The Longhorns allowed New Mexico State to shoot 50% from the field last night, with the Aggies hitting thirteen three-pointers on the night. Thanks to A.J. Abrams, it didn’t even matter. Texas cracked the century mark for the second straight game and dispatched New Mexico State 102-87 in the semifinals of the Legends Classic in Newark, New Jersey.

Abrams scored 31 points on the night, shooting a ridiculous 9-of-12 from behind the arc. If not for cramps that suddenly sidelined him in the second half, the junior guard might have tied or broken the school record for three-pointers in a game (10). As it was, Abrams still had his second consecutive night with 30 points or more, and pushed his season average to 23.3 points per game.

The game was a track meet, with Texas pushing the tempo from the start. The Longhorns forced 19 turnovers on the night, and their pressure defense led to a ton of early fast break points that staked them to a 30-11 lead less than eight minutes into it. The Aggies hung around with 60% shooting in the first half, but could never fight their way back into it. They could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way as the two teams ran up the score throughout the second twenty minutes.

While it’s easy to get drunk on the burnt orange kool-aid after two 100-plus point games, there are certainly still some issues worth noting. We knew heading in that NMSU would likely control the glass, but seeing them dominate with a +14 on the night is still a little unsettling. Perhaps most unsettling, though, is the fact that half of the 34 Aggie rebounds came on the offensive glass. On a night where the Texas offense isn’t hitting on all cylinders, a good team will make the Longhorns pay for allowing so many second chances.

Don’t let that get you down, though. The positives to be gleaned from this one are certainly much more numerous. Connor Atchley continued to showcase the progress he made during the offseason, demonstrating his newfound confidence in that sweet three-point stroke. Atch hustled all over the floor, blocking three shots and grabbing three rebounds while dropping in 15 points. While we’d love to see him more active on the glass, his defense has improved and he’s given Coach Barnes three consecutive ten-point games. That’s the kind of reliability fans were looking for last season.

The move to the 3 for Damion James continues to work out well for the Horns, as DaMo hit some outside jumpers en route to a twelve-point night. He fought for six rebounds and generally looked comfortable in the position he played back in high school. But Damion did pick up four personal fouls, which was often a problem for him last season. We’ll give him a pass in this game, as the Aggies had a bunch of trees disguised as players, but it’s definitely something that James will need to control this season, particularly with the thin bench.

As for D.J. Augustin, it was just another day at the office. Twenty-five points and ten assists? Ho hum. It’s quite a luxury for Barnes and Horn fans that D.J. has raised his game to the level that we just expect these kinds of numbers from him every night. He had a couple of sick plays where he attacked the rim and finished the play with typical Augustin flair, and knocked down a pair of nice threes as well. A ton of the credit for A.J.’s great shooting night also has to go to D.J., who found the hot hand repeatedly.

Justin Mason is still a scrappy defender who seems to be rediscovering the offense that we saw early in his freshman year. Discussing the game last night, we couldn’t recall a definitive offensive game for Mason since his game-winner against Arkansas last December. Perhaps last night’s eleven point performance — including 2-of-5 from long range — is a step in the right direction.

The rest of the squad was generally unremarkable last night. There were short spurts of brilliance from Alexis Wangmene, who once again managed to get to the line repeatedly. He only grabbed two rebounds in his thirteen minutes, and is definitely one of the players that must step up his game on the glass if the Longhorns are going to improve. Dexter Pittman and Clint Chapman played two and nine minutes, respectively, while J.D. Lewis chipped in with three. None scored, and had marginal impact on the stat sheet.

Texas now advances to play #7 Tennessee in the Legends Classic championship tonight at 6 P.M. An abbreviated game preview is on the way shortly.