Texas is back in action on Monday night, hosting MEAC foe Coppin State in one last tune-up before taking part in the Maui Invitational next week. Tonight’s game is technically part of that very tournament, as organizers have added an additional round called “Maui on the Mainland” that allows small and mid-major schools a chance to compete against major-conference opponents. As is the case with most of the exempt November events, Texas will advance to the quarterfinal round in Maui regardless of tonight’s outcome.

The Longhorns are coming off a narrow two-point victory over Fresno State on Friday, and are looking for a confidence-boosting performance before they face tougher competition at the Lahaina Civic Center. Texas needed stifling defense and a workmanlike second-half performance from Sheldon McClellan to squeak past the Bulldogs, so a comfortable victory and good performances from the other Horns could give the team a little bit of momentum heading into Maui.

Meanwhile, Coppin State is hoping to bounce back from an 87-73 loss at Southern Cal on Friday night. Freshman combo guard Patrick Cole (No. 1) had a breakout game in his collegiate debut, scoring 25 points while swiping six steals in 28 minutes of action. The Eagles were a two-man show in the loss, as reserve point guard Troy Franklin (No. 23) was the only other player to score in double figures, logging 23.

Like Barnes, Coppin State coach Fang Mitchell is dealing with an influx of new talent. The Eagles lost four starters from last year’s team, and welcome nine new players to the roster, including Cole and Franklin. The only returning starter is point guard Taariq Cephas (No. 11), who dished out three assists while scoring five in the season-opening loss.

Last season, the only thing the Eagles loved more than pushing the tempo was shooting the three. According to Ken Pomeroy, the team’s adjusted pace was 69.2 possessions per game, the 40th-fastest mark out of 345 D-I teams. On Friday night, Coppin State picked up where it left off, racing through 76 possessions against USC. The Eagles also hoisted up 26 three-point attempts against the Trojans, accounting for more than 45% of their shots on the night. That number is right in line with last year’s numbers, as the Eagles of 2011-12 took 45.6% of their shots from behind the arc, the 4th-highest distribution in the country.

The five seniors on last year’s team accounted for 83% of the outside scoring, but the loss of that quintet clearly isn’t keeping Coach Mitchell from giving his new group the green light. With just one game in the books, that decision has paid off so far. Cole and Franklin combined to hit 5-of-9 from long range against USC, while juco transfer Andre Armstrong (No. 5) knocked down 3-of-7 off the bench.

Defensively, Coppin State had one of the nation’s worst performances in their debut. Terribly outsized by the likes of Aaron Fuller and Omar Oraby, the Eagles did not log a single block, and were abused on the defensive glass by the Trojans. USC posted an offensive rebounding rate of 47.1%, and took advantage of those extra chances to post an offensive efficiency mark of 1.14 points per possession.

Keys to the game

Typically, lopsided match-ups at this time of the year allow us to include such insightful keys to game like “Show up to the gym on time.” Although Coppin State is nowhere near as talented or experienced as Fresno State, Friday’s close call has dissuaded us from going with any smug, throwaway points of emphasis in this preview. Texas should win this game easily, but it’s worth pointing out that even Pomeroy gives the Eagles a 2% chance to do the unthinkable.

1) Challenge on the perimeter – One of the easiest ways to get upset by a weaker opponent is to allow them to go wild from long range, and Coppin State is one team that could easily do that. The Longhorns will definitely give up some threes in this one, but they have to make the Eagles work to earn those points, and they can’t let those long defensive rebounding opportunities result in extra shots.

2) Pound the ball inside – Big man Cameron Ridley had a rough offensive outing on Friday night, but this could be the matchup that gets him going. Even if the freshman continues to struggle, Jonathan Holmes should be able to exploit his size advantage around the paint and earn some easy points. Holmes should also get a nice chunk of points from cleaning up the offensive glass, as he is coming off a 14-rebound performance in which he snagged eight offensive boards.

3) Keep the Eagles off the line – Coppin State had one of the nation’s best free-throw rates in their debut, shooting nearly three free throws for every five field goal attempts. The Texas defense looked very good against Fresno State, but the reserves did have some issues closing the gaps in their zone against dribble penetration. If the Longhorns allow the Coppin State guards to attack the paint off the bounce, they will likely give up quite a few points at the charity stripe. Although the odds of upset are slim, Texas has to play smart defense and avoid giving away points with needless fouls.