Tip: 5 P.M. | TV: None This afternoon, the Texas Longhorns close out “opening round play” in the Legends Classic with a game against the University of Arkansas-Monticello from the West Division of Division II’s Gulf South Conference. Regardless of result, Texas will “move on” to the semifinals of the tournament, being held next weekend at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Because UAM is a Division II school, this game won’t be considered by the selection committee when brackets are put together for the NCAA tournament in March, and serves only as a final tune-up before facing some high-quality competition in Newark.
The Arkansas-Monticello mascot…what the hell? UAM was predicted by conference coaches to finish sixth in their eight team division, and they come into this game fresh off of two ass-kickings by D-1 schools. With a mascot as obscure as the Boll Weevil — unfortunately pictured to the left — maybe it should come as no shock that UAM has enjoyed the punching-bag role in this inaugural Legends Classic. Last Wednesday, they were crushed by Tennessee, 101-44 in Knoxville, before kicking kicked in the teeth by West Virginia on Friday night, 81-53. Today, the troika of torture is completed as they travel to Austin for an embarrassment at the hands of the Longhorns. Happy Thanksgiving, UAM! For the second-straight game, the Longhorns face a severely undersized team, as the Boll Weevils list only two players at 6’9″. The short UAM squad was outrebounded 77-58 in the two losses to the Vols and Mountaineers, and fans can safely expect the Longhorns to control the glass again today. Depth is certainly not a concern for UAM, as ten players saw the court in their most recent game against the Mountaineers, with guards Deron Brown and Giovanni Marchetti leading the way with 13 points apiece. What is a big concern is a lack of ball control, as the Boll Weevils turned it over 51 times in their first two games. Texas showcased an excellent transition game on Friday night, so look for a lot of points off turnovers and fast breaks in this one. As for the Longhorns, keep your eyes on Damion James. His shot was a little off to start the game on Friday night, but he had a hell of a ballgame. Against an incredibly inferior UAM team, I see him with a double-double at the end of the game. As for the guards, we all know what to expect — a bunch of scoring, and some scrappy defensive play from Justin Mason. Here’s hoping that A.J. Abrams continues his ridiculously hot shooting. Alexis Wangmene ate up a chunk of minutes in the post against UC-Davis, with Clint Chapman only playing for four. Will Texas still with this six man rotation, or will we see more of Chapman down low in meaningful minutes? And with the very real possibility that this one gets out of hand, fans will hopefully get a chance to see more from Harrison Smith, J.D. Lewis, and Ian Mooney. My fingers are crossed that this is the case for Dexter Pittman as well, considering he only played three minutes in mop-up duty on Friday night. Tip is at 5, with a free autograph session to follow the game. Bring the family and a Sharpie, and we’ll see you at the Drum. |
