Not even Texas Pom could fire up a lackluster Spokane crowd

It certainly wasn’t a pretty game, but the Texas Longhorns avoided the nightmare of a one-and-done NCAA appearance by defeating New Mexico State 79-67 last night in Spokane. Freshman superstar Kevin Durant scored 27 points — 15 of them from the line — while guards A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin combined for 35 more to lead the Horns to victory.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair in front of a largely empty arena. Because of TV scheduling and the Spokane pod being played in the Pacific time zone, there were only 30 minutes between the end of the Oregon/Miami of Ohio game and the tip of the Texas/New Mexico tilt. Problem was, the games were part of different sessions which made it necessary to completely empty the arena and then re-admit everyone. In thirty minutes. We were at the front of the line, and still only made it to our seats as the Star-Spangled Banner was starting.

New Mexico State gave the Horns a brief scare in the second half. After trailing by 14, the Aggies fought back and reclaimed a 60-57 lead with 6:39 left to play. While my personal thoughts were circling around the insanity of a 40+ hour trip to see a loss to a thirteen-seed, the Horns were fortunately a little more focused on the task at hand. Texas allowed only two more field goals and three field goals the rest of the way, cruising through the final minutes to a double-digit win.

The biggest story of the game — besides the typical Durant-Augustin-Abrams domination — was the re-emergence of Connor Atchley. While Damion James was being whistled every two seconds for looking the wrong way at a New Mexico State player, Atchley was counted on to provide valuable minutes inside against Hatilla Passos and Martin Iti.

Sure, Connor had a few problems with the press late in the game. But his hustle on defense and on the boards was a huge part of the victory. Atchley ended up with seven points and six boards in 28 minutes of play, and even blocked another three shots. While it’s going to be important for Damion to have a big game tomorrow against the Trojans, it’ll be an incredible boost if Connor can play at the same level for a second time this weekend.

Once again Craig Winder played well in his short stints on the floor. In eight minutes, Winder gave the Horns four points and his usual spark off the bench. As odd as it sounds, Craig Winder could be key to a deep tournament run for Texas. He plays with much more intensity on defense than many of the Horns, and will be needed to spell the starting guards to keep them fresh.

A full USC preview should be coming later tonight or early in the morning. For now, we have to go investigate the St. Patrick’s Day happenings in downtown Spokane. And in the meantime, Hook ‘Em, Spartans!