Tonight the Longhorns kick off the regular season with a home game at 8:30 PM against Alcorn State in the 2K Sports College Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer. With a win, the Horns move on to the quarterfinals of the tournament on Friday night at 7:30, while a loss would send them to the 5:30 consolation game.

Alcorn State finished their 2005-06 season with an 8-20 record, with all eight of their wins coming in Southwestern Conference play. Their last NCAA tournament appearance came in 2001-02, where they were one-and-done with an 81-77 loss to Siena.

The Alcorn State Braves have no notable basketball alumni, but their most famous graduates include professional quarterback Steve McNair, wide receiver Donald Driver, and Roots author Alex Haley.

And why do you need to know all of these mundane facts about a 3,000-person college from a podunk town in Mississippi? Because as G.I. Joe taught me, knowing is half the battle.

This game should not present any problems for Texas, and will hopefully allow the team a chance to iron out some more wrinkles. Some interesting storylines to follow will be A.J. Abrams hot shooting from behind the arc and the regular season debut of phenom Kevin Durant.

For those heading to the Frank Erwin Center tonight, doors open at 4:30 for the first game between Chicago State and Saint Bonaventure, with the Longhorns tipping off at 8:30, or 30 minutes after the end of the previous game if it runs long.