After an incredible season including 31 wins, a conference championship, and a point guard on numerous All-American teams, the Texas Longhorns finally met their match in Houston’s Reliant Stadium. Despite making a valiant effort to come back from an 11-point halftime deficit, Rick Barnes’ club was unable to keep up with Memphis’ length, athleticism, and speed in an 85-67 loss.

Texas shot itself in the foot during a first half that saw eight Longhorn turnovers which led to nine Memphis points. Coming into the game, the Longhorns led the country with less than 10 turnovers per game, but found themselves frustrated against a much taller Tiger team that pressured guards beyond the perimeter and doubled over the Texas ball screens.

With the turnovers and poor shooting scuttling the Texas offense for the first twenty minutes, the Longhorns found themselves down 11 points coming out of the locker room to start the second half. But solid defense and a suddenly assertive Damion James brought Texas within five points after a 12-0 run that spanned both halves. With the strongly partisan burnt orange crowd finally coming alive and making noise in the cavernous football arena, Memphis snapped back to reality and rattled off seven points to kill any chances of a Longhorn comeback.

The win and Final Four appearance seemed only fitting for a Memphis team coming off of back-to-back seasons in which they lost in the Elite Eight. The current Tiger squad is nearly a mirror image of last year’s team, with the key change coming in the form of freshman point guard Derrick Rose, a mortal lock for a top three pick in this summer’s NBA draft.

With three other 1-seeds making up the rest of the final four, Memphis will certainly have its work cut out for it next weekend in San Antonio. But after a march through the South Regional in which the Tigers beat both Texas and Michigan State by 18 points, Coach Cal’s team seems to be peaking at just the right time.

We’ll take another look at this historic season of Texas basketball later this week and preview what could be one of the best Final Fours in recent memory. The “Horns in the League” feature should also soon make a comeback, and we’ll follow the coaching carousel and NBA draft early entries as the April 27th deadline approaches.

Longhorn fans and players were all smiles when the final horn sounded in Reliant Stadium on Friday night, as Texas pulled away late for a 20-point win over the Pac-10’s Stanford Cardinal. A quick glance at the stats showed what many pundits would’ve expected, as D.J. Augustin led the way with 23 points. But were it not for key contributions from a handful of Longhorn reserves, a game that had been a nailbiter with 10 minutes left could’ve had a very different ending.

In Little Rock last Friday, it appeared that Dexter Pittman might be finally coming into his own. And sure, Big Dex’s 10/11 line could be chalked up to facing an extraordinarily undersized Austin Peay sqaud. But tonight he played excellent second-half defense against Brook Lopez, shutting down the future lottery pick that had single-handedly drawn the Cardinal within a point.

While Connor Atchley was often getting worked all the way down to the blocks by the offensive-minded Lopez, Pittman forced the 7-footer to catch the ball further and further away from the lane. With his go-to hook shot suddenly out of the repertoire, Lopez threw up ill-advised jumpers with hands in his face. Frustrated, he didn’t make a basket for the last 13-plus minutes.

Not only was Pittman’s defense key in shutting down the biggest threat on the Stanford roster, it also came at a dire time for the foul-plagued Longhorns. In the midst of the Cardinal comeback, Damion James and Atchley both picked up their third fouls in a span of only eight seconds. Coach Rick Barnes was forced to play Gary Johnson and Pittman with 9:25 still on the clock and the Longhorns only up five. But with the reserves on the floor, Texas didn’t allow Stanford back into the game — they actually extended the lead to 13 points before James returned almost three-and-a-half minutes later.

In the first twenty minutes, it was Clint Chapman who was coming up big off the bench for Texas. The freshman from Canby, Oregon chipped in just four points and two rebounds in seven minutes of play. But his scant statistics don’t represent how incredibly well-timed his hustle was, as Chapman seemed to pop up out of nowhere for the key board or the quick tip.

Against an incredibly athletic Memphis team who can kill on the glass, Texas will need clutch performances like these from their post reserves. We’ll look more at those match-ups throughout the weekend, but the solid bench play is a great sign as the tournament reaches its midpoint.

With all of the top four seeds on the court in the South region, the stars were out in force at Reliant Stadium. Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway was on hand (sans Lil Penny), while former Longhorns Vince Young and Roger Clemens were in attendance. Pat Riley was in the house for a second straight weekend, having also scouted the Memphis and Texas players in Little Rock. And spotted in a T.J. Ford jersey was Scott Porter, better known as wheelchair-bound QB Jason Street on TV’s Friday Night Lights.

The seating set-up, however, was an absolute disaster. Walking down to our place in Section 104, it was an incredibly surreal feeling to be practically level with the court, yet still have 46 rows of fans and media tables in front of us. I checked out the “club level” during the second half of the doubleheader — the level where Memphis and Texas had their student seats — and was treated to a game that seemed to be played somewhere outside of Harris County. Of course, when considering how ugly Michigan State’s performance was, perhaps it was safer to stay as far away from the carnage as possible.

Texas fans were predictably quiet, even finding it difficult to stand and make noise as Stanford closed the gap in the second half. But when the burnt-orange faithful did decide to make noise, the ridiculous setup killed any kind of energy the building could’ve had. As someone who attended that incredible double-overtime regional final between Michigan State and Kentucky back in 2005, I’ve seen how electric a neutral court can be in the NCAA tournament. The move to this mid-field set-up in football arenas is a horrible, horrible decision, and it’s going to make future regionals and Final Fours feel distant and antiseptic.

We’ll be back tomorrow with some more notes and a quick look at the day’s Elite Eight match-ups. In the meantime, bask in the post-win glory and snap up your tickets for Sunday’s tilt with Memphis. No matter how craptacular the seating is, there’s no reason that arena shouldn’t be bathed in burnt orange with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

There’s not much point in writing game stories once the calendar reaches March and the mainstream media covers the tournament from every angle imaginable. But while Joseph Duarte of the Chronicle and Kirk Bohls of the Statesman both focused on Dexter Pittman’s big game and Pat Forde lamented the lack of upsets in Little Rock, I’ve got just a few notes from behind the Texas bench.

Much was made of the Barnes/Arkansas flap, and there were even t-shirts in the crowd referencing the interview. (Although one must wonder why Razorback fans would make burnt orange shirts with Barnes’ quote and an upside-down Longhorn on them.) But the quick start from Texas really killed any chance the crowd had to make a difference. By the time it was 9-0, the Razorback fans had mostly given up, and just a few minutes into the second half the arena had already begun to clear.

That’s not to say that the Arkansas fans didn’t get any chance to boo lustily. When the Texas band walked onto the court during the last few minutes of the St. Mary’s/Miami game, the boos rained down. And when the Longhorns ran out for pre-game warm-ups, it was even louder. But the most vitriol was saved for Barnes himself, who acted like he was cowering behind a police officer when the crowd started its razzing. Always the jester, Coach Barnes threw up his hands in mock confusion when his pre-game introduction induced another round of jeers.

Perhaps the most amusing part of the methodical dismantling of Austin Peay was the repeated attempts by Governor guards to drive the lane, only to stop on a dime when running into Connor Atchley or Pittman. Most often, APSU turned the ball back around and settled for poor looks outside, although the Longhorn bigs did combine for six blocks when the Govs decided to risk things in the lane. The Texas defense was so stifling on Friday that they held APSU to only 25% shooting in the first half and an abysmal 2-of-12 from behind the arc in the second.

While it’s tough to say that the Governors had much of a chance yesterday, it should be noted that key player Todd Babington was seen quite a few times coughing like a 40-year smoker. We’re not sure exactly what kind of bug Babington was trying to play through, but it’s reasonable to think it may have affected his game. Not that a healthy Babington would have singlehandedly made up a 20-point deficit, but it’s only fair to point out.

There’s still quite a few hours of basketball left on this Saturday, so we’ve got to get back to the River Market in downtown Little Rock to watch the nightcaps. Check back late, late tonight for your pre-game look at the Miami Hurricanes.

We’ve mentioned a few times this weekend how difficult it is to beat the same team three times in one season. But how about going 7-0 against three teams from one state? Or winning six in a row and 11 out of 14 against your hated rival? Apparently it’s nothing but child’s play for the Texas Longhorns, who held the Oklahoma Sooners under fifty points for the second time this year and cruised to a 28-point victory in front of 19,000 disappointed Kansas Jayhawk fans.

The Horns were led by the insanely hot shooting of A.J. Abrams, who knocked down seven three-pointers just a day after going 0-for-5 from behind the arc against Oklahoma State. The diminutive guard finished with 24 points on the day to lead the team, giving him nearly half of OU’s entire output in the game.

The contest was dicey for the first 22 minutes, as the Sooners rode the broad shoulders of Blake Griffin to keep pace with the Longhorns. In the first half alone, he nearly had a double-double — only one more rebound would have done the trick — and had OU in a 36-all tie with 18 minutes to play. But when Abrams lit up, the Texas defense locked down, giving the Sooners no chance as the Longhorns finished the game on a 41-13 run.

The only real negative to come from this game was the early struggle on the defensive glass. Just as against the Cowboys one day prior, Texas let Griffin and the other Sooners pick the offensive glass clean for easy putbacks and longer possessions. The Longhorns simply cannot afford to do that against the quality teams they will be playing over the next three weeks.

There was also one troubling piece of news that came from the sideline rather than the game on the court. Although Gary Johnson was dressed out and walking, he had a large black boot on his right foot. From my vantage point in the corner of the lower level, it looked a lot like the one that Matt Hill has worn throughout his injury troubles. Here’s hoping that Gary will in fact be ready for next weekend’s games.

If he isn’t, Longhorn fans can take solace in the improved play of the Texas big men during this tournament. For a second straight day, Alexis Wangmene turned in a minute-eating performance for Coach Barnes, but this time added the scoring threat. Lex had seven points and four boards in his 14 minutes and looked very impressive in the post. He’s still got a long way to go if he’s going to become a dominant force inside, but the moves are definitely there.

Dexter Pittman also stepped up in Johnson’s absence, absolutely cleaning the glass in his nine minutes of work. Big Dex picked on the Sooners for seven boards and a bucket, even adding a block to round out the stat line. It was very nice to see Pittman be able to play for significant stretches rather than being yanked after a few seconds on the floor. Perhaps this will increase his confidence and also signal a change in the way he’s used down the stretch.

Texas now moves on to face Kansas in the Big 12 Tournament championship game for the third time in the last three years. Game preview will be up in a few hours, along with our 5th-best buzzer beater in NCAA tournament history.

In the two previous meetings this season, the Oklahoma State Cowboys took the Texas Longhorns to the wire. When they first met in Stillwater, it was only a 63-61 victory for the Longhorns, while the margin in Austin was a slightly more comfortable seven-point spread. So when the teams met in Kansas City yesterday, Sean Sutton’s team wasn’t daunted by the fact that they were only a 9-seed taking on the league champions. They knew they could hang with Texas, and it showed.

After the Longhorns sprinted out to a 9-3 lead, the Pokes went on a 10-0 run to jump on top and get the entire arena rooting for their upset bid. The rest of the first half was a repeat of the first few minutes, with Texas rebuilding a seven-point lead, yet finding itself down by a point at half following a Terrel Harris three with two seconds left.

The second half was a completely different story, though. The Texas defense — which seemed to confuse the hell out of OSU with a 2-3 zone — held the Pokes scoreless for nearly the first eight minutes of the half, by which point the Longhorns were already up by eleven.

But as had been the case all season for Rick Barnes and company, they could not shake Okie State. The Pokes clawed back over the final 8:02 of the game, chipping away at a 13-point advantage. After an Obi Muonelo layup with just two minutes left, OSU was down just five, and the late-arriving crowd of 19,000 was smelling Longhorn blood. But with Jayhawks, Wildcats, Aggies, Sooners, and even the Colorado band pulling for the Pokes, the Texas defense stiffened up and stopped the comeback short.

The stars of the game for Texas were most certainly D.J. Augustin and Damion James. At one point early in the second half, Texas led by a 37-33 count. Thirty of those points came from Augustin and James. On the day, the pair combined for 47, while James pulled down 11 boards and added a highlight-reel block.

While Connor Atchley had a really rough start to the day, his second-half contributions were huge. The junior’s shot was way off, and he even airballed a free throw. But his scrappy play inside led to some key putbacks in the second twenty, and his four blocks were integral to shutting down the Pokes. He even hustled on the loose balls, getting Texas an extra possession by reaching around an OSU player to throw it off of him along the sideline.

The negative from this win was the unfortunate injury to Gary Johnson in the first half, which initially looked like some kind of knee problem, but is apparently an ankle injury. After he headed to the locker room, he wasn’t seen again until second-half warm-ups, at which point he was walking around with a soft cast or brace wrapped around the ankle. Mark Rosner from the Austin-American Statesman reported in his blog yesterday afternoon that x-rays were negative, so Gary should be ready to go soon. But with the big tourney just a week away, I hope we keep the kid on the bench for the one or two games left and rest him up for the ones that truly matter.

The silver lining in Gary’s injury was a really solid day from Alexis Wangmene. Oklahoma State was absolutely abusing Texas on the offensive glass, grabbing nine rebounds off of their own misses in the first half. Coach Barnes went big in response, running only two guards out there to help fight off the Pokes. But without Johnson on the floor and Dexter Pittman getting yanked after about 0.004 seconds of play, the bulk of the load fell on Lex’s shoulders. And while he did pick up quite a few fouls, he ate up 14 minutes for Texas and added an inside hoop and pair of rebounds.

A win is really nothing more than stat padding at this point for the Horns, because it seems hard to believe that even a Big 12 Tournament title can get them a 1-seed in the NCAAs. The Selection Committee has made it painfully clear that they don’t pay attention to the B12 championship, and who can blame them when it ends just before the brackets are announced? Add that to the fact that UCLA, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Memphis are all winning the games they are supposed to in their own conference tourneys, and there doesn’t seem to be room for Texas or the Jayhawks to slide up a line.

Regardless, the Horns will march on and look for another confidence-boosting W today against the Oklahoma Sooners. Game preview will be coming your way shortly, as we’ve got to head out early in case the shuttle lines are lengthy. As was the case yesterday, enjoy the wall-to-wall hoops action, and check back here all afternoon as I’ve set the website to post some pre-written content throughout the day.

Ed. Note: Frequent LRT co-traveler Grant attended yesterday’s Baylor/Texas Tech game and filed this report from his third-row seats at United Spirit Arena. As we look forward to covering future seasons of college hoops, these guest contributions could become a much more regular feature. If you are interested in helping out, just send an email to contact at longhornroadtrip dot com, or use the comment form on any post.

Although the home team wasn’t harboring any post-season dreams, there was still a lot to play for on Senior Day in Lubbock, as the Baylor Bears (21-9 overall, 9-7 Big 12) looked to solidify their NCAA Tournament résumeé against the Texas Tech Red Raiders (16-14, 7-9). Tech came into today’s game with an impressive 12-1 record at home, including last Saturday’s 83-80 upset of the then fifth-ranked Longhorns. Despite the Red Raiders’ recent dominance at home, Scott Drew’s squad was determined to bounce back from Wednesday’s home loss to Texas A&M, and scored an 86-73 victory behind a career-high 38 points and nine rebounds from LaceDarius Dunn.

Pat Knight made a nice gesture by giving “Knight School” winner Tyler Hoffmeister his first collegiate start in his final home game, alongside fellow seniors Charlie Burgess and Martin Zeno, the latter of which has started every game as a Red Raider. Hoffmeister played the first 2:23 of the contest, sat, and did not return.

The game began at a quick up-and-down tempo, with both teams staying neck-and-neck thanks to an early seven points from both Burgess and Baylor guard Tweety Carter. Once the game slowed down, Tech built a nine-point advantage thanks to the scoring of freshman guard John Roberson, who had 13 points in the first half. Despite Curtis Jerrells going to the bench with three fouls at the 5:24 mark of the first half, Baylor was able to get back into the game by taking advantage of Tech’s weak interior defense, driving into the lane for easy buckets. A Dunn three-pointer tied the game at 34 with just under two minutes left, and the teams traded baskets before Roberson closed out the half by hitting one of two from the charity stripe to give Tech a 37-36 halftime advantage.

Much like in Baylor’s home contest against the Longhorns last month, Dunn came out of the locker room firing. The freshman star went 4-of-4 from behind the arc to start the second half and keyed a 16-6 run which put the Bears ahead to stay. The Red Raiders were able to cut the lead to 63-54 on a Zeno layup with just under nine minutes left in the game, but could not overcome the hot shooting of Dunn, who also went 12-of-13 from the free throw line. The Bears were able to easily break the Raiders’ 2-2-1 press and maintained their distance by getting into the bonus early. They capitalized by knocking down their free throws, sending most of a frustrated Red Raider crowd of 7,914 towards the exits early.

Perhaps most impressive about the Bears’ performance was their airtight defense of Tech sharpshooter Alan Voskuil, who was held scoreless on 0-of-6 shooting and fouled out with 1:12 left in the game. Zeno led the Red Raiders with 27 points, while Roberson chipped in 25.

Baylor’s fourth conference road win came in spite of yet another disappointing performance from Aaron Bruce, who scored just four points, with his first bucket finally coming on a layup with just 25 seconds remaining in the first half. The Bears will need Bruce to break out of his slump to make a serious run in either the Big 12 or NCAA Tournaments, seeing as they certainly can’t expect a 38/9 line from Dunn night in and night out. Still, this was an important win for Baylor, enabling them to finish 9-7 in conference play, and likely propelling them off the bubble and cementing their status as an NCAA tournament team.

When we threw together our plans to travel to the Ferrell Center for tonight’s Baylor/Texas A&M clash, the thought was that we’d get to see not just another great installment in this rivalry, but a game that just so happened to have post-season implications for both teams. And until the last few minutes of the second half, we were treated to exactly that. The Bears and Aggies were nip and tuck down the stretch, headed for another thrilling finish. But in a matter of moments, an insane series of events stole the spotlight from the game on the court.

With just under two minutes left, Baylor’s Tweety Carter ran full-speed into a pick by A&M’s Joseph Jones. As anyone familiar with the size of these two players could guess, the ensuing collision was best described as hitting a brick wall. Carter crumpled to the court, the Aggies scored an easy lay-up, and the lead was pushed to eight points. The Baylor fans were restless, booing relentlessly as trainers tended to the fallen player. Words were exchanged between the two huddles, various players and coaches were held back from brawling, and a Nerf basketball was thrown on to the court.

Earlier in the half, the P.A. announcer had warned fans that objects thrown onto the court would result in a technical foul against the Bears. So as Curtis Jerrells quickly scooped up the ball, all eyes in the Ferrell Center turned to Section 121 to find the culprit. Immediately fingers were pointed at two young Aggie fans, and a random man pushing 50-odd years rushed up the stairs to scream in their faces. Another Aggie ran down from his seat two rows above, got in the face of the old man, and the shouting match was on. The crowd was on edge and it honestly felt like a riot was about to break out. Security escorted the two accused Aggies out of the arena, although I’m convinced it was more for their own safety than any proven guilt.

The angry Baylor fans voiced their disapproval with the original chant shown in this video, despite the fact that any sensible Aggie supporter could just happily point to the scoreboard.

After more fouls and desperation threes from the Bears, time seemed to finally be winding down to the merciful conclusion of the game. But after Donald Sloan stole the ball near mid-court, he decided to play Harlem Globetrotter and throw it off the backboard to himself for a dunk with 1.8 seconds left. Ignoring the fact that his team was already up 12 with seconds to go, Sloan’s And-1 Mixtape highlight quickly brought the wrath of the Baptists. Dr. Pepper bottles sailed from the stands, more Nerf balls were sent airborne, and the court at the Ferrell Center became the new town landfill. The Aggies hustled off the floor to avoid the debris while Baylor Coach Scott Drew grabbed the mic &emdash; not to chastise the fans for their behavior, but to thank them for their great support all year. Remember Baylor fans, good sports recycle.

One can only hope that somehow these two teams meet up again in Kansas City next weekend. While the bad blood won’t get quite as nasty in a neutral site environment, this thing is turning into a down-and-dirty rivalry along the lines of the Duke-Virginia Tech fued. (Or is it just Greg Paulus vs. Deron Washington?) Even if things don’t come to a head next weekend, this is the kind of game that fans of both schools will mutter about eight years from now when explaining why they hate the other fans. This was truly the kind of night that bitter rivalries are all about.

D.J. Augustin missed the front end of a one-and-one, and the ensuing rebound was tipped out to the three-point line. J.D. Lewis threw a head fake to give himself an open look and tossed up a last-gasp shot to tie the game. He failed to even catch iron, and the Longhorns suffered a three-point defeat at United Spirit Arena on Saturday afternoon. The fact of the matter, though, was that Texas should not have even been in position to tie it. Were it not for incredible game management by Coach Rick Barnes in the final two-and-a-half minutes, the Longhorns would’ve been pasted by double digits. So what went wrong on the South Plains this weekend?

The first key to the game in yesterday’s game preview was to control the fouls. When these two teams met in Austin a few weeks ago, the Longhorns were able to keep the Red Raiders off of the charity stripe and had all of their key players available during the run that put the game out of reach. For a Texas Tech team which has shot 105 more free throws than its opponents this season, that killed any chances of victory for the visitors.

Yesterday the Red Raiders were able to play their kind of game, as the Texas defense was constantly beaten off the dribble, found itself lost on back-door cuts, and picked up dumb fouls 20-plus feet from the basket. The excessive fouling threw a wrench in the frontcourt rotation for Barnes, forcing Connor Atchley to the bench for most of the first half. As a result, Atchley had one of his worst games in weeks, playing for only 24 minutes in which he scored two points and grabbed six boards.

But even more important than the foul trouble was the amount of free points the poor defense gave Tech. If you discount the nine intentional fouls over the last two-and-a-half minutes, the Longhorns were whistled 22 times, including a momentum-killing technical foul on Justin Mason. And if you also discount the 18 free throws that came as a result of those intentional fouls, the Red Raiders hit 21-of-25 from the line in the first 37-plus minutes of the game. The Texas defense handed the Red Raiders this game on a platter, and Pat Knight’s squad was more than happy to snatch it.

Although the end result of a loss certainly hurts the chances for Texas to earn a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, as a whole the loss wasn’t incredibly disappointing. The Longhorns played a game that was very poor by their standards, yet fought back from a 14-point deficit with only 3:28 left on the clock. When Texas finds itself in a corner during March Madness, their history of comeback victories is going to give the team confidence. And by nearly overcoming a deficit this large in such a short period, even seemingly insurmountable odds shouldn’t shake the Horns.

While there weren’t a lot of positives to draw from this game besides the late-game grit from Texas, we can’t overlook the outstanding performance from Augustin. With Atchley and Damion James struggling and A.J. Abrams displaying incredibly suspect shot selection, the point guard carried the team with a 30-point performance. And although he was only 2-of-8 from behind the arc and didn’t attack the rim early enough for Texas to escape with a win, he was the only reason they were even within striking distance at the final horn.

The biggest effect of this loss is that it now makes it incredibly difficult for Texas to win the Big 12 title outright. Now the Longhorns find themselves in a tie with Kansas, although they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. This means that if both teams win their final two games, they both will receive a trophy and the title of “Co-Champions” while Texas will enjoy the 1-seed in the post-season tournament in Kansas City. Of course, both teams will be tested this week as the Longhorns face the surging Cornhuskers and Cowboys, while the Jayhawks take on A&M and Tech.

So, chin up, Longhorn fan. Texas wasn’t going to win 20 in a row to finish the year and claim the National Championship, so a loss had to happen at some point. Put this one behind you and get ready for another exciting round of March Madness.

For much of the season, the Texas Longhorns have been one of the most efficient teams in the country on offense, with their guards knocking down long-range shots at an alarming rate. But against Oklahoma on Saturday, Texas was a paltry 2-of-19 from behind the arc and still managed to blow out rival Oklahoma, 62-45. It was truly a culmination of improvements that have been building over the last few weeks, as areas of the Texas game which had been incredibly weak in December and January were suddenly spectacular.

The change in M.O. for the Longhorns meant that there were a lot of new things for Texas fans to get excited about. From the improved defense to freshmen stepping up, there seemed to be a different flash of brilliance in each minute of the ballgame. As we march towards the best post-season in sports, here are just a few of the things that Longhorn fans can take away from the solid victory…

Gary Johnson is a beast - The hard-working freshman fought on the glass all day and showcased his great moves on the block before re-injuring his nose in the second half. But after Fred Burnett and Rob Lazare stopped the blood from dripping onto the sidelines, Johnson was back in the game with a plugged nostril and a fiery demeanor. On one particular bucket, he attacked the rim, was fouled on the head, lost his mask, and still finished the play. Texas is finally a team with both an inside and outside threat, and G.J. has been the catalyst for that evolution.

D.J. Augustin got some rest - Texas controlled the game for the entire second half, and Rick Barnes finally gave Augustin some much needed bench time. D.J. sat for five minutes in this one, which may not seem like much until you realize that the nine total minutes of rest he earned against A&M and OU were more than he had in the ten previous games combined, which even included an overtime contest. If Rick can steal some more minutes for D.J. to catch a breath against Tech, Nebraska, or Oklahoma State, the odds improve for a lengthy Longhorn run in the post-season.

Alexis Wangmene can D up - Wangmene did an excellent job against Longar Longar in the paint, standing his ground, forcing bad shots, and even swatting two away. Lex also hit the glass hard, grabbing seven boards in only sixteen minutes of play. The emergence of Wangmene and Johnson in the post provide Barnes with so much more flexibility, and it makes the prospect of playing a tournament team with a solid front line much less intimidating.

Texas can rebound - Although Oklahoma seemed to grab 100 offensive boards on their first possession, they were only ahead in the rebounding war by a 6-1 count after a minute and a half of play. For the other 38-plus minutes, the Longhorns controlled the glass. Texas outboarded the visiting Sooners 43-34 the rest of the way, limiting OU to only eight second-chance points for the game.

This is finally a Rick Barnes team - Barnes is an incredible teacher on the defensive end, and this Texas team finally looks like one of the old Barnes squads that could lock down opponents. The Longhorns held A&M and OU to 30% and 26% shooting respectively, and opponents are averaging only 61 points per game during the seven-game win streak. And considering that this Texas team averages over 75 points per contest, that’s not giving Longhorn opponents much of a chance.

Tip-off for the K-State showdown is just five and a half hours away, so check back later this afternoon for a game preview. For now, we’re heading out to see a bit of Manhattan and grab some grub.

On a night when everything seemed to go right for the Texas Longhorns, even their fans made half-court shots. Twice. While the hometown Longhorns were cruising to a convincing 77-50 win over the rival Aggies, a pair of students hit 47-footers to win a year of Chick-fil-A and two round-trip tickets on American Airlines. The prize for the Longhorns, though, was a ninth conference victory and a tie for the league lead.

Texas came roaring out of the gates, hitting 4-of-5 from behind the arc to start the game as their defense limited Texas A&M to just 2-of-17 shooting over the first ten minutes of play. D.J. Augustin and Damion James led the offensive charge in the first half, scoring 17 and 10 before even heading to the locker room.

Despite having a comfortable 21-point lead at the break, Rick Barnes didn’t let his team’s intensity waver. The Longhorns were still pressing the ball in the backcourt with nearly a thirty-point lead and only seven minutes on the clock, and reserve forward Alexis Wangmene was even knocking down jumpers with regularity as the final minutes ticked away. By the time the student sections led the crowd in singing “Poor Aggies,” many of the maroon-clad supporters in the upper decks had long since departed.

There were a ton of things to like about this one for Longhorn fans, starting with the return of Augustin as a scorer. While Texas continued to win during D.J.’s recent slump, other players were forced to step up in his place. But while his teammates maintained their strong play against A&M, the re-awakened Augustin poured in 27, including his 1,000th point as a Longhorn. The only downside for the point guard might have been the fact that he sat on the bench for just four minutes in the rout, despite having the game well in hand the entire second half.

Justin Mason continued his scrappy play, picking up loose balls and rebounds for putbacks, including an improbable dunk following an airballed hook shot by Dexter Pittman. Mason may have fired too many three-point attempts during the early scoring barrage, but he was getting open looks and was certainly not afraid to try to capitalize on them. Personally, I will take a slightly overconfident Jay Mase over one who is unsure on the offensive end and only contributes on defense. If Mason continues to play at this level the rest of the way, Texas has yet another X-factor that can put it over the top in close games.

One of the other reassuring things seen on the court last night was the solid contribution from every member of the frontcourt rotation. Gary Johnson continues to amaze me in how quickly he has progressed from the guy who seemed overwhelmed in late January. He played 23 minutes against the Aggies this time, after managing only four ineffective minutes during the game in College Station. He had eight points and seven boards, but perhaps his most surprising contribution was how well he defended the giant DeAndre Jordan when given the unenviable task. And with that solid mid-range jumper he’s got going now, he’s turning into a mini-Damion James, ripping down rebounds, popping Js, and attacking the rim. Exciting stuff is ahead for this guy.

While I’ve praised Gary for his solid defensive work on Jordan, I certainly can’t overlook the excellent D from all of the frontcourt players, who put on an absolute block party down low — twelve shots were officially swatted — and limited the Joseph Jones/Bryan Davis/DeAndre Jordan troika to 18 points on the night. In the first game between these two teams, those three players combined for 33 points. If Texas continues to hold down the fort in the paint, their recently-improved rotations on the perimeter shooters mean that this defensive resurgence could be around for the rest of the year.

Even the lesser-used forwards played well, as Clint Chapman had some solid minutes, including some great work on the glass just before half and an assist on a kick to Augustin for three. Wangmene earned a lot of his points in garbage time, but his continued hustle inside and nice touch on that high-arc jumper are going to be a great addition for five-to-ten minutes a game.

It can be easy to get drunk on the burnt-orange Kool Aid after a convincing win like that, but the last few games have made it seem like Texas is finally putting it together. Take away two scary minutes at the end of the Baylor game, and the Longhorns have looked incredibly impressive against three excellent ballclubs in a row. There’s a huge test looming next Monday in Manhattan, but much of the remaining schedule for Texas is very favorable and could set things up nicely for the post-season tournaments.

Enjoy the win for now, Horn fans. We’ve got quite a bit to talk about this week, including yet another rivalry game on Saturday.