Fresh off their season-opening victory over Navy, the Texas Longhorns return to the hardwood again tonight in their second opening round match-up of the 2K Sports Classic. This time out, Texas will tangle with an enigmatic Louisiana Tech team loaded with newcomers.

Meet the Bulldogs

It won’t just be Longhorn fans who are getting their first look at the Louisiana Tech team. Even Bulldog fans will see a lot of unfamiliar faces wearing their school’s red and blue.

Olu Ashaolu and DeAndre Brown are the only returning starters, and they chipped in a combined 21.3 points per game last season. The other four Bulldogs who were on last year’s roster managed just a combined 4.8 points per game. Louisiana Tech coach Kerry Rupp will be relying heavily on transfers and untested freshman this season, so the team could have quite a few miscues in their season opener tonight.

During Rupp’s first two years in Ruston, the Bulldogs played a dreadfully slow style of basketball. The coach was working with very untalented players and had to limit possessions to keep his squad in games. Despite the slowdown efforts, LaTech still only won 21 games in those two seasons — just six victories came in Rupp’s debut year — as the coach slowly rebuilt the program.

Last year, his system finally produced results. The Bulldogs won 24 games, finished 4th in the WAC, and qualified for the post-season CBI Tournament. Magnum Rolle, an LSU transfer, even landed in the NBA, where he’s now averaging about six minutes a night for the Indiana Pacers. The building blocks for success have clearly been laid on the Ruston campus. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, though, the Longhorns are a little tougher than most WAC foes.

What we’re watching

As always, these early-season game previews don’t contain our “Keys to the Game,” but rather things to keep an eye on. With the Longhorns still forming their team identity in November and December, and the only true “key” to victory being the ability to show up on time, we find this is a much more valuable approach.

Tonight, we’re interested to see how the Texas half-court offense looks. Against Navy, the half-court offense was bogged down against the zone during the first 20 minutes. Once the Horns started to run the floor and the guards starting probing the Midshipmen’s D, things opened up and the points flowed freely.

Coach Barnes seems to be returning to the offenses of the Brad Buckman days, having his big men set interior screens instead of relying primarily on ball screens for the guards at the perimeter. With Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson working hard down low, this is definitely a solid plan of attack. Still, it’s imperative that Thompson, Alexis Wangmene, and Matt Hill learn to react quicker to double-teams on the blocks.

Once again, we’ll have an eye on the backcourt rotation. All four guards split the minutes evenly against Navy, and with another easy win expected tonight, it might be more of the same. But with questions surrounding the roles of J’Covan Brown and Jai Lucas, it will be interesting to see how they fare tonight and how Barnes handles their substitutions.

Finally, we’ll be watching to see if Cory Joseph lights it up. On Monday night, he made quick moves with the basketball and looked confident on the court. Unfortunately, his shots weren’t falling as usual and he finished with just four points on 2-of-7 shooting. Joseph is known for being not just a point guard, but also a long-range marksman. It’s just a matter of time until he impresses Texas fans with a D.J. Augustine-like performance. Will tonight be his first time to burst into the spotlight?

Last-minute promos

With plenty of tickets still available, the Texas Box Office is offering $6 tickets for tonight’s game. Simply click that link, print out the coupon, and buy your end-zone mezzanine tickets for just six bucks.

I can hear you now. “End-zone mezzanine?!?” you’re screeching incredulously at your computer. Oh, don’t fret, dear readers. This is fall basketball in Austin, Texas. Even a mezzanine ticket is good for lower-level arena seating. Just pick your seats wisely, and take care to be polite if you get bounced from your first choice.

For those who can’t scrounge up 24 quarters from between their couch cushions, the game will once again be available on ESPNU and on the radio through the Longhorn Sports Network. (Check here for radio affiliates.)