal Ivey and Daniel Gibson got to see a lot of each other in their game, as the Bucks and Cavs needed two overtimes to find a winner. Cleveland finally came out on top, 104-99, led by LeBron’s 31 points. Royal With Cheese sat on the bench for the Bucks all night, while D-Gib scored twelve and logged five dimes in his 46 minutes of action.

Orlando fell just short on the road, losing 111-108 to the homestanding Mavericks. Maurice Evans was the busiest player off the bench, playing for 19 minutes as the sixth man. Mo scored four points on the night and secured five rebounds.

LaMarcus Aldridge missed another one with his foot injury, but the Portland winning streak continued following an 88-76 victory over New Orleans.

Tuesday

Chris Mihm and T.J. Ford both did not play, but did see their teammates grab wins. The Lakers topped Chicago 103-91, while the Raptors edged the Clippers, 80-77.

Wednesday

Mike Brown played fast and loose with his bench, and the Cavaliers somehow made Isaiah Thomas look good, stumbling at Madison Square Garden. Daniel Gibson played 30 minutes in the 108-90 loss, scoring seven points.

Sacramento torpedoed the Bucks at home, winning by a 102-89 count. Royal Ivey was perfect on the night, hitting all four of his shots and both of his free throws. Ivey finished with ten points in eight minutes, but did turn the ball over three times.

Orlando evened up their Texas road trip by topping the Rockets, 97-92. Mo Evans had a highly-effective 16 minutes of playing time, scoring eight points to go with four boards and an assist.

Although T.J. Ford was still unable to play, LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the court in Portland, where the Trail Blazers won their ninth-straight, 101-96 over Toronto. L.A. quickly got back on the horse, dropping 15 points and seven boards in his 37-minute return.

Kevin Durant had a respectable night with 18 points and five rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for Seattle. The Sonics dropped another one at the Key, this time 107-93 to the Hornets.

Thursday

The hype was LeBron vs. Kobe, but for Horn fans it was Mihm vs. D-Gib. Of course, that story-within-the-game disintegrated when Chris Mihm missed yet another one without a single word from Lakers brass regarding an injury. Daniel Gibson did play, though, scoring 15 points in 28 minutes of action.

Friday

What’s that? Three straight DNP’s for Chris Mihm? Awesome. The Lakers won, by the way. Zzzzzzzz.

The Magic blew one at home, letting Paul Milsap dominate them for 28 points off the bench. Yes, Paul Milsap. Mo Evans had seven points and three boards in the 113-94 loss to Utah.

LaMarcus Aldridge dropped 18 points and ripped down eight boards in Portland’s tenth-straight win, a 99-96 nail-biter over Denver. L.A. was also generous with the rock, dishing out five assists on the night.

Kevin Durant led the way for Seattle in their 123-115 win over the Raptors, coming alive in the third quarter en route to a 27-point night. We got a few weird looks in the Toronto bars by cheering for the Sonics, but without T.J. Ford, the Raps didn’t leave much for us to love.

Saturday

Royal Ivey had a minimal role in the 103-99 Milwaukee win over Charlotte. Ivey played seven minutes off the bench ad grabbed two boards, but also picked up two fouls and turned it over once.

T.J. Ford continued to contemplate his health and his future in the NBA while the Raptors got face-raped by the Suns, 122-103.

Sunday

Chris Mihm does exist! The Los Angeles Sasquatch saw ten minutes of action, scoring four and logging a rebound in a 95-90 win over the Knicks. I guess that means he’s due for another three or four DNPs now. Thanks, Phil!

The Cavs lost another one at home, falling 105-96 to Don Nelson’s Warriors. Daniel Gibson battled foul trouble that limited him to 32 minutes of play, but he still finished with thirteen points, five boards, five dimes…and two blocked shots?!?

The post-season is a long way off, but this Magic/Celtics rivalry in the East is getting interesting. Boston got the best of Orlando this time, winning 103-91 at TD Banknorth. Mo Evans played 25 minutes, going 4-of-5 from the field to finish with ten points and a rebound.

Monday

The League took a day off for Christmas Eve or something, leaving me with only the painful Monday Night Football telecast to watch. It’s a tough call — listen to drunk Aunt Millie’s boring stories, or have Tony Kornheiser and Joe Theismann make me consider seppuku. What’s a guy to do?

Tuesday

Daniel Gibson was scratched from the starting lineup by Mike Brown, one of the true geniuses of the NBA. (Good showing the Finals, coach.) D-Gib was a solid sixth-man, scoring 16 points in 30 minutes, including a sick 4-of-6 from behind the arc.

The Lakers finally won a Christmas Day game, toppling the Suns, 122-115. Chris Mihm didn’t play, of course.

Another game, another win for Portland. In a match-up of the last two #2 picks — both of whom happen to be Longhorns — the Trail Blazers grabbed a 89-79 win in front of the Rose Garden crowd. Kevin Durant had 23 points, six boards, four assists, and two blocks in the losing effort. Meanwhile, LaMarcus Aldridge was nearly invisible, scoring only two first-half points and nothing more. He did battle through his 10% shooting though, helping the team with five rebounds and a steal.

Tonight

Maurice Evans and the Magic look to steamroll the pitiful Knicks in Orlando. (6 PM CST, NBA League Pass)

The struggling Bucks and Royal Ivey hope for a change of luck on the road in Denver. (8 PM CST, NBALP)

Nothing makes a 22-hour drive home better than a demoralizing loss. With nothing but the endless road in front of you, there’s ample time to revisit every moment and autopsy the cadaver of the game until it’s nearly unrecognizable. Of course, that’s even more fun if you add a fast-moving winter storm into the mix.

After watching the Oakland/Oregon game that followed the Texas loss, we took an LRT traveler back into north-central Indiana to be with his family for the holidays. We rolled in around 3 A.M. and decided to check the weather before we pressed on. Unfortunately, we discovered that if we stuck to the current route, a snowstorm would be hitting Chicago at the same time we would be arriving. The decision was made to double back to I-69 and sprint south to Indianapolis in an attempt to skirt the front. We failed. Miserably.

Rain and 40-MPH wind gusts buffeted us from one lane to the other, and driving was reduced to a crawl. And when we finally made a 6 A.M. stop at a gas station for refueling, stretching, and scouting the hotel options ahead of us, the storm really made its move. In only an hour, the temperature dropped more than 10 degrees, snow blew in, and everything began to ice over. For two guys from Texas who hadn’t slept in about 21 hours, that seemed like reason enough to pack it in for a little bit of rest.

So, after six hours of much-needed sleep in Indianapolis, we’re going to try this thing again. It’s still windy and snowing, but at least now we won’t pass out behind the wheel. And when we get back to Austin, we’ll try to take one more look at this loss and put the thing to bed.

Everybody enjoy the holidays, and be safe out there.

Update (8:31 P.M. CDT): After a five-hour shift behind the wheel, it’s my turn to grab some sleep. We’re now in southeastern Missouri, with only 742 miles between us and Austin. In the meantime, here are a few thoughts on last night’s game…

1) This one underscored Augustin’s importance. With him out of the game late in the first half, Michigan State went on their big run as the Texas offense ground to a halt. Players dribbled around the perimeter for 25-30 seconds before jacking up poor shots.

2) Credit goes to the Spartans for some great defensive work, as they constantly collapsed into double teams against penetration. Augustin stuggled against it in the first half, and the other guards were completely unable to overcome it.

3) Where was the bench? I don’t recall them making any impact beyond J.D. Lewis hitting a three and Alexis Wangmene forcing a turnover. Yes, the bench is thin, but they will have to produce more than that the rest of the year.

4) The stats they showed in the arena had Texas with a ridiculously low number of assists. This is partially a result of scoring a lot from the line, but it is also a sign of how often the Horns were trying to create for themselves off the drribble, which was not a good idea against the MSU scheme.

5) It’s tough to beat a team who shoots 50%, but Texas didn’t do itself any favors in giving up so many easy buckets in this one. I’ll refrain from more comments on the defense until I get home and watch the tape, but it was certainly frustating.

All told, this is nothing more than a loss. I’m sure some fans are over-reacting after it, but some perspective should be maintained. It’s a tough pill to swallow because these were two great, evenly-matched teams who could beat each other on any given day. But Rick Barnes still has a great squad this season that will win a ton of games, and the sky is certainly not falling.

I’ll have a more in-depth look at the game sometime on Monday after we make it back to Austin.

This update comes to you from Toronto, our third stop on this lengthy trip. It is an amazing city and we stayed out a little too late last night, so unfortunately this game preview will have to be quite abbreviated to get us back across the border and up to Auburn Hills on time.

Michigan State, much like UCLA, is a tough match-up for the Horns. They play good defensive basketball, grinding the game down to their tempo. Ken Pomeroy has their tempo near the bottom of the rankings. The interesting thing about this year’s Spartan team, though, is their increased offensive efficiency, as their adjusted offensive efficiency is only seven points lower than Texas’ numbers.

If you remember last year’s meeting at Madison Square Garden, you may also remember that the Spartans held the Horns to only 20.6% shooting in the second half. Michigan State also beat the Horns solidly on the glass, grabbing a ton of rebounds and second-chance points. The battle on the glass could again be problematic for Texas this evening, particularly considering how the Horns have struggled to control the boards even against much smaller teams this season. Tom Izzo has some big-time rebounding threats in Raymar Morgan, Goran Sutan, and to a lesser extent Marquise Gray, so Connor Atchley and Damion James will have their hands full.

Drew Neitzel is obviously the heart and soul of this team, but he is struggling from an uncomfortable bout of streak-itis. He’s yet to put together a complete game against one of the tougher opponents on the Spartans’ schedule, but still averages 14.5 points per game. He also always seems to take — and make — the big shots late in the game, so if this one is close at the end, Texas needs to keep the ball out of his hands.

Texas proved in Los Angeles that it can win a tough, grind-it-out basketball game against a bigger team. That is going to be their task tonight, and they have a good chance to do so. They will need to limit the easy put-backs and fight through screens or constantly switch to keep Michigan State from freeing up Neitzel. Texas should also expect to struggle offensively against a Tom Izzo team, but must not abandon their game plan.

TV for this one is ESPN2, although it appears it won’t be in HD. Tip is 5:30 P.M. Central, so flip over to the Deuce as the Horns go for their third win over a top-ten opponent in only two months.

After a good night’s sleep — a true rarity on this five-day sojourn — we are leaving Nashville with sights set on Champaign, Illinois. We just passed The House That Vince Built and are winding through the foothills on I-24. Updates to come, as long as we don’t get caught in a reality remake of Deliverance.

Update (3:23 P.M.): It has been a fairly uneventful trip so far today. A series of storms dogged us through southwest Kentucky, but did not slow things down too much. Unfortunately, southern Illinois is so barren and boring it could make your eyes bleed. Champaign is only 49 miles away, so thankfully this seemingly interminable drive will come to a close.

While we’re in Assembly Hall, you can check out #9 Pitt against #7 Duke (6 P.M. CST, ESPN) or the Battle of the Suttons between Oral Roberts and Okie Lite (6 P.M, ESPN2).

I mentioned last week that our trip to Michigan St. could surpass the Spokane adventure in scope and downright insanity. Six hours into the journey, I can safely say that was not an exaggeration.

Last night, after watching Texas defeat Oral Roberts we packed up the SUV and headed out for five days of driving and college hoops. Our route first takes us to Nashville for tonight’s game between Belmont and Austin Peay. The following day, we travel to Illinois for a contest between the Fighting Illini and Miami of Ohio. Friday puts us in Toronto, with the doubleheader in Auburn Hills looming on Saturday.

This update from the road comes courtesy of my passenger’s iPhone. I’ve dictated this entry while Dexy’s Midnight Runners plead with Eileen on the stereo and we fight through the heavy fog on I-30.

Roughly 20 minutes ago, we crossed into Arkansas where the stench was immediately overpowering. If we manage not to suffocate, more updates can be expected from the road.

Update (8:15 A.M CST): About 45 miles southwest of Memphis, we pass a trailer full of sheep. Their bleating cries could easily be heard over the sound of the highway — “Baa means no!”

Update (11:35 A.M. CST): Less than 40 miles from Nashville and fatigue is mixing with relief as we approach the first destination. We have not stopped in five hours, so we’ve been feasting on a healthy mix of Monster, Starburst, Wheat Thins, and Mountain Dew — truly a breakfast of champions.

Update (5:34 P.M. CST): After a day spent at the campuses of Belmont and Vanderbilt, we are cramming dinner down our throats before heading back to the arena for a 7:05 tip. While you can’t see this one on TV, you can still have hoops for supper by tuning in to Memphis/Cincinnati (6 PM CT, ESPN2) or Nicholls State/UNC (8 PM, ESPNU).