Many fans may be looking ahead to next week, when Texas faces both Gonzaga and LSU on neutral courts. But first the Longhorns have to beat up on another team that has no business being on the same court with Texas. Tonight it’s Texas Southern (1-4), our second opponent from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Texas won their earlier matchup with the SWAC, knocking off Alcorn State in the season opener.

Most recently, the Tigers had their teeth kicked in 74-44 by Alabama. But this year they’ve also suffered crushing losses to Oklahoma State (86-65) and Baylor (74-50). Evidently the entire Big 12 is going to bully this scrawny kindergartener.

Judging by the team’s minutes, they are going to sub liberally, as only forward Jacques Jones plays more than 30 minutes a game. No one on the Texas Southern roster is listed as a center, and it’s really not hard to see why. Besides 6-11 junior Matt Bell, the team’s tallest players are 6-8 Chris Moore, and the aforementioned Jones at 6-7.

The players to watch for TSU are Jones and freshman guard Nick Walker, a product of Houston’s Northshore High School. Walker rebounds much better than would be expected from a guard, but against the Horns I’m not sure if he’ll keep up that pace. Another freshman to look for is St. Paul Latham. Not because he’s good, but because his parents annointed him a saint. Seriously?

Alabama outrebounded the Tigers by a 56-33 margin. And while I don’t think that Texas will have as easy of a time on the glass as it did last Tuesday, the Horns should still end up winning the rebounding battle again. It should be telling to watch Matt Hill and Connor Atchley against these guys. If they can’t manage to get rebounds against Texas Southern, I’m going to have a hard time watching them try against the Big 12.

Tonight will be a good opportunity to get more minutes for our role players. I’m looking forward to seeing more time out of Dexter Pittman, and I’m going to make it a point to actually focus on Harrison Smith when he’s in the game. I’ve overlooked the poor kid all year, so I’d like to finally have something to say about him after the game.

If you’re in town, swing by the Frank Erwin Center for a 7 P.M. tip. It’s your last chance to see the team at home until they play Texas State on December 16th, so come on out. We’ll see you at the Drum.