Just a quick blurb to let you know that while we did not die while surfing, my computer did kick the bucket yesterday morning. For those of you looking for info on today’s game, the Longhorns face the Ducks at 3:30 P.M. CST on ESPN2.

I hope to have a loaner computer when we get back to the mainland, so things should be back to normal within a few days. Enjoy the game this afternoon.

Through two games against lesser opponents, the two most notable things about the 2008-09 Longhorns were their sloppy ball control and an impenetrable defense. The big question was whether or not either of these trends would change against real competition. They didn’t.

Texas defeated St. Joe’s 68-50 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational yesterday, but turned the ball over 16 times in the process. That stingy defense remained, however, holding the Hawks to only 29% shooting, including just 4-of-21 from long range. Through three games, Longhorn opponents have been limited to 28.9% shooting from the field and 21.9% shooting from behind the arc. According to Ken Pomeroy’s metrics, Texas has the fifth-toughest defense in the country to date.

The downside, though, was the continued problems controlling the basketball. Texas had turned it over a nauseating 34 times in the first two games against Stetson and Tulane, and Coach Rick Barnes saw his team cough it up another 16 times against the Hawks. Many of the turnovers were unforced errors, with entry passes to the post being lobbed out of reach, or fast breaks being stifled by trying to squeeze the ball through three defenders.

The Longhorns are an incredibly athletic team, and it seems at times that they are too busy trying to run the other team out of the gym to actually slow down and play efficient basketball. With time, Barnes will certainly get this worked out; after all, he did say at the tournament’s Tip Off Banquet that “this team can be really good in a month.”

Bench play was a very bright spot in this game, with Alexis Wangmene, Gary Johnson, and Varez Ward looking great off the pine. Johnson was an absolute beast on the glass, logging a double-double with a 14/10 line. Gary oftentimes wasn’t even in the “right” position to grab a rebound, but used his athleticism and unbridled aggressiveness to get to the ball. If Johnson is providing these kind of 20-plus minute performances night after night, the Texas depth is going to keep opposing coaches up at night.

Wangmene stepped out in this one after seeing very little action in the first two games. Much like Johnson, Wangmene did most of his work by simply fighting down low. His 8/7 line doesn’t tell the whole story, either, as he added a block and helped Texas corral a few extra rebounds by just tipping the loose ball to teammates.

In the backcourt, Ward looked much more comfortable in the flow of the offense. He found the open man, providing four assists in only twelve minutes on the court. And perhaps most importantly for the young man, he made his first two free throws of the day to erase the bitter taste of his 0-for-6 season numbers from the line. Ward did miss his other two attempts, but it’s a nice psychological lift to get that monkey off his back.

As always, Damion James and A.J. Abrams led the way for the Longhorns, quietly putting up their typical double-digit scoring numbers. Abrams continued his hot start from long range, knocking down 4-of-7 behind the arc, many of which came with the tiniest bit of separation from the defender. A.J. still is looking to take runners off the dribble, a kind of shot that he had trouble making during his sophomore campaign. Last season, Abrams improved and was able to knock those down with regularity, but this seasons those runners are looking a bit more like the A.J. of old. Once he gets those to start falling again, defenses will really have their hands full.

DaMo didn’t grab quite as many rebounds as usual, but was quite impressive on the defensive end. He was often guarding smaller, faster players past the perimeter, but showcased enough lateral quickness to stick with his man. James had two steals and a block against the Hawks, but gave it back three times with those unforced errors mentioned above.

Sophomore guard Dogus Balbay is still a bit of an enigma at this point, just two games into his college career. Offensively, the speed we saw at times against Tulane doesn’t seem to translate to taking defenders off the dribble. He has a knack for finding the open man when he actually does get the D to collapse, but it appears that he can’t blow past the guards and into the paint to make that happen with any regularity.

On the other side of the ball, he is certainly showing that his reputation as a lockdown defender was well-founded, but at times looks like he may be pushing too hard to live up to that hype. When he stayed in position and played sound ball, St. Joe’s had no answer. But when Dogus over-extended himself to make a big play, that’s when the Hawks were able to squirt by and force the Texas D to rotate.

With the victory, Texas moves on to today’s semifinal against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While St. Joe’s was definitely the bet team the Horns have faced to date, today’s match-up will be an incredible test. The preview of that one will be headed your way in the late afternoon. For now, it’s time to try out this whole surfing thing.

This morning the Longhorns kick off three days of high-caliber basketball on the island of Maui, taking on St. Jospeh’s in an opening-round clash. The weekend here has been much more packed with activities than anticipated, and the 10 A.M. tip time here on Hawaii’s second-largest island has created a bit of a time crunch. So, today’s game preview won’t be quite as in-depth as usual, but we’ll cover the necessities. Call it a game preview, Maui style.

About the Hawks

This isn’t the St. Joseph’s of 2004, which finished the regular season with only a single loss and fell just one win short of the Final Four. But the Hawks are still a dangerous team, led by their indomitable big man Ahmad Nivins. The senior forward was all-conference last year in the Atlantic-10+4, playing over 30 minutes a game for Coach Phil Martelli while averaging 14.4 points and 5.8 boards. In the first two games for St. Joe’s this year, Nivins is averaging a double-double, with 21 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

Nivins will be relied on to help steady a team which lost its two leading scorers in forwards Pat Calathes and Rob Ferguson. But the Hawks also have a senior leader in the backcourt, point guard Tasheed Carr. The upperclassman is in only his second season with the team after transferring from Iowa State, but is the only player besides Nivins who averaged more than 30 minutes a game in 2007-08.

The biggest question for St. Joseph’s is which other big man will step up today. Nivins is without a doubt an incredible force down low, but the Longhorns are deeper in the frontcourt than they have been in years. If Texas sells out to defend Nivins, the other Hawks will have to provide enough offense to force the Longhorns to reconsider their gameplan. That means a lot of pressure falls on the shoulders of sophomore forward Idris Hilliard, a 6′7″ kid from New Jersey who has seen his playing time jump from just six minutes a game last year to almost 34 in the first two games this season.

Garrett Williamson is a guard off of Martelli’s bench that could create some match-up problems for Texas thanks to his height. The junior guard is listed at 6′5″, and the Longhorn backcourt has shown weakness against taller guards and wings in the past. Although significantly shorter than Williamson and Carr, Justin Mason will be asked to step up on the defensive end today. Varez Ward may also see an increase in minutes thanks to his lockdown D, provided his sprained ankle is completely healed.

There’s also a slight Texas connection on the bench for the Hawks today, as little-used Nigerian center Temi Adebayo played at Montrose Christian last year, the same school that produced phenom Kevin Durant.

For the Longhorns

So far this season, the big story for Texas has been their defense. Against Tulane, the Longhorns showed full-court pressure, guarded the Green Wave well past the perimeter, and constantly put hands in the passing lanes. Texas has forced 44 turnovers in their first two ballgames, stifling the opposing offenses before they can get started. But even when Stetson and Tulane managed to work the ball around, the Longhorns’ strong D has resulted in tough looks. Through two games, Texas opponents are shooting a paltry 28.7% from the field.

The problem spots so far for the Longhorns are turnovers and free throw shooting. Although Texas has forced a ton of miscues by their opponents, sloppy ball handling has given fans cause for concern. The Longhorns have coughed it up 34 times in their first two games against decidedly over-matched opponents, a number that will certainly never fly against top-level competition.

From the free throw line, Texas is shooting an abysmal 51% so far this season. The biggest criminals from the charity stripe have been Mason (3-of-7), Damion James (3-of-6), Clint Chapman (1-of-4), and Varez Ward (0-of-6). While there’s really no excuse for poor free throw shooting, at this point in the year we’re choosing to give Chapman and Ward a pass based on their youth. But James and Mason must be leaders for the team, and it’s tough to have confidence late in games if your go-to guys can’t knock down the freebies.

This is a game that Texas should win, but St. Joseph’s is definitely a team talented enough to spring the upset. Good teams are most often undermined by a sudden failure to execute the most basic fundamentals, so the Longhorns must control the ball and hit their free throws. Nivins will definitely score in today’s contest and likely wreak havoc on the glass, but if the Longhorns can do the simple things, they should advance to the winner’s bracket for a semifinal tomorrow.

We leave Austin Bergstrom International Airport in a little more than three hours, the first step in a very long day filled with tarmacs, cramped legs, and fattening airport fast food. But it all leads up to an incredible week in Hawaii that includes luaus, snorkeling, hiking, and three Longhorn basketball games. I suppose that’s a fair trade.

Sometime this weekend we’ll take a look back at Tulane and a look ahead to St. Joe’s, although we’re sure that all Texas eyes will be focused on the football game in Norman. But in between the beers and the Corn Nuts, swing on by Longhorn Road Trip to see what’s new. Hopefully there will be some Hawaii pictures and trip logs mixed in with fresh basketball coverage.

Happy Friday, y’all. I’m off to Maui!

If you had a chance to watch the Davidson/Oklahoma NIT regional final last night, you may have been watching the two best players in the country go back and forth. Perhaps it’s a bit of hyperbole, but it’s tough to not gush when watching Blake Griffin dominate with a sick line of 25/20 against a Davidson team led by Stephen Curry’s 44 points. As a Texas fan, I’m certainly not looking forward to the combo of Little Griffin, Big Griffin, and Willie Warren twice this year, but am looking forward to seeing Curry and the Wildcats take on West Virginia in person just before the Horns play Villanova.

The Texas cities making bids for the Final Four went two for three earlier today, when the NCAA named Arlington and Houston future Final Four sites. The 2014 event will be held at the new Cowboys space station out in Arlington, while Reliant in Houston will follow up their 2011 Final Four with another in 2016. San Antonio was one of five cities whose bids were not selected.

It seemed that perhaps Ole Miss could make a run as a darkhorse NCAA candidate with the SEC having a bit of a down year. But after losing Trevor Gaskins at the start of the year, the Rebels took another huge blow when junior guard and leader Eniel Polynice had season-ending knee surgery. It’s a tough break for Andy Kennedy and the Rebs, who were bringing in a serviceable freshman class to compliment the nucleus of a team that started 13-0 last year.

Varez Ward will miss tonight’s contest with Tulane after spraining an ankle in practice.

With a trip to Maui and a potential pair of games against top ten opponents looming just a week away, toight the Longhorns look to brush up and correct a few mistakes against a vastly overmatched Tulane team. The Green Wave comes to Austin on the heels of a tight 68-62 win over McNeese State in New Orleans this weekend. Texas also sports a 1-0 mark following their 68-38 thumping of Stetson on Friday night.

About the opponents

Tulane is hoping to bounce back after losing three solid seniors in David Gomez, Matt Wheaton, and Donnie Stith. The trio combined for over 40% of the Green Wave’s points in the 2008 season and 41% of the team’s rebounds. With the loss of Gomez, Robinson Louisme is going to have to carry the load down low for the Green Wave, but he faces a tough task against a Texas team that blocked eight shots in their first game.

Following such massive turnover at Tulane, the Green Wave is pinning its hopes on tiny guard Kevin Sims, who started his junior season with a 17-point performance against McNeese State on Saturday. Kris Richard joins Sims as a starter in the backcourt, and matched his teammate’s 17-point total in the season opener with an identical scoring line. Richard checks in at 6-foot, 5-inches, and provides Coach Dave Dickerson with a versatile wing option.

The frontcourt is facing a mismatch against the taller Longhorns, with all three Green Wave starters listed at 6′7″ or shorter. Although Texas occasionally struggled on the offensive glass despite a significant height advantage over Stetson, Tulane will still likely have their hands full in the paint. If the Longhorns can crack down on those easy follow-ups, the Green Wave might have a tough time scoring.

Longhorn storylines

The big story of the night for Texas is the collegiate debut of point guard Dogus Balbay. It’s no secret that the Texas offense struggled in the first half with A.J. Abrams at the one, so having a true guard that can penetrate and create looks for his teammates will open up the floor. Balbay’s addition will also free up Abrams to return to his natural role as a catch-and-shoot three-point threat.

Putting Balbay in the mix also raises questions about the backcourt rotation, as the small size of the Abrams, Balbay, Varez Ward and Justin Mason makes it less likely that the Horns will run three guards at once. Mason brings smart play to the court along with lockdown defense, so Barnes will be able to tinker the lineup to match nearly any situation.

It’s not just the backcourt combinations that are up in the air, but also the playing time for the crowded frontcourt. Connor Atchley and Damion James are the unquestioned leaders, but Gary Johnson demands PT with his hard-nosed effort and nice mid-range jumper. Clint Chapman and Dexter Pittman are looking to improve after showing flashes of brilliance in 2007-08, but obviously that progress is more likely to happen with increased time in live game situations. If Friday night was any indication, Matt Hill and Alexis Wangmene are the odd men out in the rotation, but games like tonight’s offer Barnes an opportunity to experiment.

The key to the game tonight is to take advantage of the height disparity between the two teams by pounding the ball inside — something that Texas failed to do for the first half of Friday’s game — and attacking the glass. Abrams will likely knock down a handful of threes, which should aid in stretching out the Tulane defense, making it easier for Texas to go down low.

Tip is at 7 P.M. at the Frank Erwin Center, and there are still tons of tickets available. But if you can’t make it out to the Drum, tune in with other Longhorn fans to Fox Sports Net for all the action.

Hoops is certainly back in full swing, with ESPN broadcasting college basketball all damned day. Unfortunately, we’re not quite in full swing here at LRT with insanity at the McJob and cramming to get everything ready for Maui by Friday. We’ll try to get back to the daily content sometime this week, and look for some cosmetic changes around the site before December arrives. You can thank the 20-plus hours on airplanes to and from Hawaii.

The Big 12 is off to a hot start, with its members logging a perfect 19-0 record through last night’s games. The conference probably won’t match its solid RPI numbers from last year, when it spent most of the season slotted as the second-toughest league in the nation. But the Big 12 teams are taking care of patsies so far, something that couldn’t be said even during last season’s strong start — yes, we’re looking at you, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Oklahoma faces the league’s stiffest test yet when it hosts Davidson tonight in the NIT Season Tip Off. It’d be great to watch this Top 25 match-up on TV, but the “Worldwide Leader” has better things to show. Like Kansas hosting the mighty Florida Gulf Coast (ESPNU, 8 PM CT). Or maybe Billy Wrong Way Gillispie getting demolished by The Anointed Ones better suits your fancy (ESPN, 8 PM CT)? If you thought VMI was bad, Billy Clyde, just try not to clench the muscles…

Tulane preview will be headed your way this afternoon. In the meantime, you can find us in a basketball coma with remote in hand.

Edit (3 P.M. CT): ESPN2 will now be broadcasting the Davidson/Oklahoma game at 8 P.M. You’ll definitely want to check that one out once the Horns are finished discarding the Green Wave.

With Tulane looming just thirteen hours from now, time is running out to look back on Friday night’s season opening victory over Stetson. I suppose that means that this time’s just as good as any to speed through what we saw.

As Bob Knight said during the 894 hours of basketball coverage last night on ESPN, it often takes a good ten to twelve games to really have an idea of what a team is capable of in any given season. But there were still quite a few nuggets to take away from the 30-point Longhorn victory over Stetson, and of course even more things for Coach Barnes to drill at these first few weeks of the season.

The brightest part of the game was the solid shooting night from senior guard A.J. Abrams. Unfortunately, the tiny guard was not just asked to shoot, but also tasked with running the point during the first half as starter Dogus Balbay sat on the bench finishing a suspension. With Abrams at the one, the rest of the Longhorns seemed content to pass the ball around the perimeter and wait on A.J. to shoot. Most of the time, the senior knocked down his shots to keep Texas comfortably ahead. But there was absolutely no interior game to speak of thanks to the lack of penetration or entry passes opening things up.

Another huge factor nullifying the size advantage over Stetson was the absence of Connor Atchley, who had his chin sliced open early in the first half. Without the senior leader getting things going in his inside-out role, Texas was glued to the perimeter. Connor’s perfect night from behind the arc (3-of-3) was a huge lift coming out of the locker room, as Texas increased its already-lofty 46% shooting to a ridiculous 62% against the Hatters. Stetson was forced to stretch their defense out even more, and the Longhorns started attacking the weaknesses and working it inside.

The other big thing we took from Friday night’s game was our first look at freshman guard Varez Ward. It was obvious that all of the hype surrounding his defense was well-founded, as Ward looked better than would be expected for an 18-year old in his first collegiate game. On the offensive end, he was still a bit sloppy, but showed initiative in attacking the rim when other Longhorns were content to simply pass the rock around. Ward did pick up a pair of charging fouls near the rack, so he will need to work on maintaining control while trying to create. In addition, he missed all six of his free throws in a painful effort that could only be described as Shaq-ian.

Damion James picked up where he left off, as his mid-range stroke was still on display. With the Texas offense refusing to penetrate in the first twenty minutes, James added a few jumpers to augment The Abrams Show. But with Damion marginalized away from the rim, his rebounding numbers suffered on the night, and he finished with only seven boards against a smaller and less athletic Stetson team. As the team finds its identity and the younger post players step up on the glass, DaMo won’t be needed as much to clean up the trash against conference opponents. But in the meantime, having James lead the team with only seven rebounds could be worrisome with the murderer’s row of non-conf games looming.

Justin Mason took things over at the one in the second half, and the Texas offense certainly benefited. J-Mase is obviously not a point guard, and won’t be pressuring Balbay for the reigns anytime soon. But it was perfectly clear that in situations where Dogus won’t be available this year, Mason is the choice to step in. His cerebral play on offense opens up some nice options for subs throughout the season, as Barnes can opt to use a defensive-minded backcourt with Ward at the two and Jay serving as a serviceable point.

Defensively, Texas looked better than what we were expecting in a season-opening performance. They forced Stetson into quite a few low-percentage jumpers and did a good job switching and helping in the man defense. But the biggest problem on the defensive end was how easily the Hatter guards were able to attack on simple pick-and-rolls, forcing Texas into those help situations. Stetson was quite adept at moving the ball quickly to find the open man, and it led to more easy looks than the Longhorns will be able to give to quality teams. Fortunately, the Rick Barnes specialty is coaching up a defense over the five-month season, and holding any team to only 26% shooting is a great place to start.

Gary Johnson quietly put in a solid effort with a six-point, seven-rebound performance in only 17 minutes on the floor. But the rest of the Longhorns were tough to get a read on, as officials constantly called walks and charges in the paint and Barnes spread out the minutes amongst the bigs. Dexter Pittman was still able to put in ten points, but much of his post work was marred by the happy whistles from the refs. With the foul trouble plaguing him, it was tough to get minutes strung together, but we should soon see what Big Dex can do with quality playing time.

Matt Hill and Alexis Wangmene each only played four minutes and didn’t make much of an impression, while Clint Chapman saw the floor for thirteen. The sophomore from Oregon made a few solid defensive plays to give hope that fans will see some marked improvement this year. He’s still obviously rough, but the lost freshman we saw at this time last year was nowhere to be found.

The sloppy first half could spell a future concern for Texas, as the Longhorns barely had more field goals than turnovers for most of the first twenty minutes. But there was a clear adjustment in the locker room, with Texas only coughing it up four times the rest of the way. The addition of Balbay to the lineup should help with ball control in the future, as will a focus on eliminating unnecessary charges.

There are clearly a ton of questions left for Longhorn fans, some of which may be addressed in tonight’s game with Tulane. Look for a preview of the mighty Green Wave this afternoon.

After six long months, the sweet sound of sneakers on hardwood has returned. And while we’ve had to bide our time all week with such thrilling match-ups as Michigan Tech/Michigan and UCLA/Prairie View A&M, tonight the Longhorn faithful can finally enjoy the return of their own basketball team.

Sure, the mighty Stetson Hatters provide as much of a threat as crabgrass in the Sahara. But with Rick Barnes opting to forgo exhibitions this year in favor of closed scrimmages with Davidson and Gonzaga, tonight’s contest provides the first chance for Texas fans to get a look at the 2008-09 Longhorns. And in a year where Barnes is looking to fill the vacancy of yet another top-ten NBA draft pick, there are a ton of questions that Texas fans want answered.

About the opponent

The Hatters are coming off a mediocre season in which they finished 15-16 and lost to Gardner Webb in the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament. The efficiency numbers from last year’s team were actually much worse than their near-.500 record would indicate. Stetson ranked 309th in Division I basketball in offensive efficiency, while their adjusted defensive numbers put them at 205th in the nation.

One thing the Hatters do have going for them is experience, as last year’s team featured only one senior. The return of guards A.J. Smith and Garfield Blair — who averaged a combined 60 minutes per game last year — should provide some stability in the backcourt. The most reliable forward for Stetson last year was Sheldon Oliver, who checks in at only 6-foot, 5-inches. This lack of a true inside presence could cause major match-up problems against a Texas lineup that is very deep in the frontcourt.

What to look for

There are a number of questions floating around at the start of every season, and with the loss of D.J. Augustin, the 2008-09 season is no exception. Here are just a few of the many things on our mind as the team takes the court tonight.

Who handles the ball? - With Dogus Balbay serving the final game of his suspension for playing on a team which paid some players, the point guard duties are up in the air. Both A.J. Abrams and Justin Mason have experience at the one, but neither is a true floor general. Seeing who gets the bulk of the minutes running the offense will give fans an idea of what to expect if Balbay struggles in his first college season or runs into foul trouble somewhere down the line.

Will the new three-point line affect Abrams? - The NCAA has moved the three-point line back this season from its previous distance of 19 feet, 9 inches to a more daunting 20 feet, 9 inches. For Texas, the player who could possibly suffer most from the change is senior guard Abrams. There’s no question the little shooting guard has the range to hit from further out. But after three seasons developing his game at the old distance, will there be an adjustment period for Abrams this year?

How ready is Matt Hill? - The forward from Nebraska has been a huge question mark for Texas the last two seasons, with injuries crippling his freshman year and completely erasing the 2007-08 campaign. As a redshirt sophomore, Hill has the skills to make a quick impact, but questions about his durability still linger. Tonight, fans will not only get a chance to see how he fits into the crowded rotation in the frontcourt, but also to see if he seems at all hesitant after struggling with so many injuries.

What shape will the lineup take? - This is a question that will certainly not be answered tonight, as Rick Barnes will likely experiment with different combinations all the way into conference play. But this Texas team is incredibly deep, and has the ability to go both big and small. The fact that both Damion James and Connor Atchley can play well both inside and out is also an incredible asset which lends itself to some exciting possibilities for which five Longhorns see the floor.