The Texas Longhorns are back in action tonight as they renew their annual rivalry with nearby Texas State at the Frank Erwin Center. This is the 46th all-time meeting on the hardwood between these two schools, and this marks the eighth-straight year they have squared off. Texas has defeated Texas State a whopping 40 out of 45 times, with their last defeat coming all the way back in the 1937-38 season.

The Longhorns looked good in their last outing, riding the hot hand of freshman Sheldon McClellan to an 18-point win over UT-Arlington. Texas had five players in double-digit scoring and sank more than 48% of their shots from the field in the victory. Fans can look forward to even more offense tonight as the Longhorns squeeze in another tune-up before tougher non-conference tests at the end of the month.

By the numbers

Once again, Texas State is one of the fastest five teams in the country, an honor the team has held in each of Coach Doug Davalos’ first five seasons in San Marcos. The Bobcats actually played at the fastest tempo in all of Division-I basketball during the 2007-08 season, averaging more than 80 possessions per game. Although that number is incredible in its own right, it’s even more ridiculous that the Longhorns and Bobcats have averaged 81.2 possessions in their five match-ups since Davalos took over.

Last year, the Bobcats had a hard time scoring the ball. This year, their offense has improved slightly, but now their defense is one of the absolute worst in the country. Texas State is allowing 1.094 points per possession, a number that only puts them ahead of 16 other D-I schools in that department.

The Bobcats have one of the 25 worst free-throw rates in D-I, allowing their opponents one free throw for every two field goal attempts. Of course, they are also allowing opponents to knock down 40% of their threes and almost 45% of their shots, so perhaps allowing other teams to beat them one point at a time might not seem so bad in comparison.

Texas fans will like the fact that Texas State is one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country. The Longhorns have been equally bad on the defensive glass, so the rebounding battle on that end of the floor will be interesting. One would think that the bigger Texas frontcourt would be able to exploit their size advantage, but that hasn’t been the case so far this season against smaller teams.

Those poor offensive rebounding numbers are really killing the Bobcat offense, which is actually shooting at a 47% clip and is making 40% of their threes. Texas State is also controlling the ball very well, turning it over on just 16.6% of their possessions. That number is just outside of the Top 20 nationally, but it is even more remarkable when you remember just how fast they play the game. If Texas State could actually reclaim some of their missed shots, the offense would be incredibly efficient.

Meet the Bobcats

As is the case every year, Coach Davalos has a very deep bench that he uses liberally to keep fresh legs on the court. Nine different Bobcats average more than 14 minutes a game, with another four players on the bench averaging between seven and nine. If this game is played at the breakneck speed of the last five meetings, there is no doubt that the smaller Longhorn rotation is going to be gassed down the stretch.

Although the Bobcats have a true ensemble cast, the one word that best describes the team is young. Texas State lost five of the top six scorers from last year’s team, meaning that just 35.3% of the team’s scoring returned this season. While the Longhorns are certainly in a similar situation, the newcomers on the Texas State sideline are just a tad less heralded than those Rick Barnes has brought on board.

Fortunately for the Bobcats, junior Matt Staff (No. 21) has stepped up in a big way this season. A transfer from the University of New Mexico, Staff didn’t see much playing time in his first year at Texas State, as then-seniors Tony Bishop and Cameron Johnson were the unquestioned leaders. This year, however, he’s playing nearly 20 minutes a game and leads the team with a 12.9 scoring average. Coach Davalos has said that Staff is a good shooter who can work the pick-and-pop, but he’s done most of his work inside so far this season.

Staff is also tops on the team in rebounding by a wide margin. He is averaging 7.6 rebounds, including three per game on the offensive end. Guard Travis Jones has the next-best mark for the Bobcats, and he has only pulled down 4.4 boards per game.

Senior Eddie Rios (No. 11) has also become a leader this season, and is right on the heels of Staff in the scoring race. Averaging 12.8 points per game, the former Miami Hurricane is also averaging just over three assists per game and has made nearly 42% of his three-point attempts. Rios didn’t play when the teams met last season, but he did log 10 minutes and three points when Miami played Texas in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Senior guard John Bowman (No. 5) is the only returning player who started against the Longhorns last season, one of 32 starts he earned during his junior campaign. This year, he is averaging over seven points and roughly 20 minutes of action per game. He is the best on-ball defender for the Bobcats, so it’s very likely that the 6’4″ guard will be tasked with shutting down J’Covan Brown.

On the wing, Brooks Ybarra (No. 2) is having a solid start to his senior year. He is averaging more than 11 points per game and has made almost 47% of his looks from behind the arc. Those are impressive numbers for a guy who is a former walk-on. Ybarra is also bringing the effort on the defensive end, a big reason why he’s started seven of the team’s eight games so far.

Sophomore Reid Koenen (No. 3) has really upped his numbers from his freshman season, raising his scoring average from just one point per game to nearly eight this year. He’s also increased his rebounding numbers exponentially, improving from 0.4 boards per game last year to just a shade under three this year. Koenen actually had one of the best games of his season against the Longhorns last year, scoring five points in eight minutes.

Senior guard Travis Jones (No. 15) also had a good game against Texas last year, knocking down 3-of-5 from behind the arc. This season, he’s had even more success from long range, sinking more than 54% of his three-point attempts. As we mentioned above, Jones has improved his rebounding in his senior year, ascending to the second spot in the team rankings. He’s also a good perimeter defender who will try to make life difficult for the Longhorn guards.

Freshman Nick Hinton (No. 44) has made an immediate impact, even earning a start in his collegiate debut against USC-Upstate. In his second game, Hinton exploded for 12 points and six boards against UT-Pan American, but he has found less playing time over the team’s last three games.

Junior guard Travonn (Vonn) Jones (No. 1) is a JUCO transfer from Lamar State in Pennsylvania, and his experience gives Coach Davalos even more flexibility in the backcourt. Despite being just 5’11”, Jones can play both the one and the two, and leads the team with nearly four assists per game despite coming off the bench all season.

Freshman Wesley Davis (No. 10) is the final member of Texas State’s core rotation, and he’s averaging almost 16 minutes per game. He’s an athletic guard with a great shot who is going to be integral to the success of the Bobcats when they move to the WAC next season. For now, he provides an excellent scoring option off the bench, shooting nearly 53% from the field and 40% from behind the arc.

Keys to the game

1) Defend the three-point line – The Bobcats are an excellent match-up for the Longhorns, but the long-range shot is the great equalizer in most upsets. Texas State has made 40% of its three-pointers on the year, including an impressive 44.6% mark against D-I opponents. While the Bobcats will likely have a very tough time hanging with Texas tonight, a scoring barrage from behind the arc would certainly make things interesting.

2) Win the rebounding battle – For the first few weeks of the season, we’ve simply been hoping that the Longhorns can be competitive on the glass. Tonight, they should finally be able to post some solid rebounding numbers. The main struggle for the Longhorns has been ending defensive possessions by securing the rebound, but fortunately the Bobcats have had their own problems reclaiming the offensive boards. If the Longhorns still can’t grab defensive rebounds against Texas State, it will be a terrible omen for the rest of the season.

3) Keep the ball moving – The Longhorns have looked their best when moving the ball around quickly and when penetrating with the dribble to open up passing lanes. Against a terrible Texas State defense, Texas should get ample opportunity to fine tune their offensive sets. Look for the Horns to pile up the points and the assists in this one.

The Texas Longhorns braved the Santa Ana winds and a delay caused by light failure to escape Los Angeles with an important road win against UCLA this weekend. Now, they return to the Frank Erwin Center for a four-game homestand before facing a daunting UNC team in Chapel Hill.

Although Temple provides a solid test at the end of the homestand, tonight’s opponent is one of the most dangerous mid-major teams in this part of the country. UT-Arlington returns four starters this year, and that experience kept them within arm’s reach of Baylor two weeks ago, ultimately ending in a 75-65 loss in Waco.

The Texas schedule approach usually involves a handful of big-time opponents and a slew of low-major cupcakes to fill in the home dates. This year’s slate is no different, but the Mavericks provide the Longhorns a chance to knock off a team that could find its way into the NCAA field as Southland Conference champs.

By the numbers

These Mavericks love to run up and down the floor. They are currently averaging an adjusted tempo of 71.3 possessions per game, a pace that is 23rd-fastest in D-I hoops. In their first six games, only one team — Samford — was able to keep the game under 74 possessions, allowing the Bulldogs to pull out a win. The Longhorns have certainly proved that they can run with other up-tempo teams, but they may want to ensure that the Mavericks aren’t the ones dictating the pace.

That up-tempo style of Maverick basketball often comes out looking sloppy. UTA turns it over quite often, coughing it up on 24.1% of their possessions, one of the 65 worst marks in D-I hoops. Of course, they also force a ton of mistakes by their opponents, too. The Mavs have a defensive turnover percentage of 28.4%, which is sixth-best in the nation. Against Baylor, the Mavs took advantage of a turnover percentage of more than 30%, although quite a few of the Bear miscues were unforced mental errors.

When the Mavs don’t turn the ball over, they also are able to utilize great offensive rebounding numbers to extend possessions. UTA has reclaimed nearly 41% of their missed shots, a mark that puts them in the Top 20 nationally, although those numbers are buffeted a bit by the 51.5% mark they posted against UNT. Of course, Texas fans will recall that the Longhorns could only grab 26.8% of their offensive rebounding chances when they played the Mean Green.

The Mavs also work their way to the line fairly frequently, posting a free-throw rate of 47% in their five Division I games. The Longhorns had problems in their first few games defending teams without sending them to the charity stripe, although they have certainly turned that trend around in their last three games. The Horns will still have to be careful against a UTA team that loves to put the ball on the floor and attack the paint.

Meet the Mavericks

With the up-tempo approach of coach Scott Cross, the team spreads out their minutes across a core rotation of nine guys. With the exception of senior star LaMarcus Reed III (No. 31), no one even plays 22 minutes per game, and everyone in that core rotation sees the floor for at least 17 per night.

Reed will prove to be quite a handful for the Longhorns tonight. Although he’s just 6’5″, he’s incredibly strong and athletic and can easily finish inside on his frequent drives to the paint. He made 40% of his three-point shots last season and is off to a 37% start this year. Even if defenders play him tight and have the help inside in case he blows by the perimeter D, Reed has shown the ability to knock down fadeaway Js from 17 feet out once he gets the defender backpedaling.

The team’s second-leading scorer is TCU transfer Kevin Butler (No. 24), who is chipping in 12.5 points per game for the Mavs. He’s an inside-out threat who will post up against bigger defenders despite his 6’5″ frame. He can also stretch the defense, as Butler has connected on 6-of-10 from behind the arc so far this season. Perhaps the biggest knock on his game right now is that Butler is often too aggressive on defense, leaving his teammates out to dry on the block when he overpursues for steals.

Senior forward Bo Ingram (No. 1) is another 6’5″ guy who poses a three-point threat, but also loves to be aggressive with the dribble and attack the paint. He’s one of many strong, athletic guys on the Maverick roster who know how to finish through contact once they get inside.

The big man in the middle is junior Jordan Reves (No. 55). He leads the team with nearly seven boards a night and is also tops on the team with eight blocks. Reves looked a little tentative early against the intimidating Baylor frontline, but he has proven himself to be a smart defender who understands positioning and rotation. Unfortunately, that also means that he often picks up unnecessary fouls when other players overextend or are out of position. Those cheap fouls on the lone big man really hurts an undersized team like UTA.

After Reves, the team’s second-best board man is sophomore Brandon Edwards (No. 35). He’s averaging just over six rebounds per game to go with nearly seven points, and is second on the team in blocked shots with four. While Edwards does solid work on the glass and scoring inside, he is often stuck in defensive mismatches in the post when Reves finds himself in foul trouble. Although Texas doesn’t have an imposing front line, this is something worth watching if Reves starts to pile up the whistles tonight.

In the backcourt, sophomore Shaquille White-Miller (No. 12) provides tough-nosed defense while also facilitating the offense. As a freshman, Shaq had just a 1.04-to-1 assist-to-TO ratio and was criticized for sometimes playing out of control. So far this season, he’s cut back on the turnovers and has upped that ratio to 1.53-to-1. In addition to his growth as a sophomore, television viewers will likely also hear about White-Miller’s connection to Texas’ J’Covan Brown, as the pair played high school ball together at Port Arthur Memorial.

Junior guard Cameron Catlett (No. 25) is a 6’3″ point guard who also gives the Mavs flexibility by being able to play the wing or a shooting guard role. Although he only attempted 12 three-pointers last year, Catlett knocked down half of them. He’s 0-for-3 to start this season, so it would seem like the junior is due to make some threes tonight.

In addition to White-Miller and Catlett, the only other real option at point is tiny Jorge Redmon (No. 4). He has a 40% mark from long range, and is certainly not shy about pulling the trigger. More than two-thirds of his shots have come from behind the arc, and quite a few of those have come very early in the shot clock. You wouldn’t expect a player on an up-tempo team to milk the clock, but you would also expect a guard to be a little more selective than Redmon is with his shots.

Senior guard Bradley Gay (No. 10) is the type of player that won’t stuff a stat sheet, but does all the little things, earning him Coach Cross’ title of “glue guy.”

The Mavs also have a bit of height on the bench in the form of sophomore center Stuart Lagerson (No. 5), a seven-footer who averages 13 minutes a game. He’s still extremely thin and is easily pushed around down low, but he’ll likely add some strength and playing time as the season progresses.

The only other Maverick to play more than five minutes a game is Polish product Karol Gruszecki (No. 33). Like Lagerson, he needs to add some weight to hold his position, but he does possess the face-up game and outside shot to mitigate that strength disadvantage against other forwards. Unless things go horribly wrong, Gruszecki won’t see much playing time tonight.

Keys to the game

1) Control the basketball – Against the up-tempo attack of UTA, many teams have found it difficult to hang on to the ball and run their offense. Fortunately, the Longhorns have not had many problems with turnovers this season. The young Horns did play a little sloppy in the early minutes of the UCLA game, but managed to control things as they came from behind in the second half. Texas must avoid those early-game jitters tonight and avoid giving UTA extra possessions with careless mistakes.

2) Convert turnovers into easy points – While the Longhorns need to avoid their own mistakes, they can probably count on quite a few from UTA. The Mavericks typically play fast and loose with the ball, so the Longhorns need to capitalize upon those mistakes. When UTA turnovers stay in play, Texas needs to beat the Mavs in transition and convert those mistakes into uncontested buckets.

3) Clean up the defensive glass – Texas is one of the worst 15 teams in D-I hoops when it comes to securing defensive boards, while the Mavericks are one of the nation’s best at reclaiming their missed shots and extending possessions. That could be a recipe for disaster for the Longhorns tonight, so they must do better work boxing out once UTA puts their shots up. If not, the Horns could find themselves in danger of an upset against a solid Maverick squad.

The Texas Longhorns have made things interesting for their fans so far this season. In New Jersey, the team gave up an eight-point lead before finally losing in overtime to Oregon State. Two nights later, an 18-point second-half lead disappeared in a loss to N.C. State. Less than a week after that, Sam Houston State made things dicey in a tight, low-scoring Texas win at the Erwin Center. If history is any indication, this afternoon should be just as nerve-wracking for Longhorn fans.

Texas and UCLA have a limited history, playing just four times prior to this afternoon’s matchup. The Bruins won the first two, with their most recent victory coming all the way back in 1971. But thanks to a short-lived series of games between the Pac-10 and Big 12, the rivalry was renewed earlier this decade. Texas won both contests against UCLA, but managed to do so by a combined margin of just six points. Number-cruncher Ken Pomeroy thinks that today will be much of the same, as he predicts a narrow, two-point win for Texas.

By the numbers

During UCLA’s three-year streak of Final Four appearances, Coach Ben Howland had an absolutely suffocating defense, finishing in the top three nationally in adjusted efficiency each of those seasons. This year, the team’s performance on D has been decidedly un-Bruinlike.

While UCLA showed some improvements against Pepperdine on Monday night, they have been almost incapable of stopping dribble penetration. The team’s poor rotation and bigs who refused to challenge at the rim made things even worse. On the occasions that the scrambling defense has actually been able to head off the ballhandler, wide open shooters are waiting behind the arc.

All told, these defensive weaknesses add up to the sixth-worst effective field-goal percentage and worst three-point defense in all of D-I hoops. UCLA opponents have knocked down 56.9% of their long-range attempts this year while posting an eFG of 59.4%.

While they’ve always been a team that will lock you down on D and then win the rebounding battle, this year’s questionable defense makes it seem like some extra offense will need to be added to the equation. Unfortunately, the Bruins are struggling in that area, as well. UCLA’s own eFG of 43.8% is in the bottom 60 of Division I, while their offensive rebounding mark of just 30% is incredibly low for a team with such a deep frontcourt.

A big part of the problem has been UCLA’s tendency to settle for three-point shots instead of working the ball inside. Often, this happens when big man Josh Smith is in the game, as he usually camps out on one block and makes little effort to work across the lane. As a result, opposing defenses can pack in to prevent the entry pass, and UCLA’s guards settle for long jumpers and threes. On the year, the Bruins have made just 27.5% of their three-point shots.

The one thing keeping UCLA in a lot of games is their ability to steal the ball and possessions from their opponents. Their steal percentage is sixth in the nation, while their defensive turnover percentage ranks just inside the top seventy. In their most recent game, the Bruins forced 15 Pepperdine turnovers, including six steals by Lazeric Jones.

These below-average numbers have led UCLA to a disappointing 2-4 start this season. After home losses to both Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State, the Bruins have been looking for a shot of confidence before conference play starts. They whiffed on a big opportunity in Maui, losing to both Kansas and Michigan. Outside of a home game against the Richmond Spiders in late December, this afternoon’s contest with Texas provides the only remaining chance for UCLA to get a signature win before tackling the Pac-12 schedule.

Meet the Bruins

Also known as Zeek, Lazeric Jones has been giving opposing guards trouble all season long, leading the Bruins with 16 steals. Unfortunately, the senior point guard is having less success on the other side of the ball. Although his 9.8 scoring average is third on the team, he’s posted nearly as many turnovers (16) as assists (21) so far this season and is struggling with his shot. Jones has made just 28% of his attempts from the field and less than 24% of his three-point tries. Fortunately, Zeek has been able to draw fouls when he puts the ball on the floor, taking a team-high 25 trips to the stripe, where he’s made 88% of them.

Joining Jones in the backcourt is sophomore Tyler Lamb, who is seeing an increased role following Malcolm Lee‘s early entry into the NBA Draft. He’s a crafty guard who can create his own looks with hesitation dribbles and drives to the paint, but defenses can sag off of him thanks to his abysmal mark behind the arc. After shooting just 20.5% from long range as a freshman, Lamb has made just 25% of his attempts so far this season.

Lamb is also having problems on defense. As mentioned previously, the Bruins have given up quite a bit of dribble penetration this season, and quite often it comes from the man Lamb is guarding. He consistently lets the ballhandler get him on their hip, and without the rotation from the rest of his team, that often leaves Lamb out to dry. The Longhorn guard that gets matched up with Lamb in the halfcourt needs to be aware of this and attack the sophomore early and often.

Coach Howland may have a very deep frontcourt, but he has also had some personnel issues early this season. That’s led him to frequently run a three-guard look, giving Jerime Anderson four starts in that third guard role. After serving a two-game suspension for stealing a laptop in the offseason, Anderson has emerged as the team’s go-to scorer. The senior guard leads the team with more than 11 points per game, and has even added six steals and a block on the defensive end. Supremely athletic and quick with the ball, Anderson is a guy the Longhorns must keep in check this afternoon.

In the frontcourt, twin brothers David and Travis Wear give the Bruins a pair of sweet-shooting forwards who can stretch out the defense and still provide quality work on the glass. They both cause matchup issues for opponents, as they have a good face-up game to go with those jump shots, and can easily put the ball on the floor to get near the lane for a short jumper or hook shot.

On a team that has lacked fire and energy this season, the Wear twins have been one of the few bright spots. Against Pepperdine, Travis played with stitches in his foot after suffering a snorkeling accident in Maui. Despite that, he almost logged a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, and even came back into the game after getting his two front teeth knocked out by Pepperdine’s 7-foot center.

In the middle, big man Josh Smith is the team’s mercurial star. When he’s in the game, there is little that defenses can do to keep him off of the blocks or away from the offensive glass. But Smith has a motivation issue, and can often be seen giving partial effort or just walking down the floor when the team is trying to defend a fast break. Although the big man is averaging 5.5 rebounds and more than eight points per game, the UCLA offense has actually looked much more fluid and productive when he hasn’t been on the floor.

The other talented big man who is giving Coach Howland headaches is Reeves Nelson, the heavily-tattooed junior whose early-season issues would make Dennis Rodman raise his eyebrows. After getting into a verbal altercation with the head coach during a film session, Nelson was suspended for the team’s loss to Middle Tennessee State. Then, he missed the team’s flight to Maui and was benched for the first half of their opening game against Chaminade.

Since then, Nelson has made an immediate impact. He drained a trio of three-pointers in the Maui Invitational semifinal against Kansas, nearly matching the four he made all of last season. He crashed the glass against the Jayhawks and the Wolverines, grabbing nine rebounds in his 51 minutes of action. Most importantly, he attacked the rim inside and made excellent passes to open teammates, something the Bruins will need if their inside-out approach is going to work.

The Bruins do have a pair of frontcourt reserves in Brendan Lane and Anthony Stover, but the pair has combined to average less than 11 minutes per game, even with all of the discord during the first few weeks. Stover isn’t much of an offensive threat, but is a skilled shot blocker and tenacious rebounder who provides a spark off the bench. Lane is a versatile guy who can play power forward or center and averaged 15 minutes per game last season, but the arrival of the Wear twins has eaten into his playing time.

Freshman Norman Powell is the only other option off the bench for Coach Howland, and he’s managed to find PT in each of the team’s first six games. Although he isn’t a great shooter, he is still incredibly quick with the ball and can get inside for easier looks. Powell has made just 5-of-18 from long range so far this year, so Texas needs to give him space when he’s in the game and make him beat them from outside.

The Bruins also had a promising start this season from JUCO transfer De’End Parker, but he has not played since November 15th due to an injury to his right knee.

Keys to the game

1) Be competitive on the glass – Although the Bruins are a bigger team with a deep frontcourt, they have not been as dominant in the rebounding department as would be expected. For a Texas team that has struggled on the glass all season long, that is a very welcome development. The Longhorns must grab a fair share of their missed shots, but also must keep UCLA from extending their own possessions. This game is going to be an excellent litmus test for Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman before they face the likes of KU’s Thomas Robinson and Baylor’s All-World frontcourt.

2) Force UCLA to win with the jumper – The Bruins have struggled to knock down shots this season, especially from beyond the arc. Texas would be wise to play a packed-in zone against this poor-shooting team, making it more difficult for Smith to get established inside. Even with this approach, the Longhorns will need to keep a close tab on the Wear twins, as that pair can certainly knock down their jumpers.

3) Push the tempo – The Bruins have had a very tough time defending the transition game, often giving up easy fast-break points or scrambling and allowing the secondary break to find success. Texas has looked very good playing up-tempo earlier this year, so it stands to reason that the Longhorns can pile up some easy points against the Bruins by looking for the quick outlet.

4) Take care of the ball – Texas has been very careful with the basketball so far this season, coughing it up on just 17.6% of their possessions. But UCLA has done an excellent job forcing mistakes by their opposition, not just against the mid-majors, but also against the big boys. The Bruins caused 18 Jayhawk turnovers during their matchup in Maui, and could easily disrupt the Texas offense in the same fashion this afternoon.

For Texas fans looking for a bounce-back performance after the team’s tough road trip to New Jersey, Saturday night’s ugly win over Sam Houston State provided little reassurance. The Longhorns struggled from the floor all night long, looking as if the tryptophan from their Thanksgiving turkeys still had them in a haze. While Texas earned the all-important W, the unimpressive manner in which they earned it was slightly worrisome.

Fortunately, Texas will get a second chance to log a convincing win tonight, as they host the North Texas Mean Green for the first time since 2007. Coach Johnny Jones is testing his team early, as they are in the midst of a seven-game road trip and have a disappointing 1-3 mark so far. The Mean Green has yet to notch a victory against a D-I opponent, with their only win coming against St. Gregory of the NAIA.

By the numbers

For a Texas team that shot less than 32% from the field against Sam Houston State, the North Texas defense is a welcome sight. The Mean Green has an adjusted defensive efficiency of 1.091 points per possession, the 21st-worst in D-I hoops according to Ken Pomeroy. In a loss to Mississippi State on Sunday, North Texas allowed the Bulldogs to shoot nearly 52% from the field, including a 47.4% mark from three-point range.

The one thing that North Texas does do well on the defensive end is steal the basketball. They force opponents into miscues on 25.6% of their possessions, and have a steal rate that is in the Top 25 nationally. The team is averaging more than 10 steals and 22 points off of turnovers per game.

Offensively, the Mean Green isn’t much more successful. Their adjusted offensive efficiency is a scant 0.965 points per possession, and their effective field goal percentage is among the 20 worst teams in D-I hoops. Against Mississippi State, North Texas made just 32.3% of their shots and struggled to a 25% mark behind the arc.

The most important stats for Texas fans, however, are the rebounding numbers. North Texas has managed to do a fair job on the offensive glass, but is downright abysmal on the defensive end, where the Mean Green has allowed its three D-I opponents to reclaim more than 42% of their missed shots. With the Longhorns having mixed results on the glass so far this season, it’s a refreshing change to expect quite a few second-chance points for the home team tonight.

Meet the Mean Green

While there are a lot of troubling statistics for Coach Jones and his young team, they are actually far more talented than their results have shown so far. The problem could lie in the fact that all of that talent is fairly young and that the team lacks experienced senior leaders. The Mean Green lost four starters from last year, most notably their own Tristan Thompson, who starts his professional career with the D-League’s Austin Toros on Friday night.

Even without Thompson, North Texas has the pieces in place to make some noise in the Sun Belt Conference this year. In December, superstar Tony Mitchell will finally become eligible after a long, difficult journey to college hoops. Ranked as the No. 12 overall recruit in the 2010 class, Mitchell committed to Missouri but failed to qualify academically. The Tigers’ loss was Coach Jones’ gain, as the Dallas native decided to bring his talents to Denton.

Although the Longhorns won’t have to deal with the versatile Mitchell tonight, they will have to handle freshman phenom Chris Jones. The 6’2″ guard from Garland took his high school team to back-to-back 5A state finals, and it’s clear that leadership has carried to the college ranks. In his first road game, Jones scored nearly half of his team’s points, dropping 31 on Texas Tech in a narrow 69-64 loss.

Jones can score in a variety of ways, as his team-leading 16.8-point scoring average attests. He can get to the rack in a hurry, and he’s able to finish inside thanks to excellent body control and an impressive ability to put the right english on his shot. The Longhorns have had issues containing aggressive players so far this season, so Jones could be primed for another big game.

Although Jones has been the alpha so far this season, 6’6″ swingman Jordan Williams was the top recruit of 2011 for North Texas. He was ranked No. 71 nationally by Rivals, making him a huge score for a school that typically never garners interest from such highly-ranked players. Williams is currently second on the team in scoring with 12.3 points per game and has made 35% of his threes so far.

With Jones and Jordan Williams combining for more than 29 points per game, the rest of the offense is truly a team effort. North Texas has a roster full of guys ranging from 6’6″ to 6’9″, and they have ten players averaging at least 15 minutes per game, with eight of them averaging between 2.5 and 6.5 points. That interchangeability is reminiscent of the Missouri Tigers under Mike Anderson, although the Mean Green isn’t quite giving opponents “the fastest 40 minutes in basketball.”

One of those interchangeable parts is 6’7″ senior Kedrick Hogans, who was already the 4th-best shot blocker in school history before the season had even begun. This year, he’s logged five in his four games as he continues his attack on the school record books. While the Longhorns are in the top third of D-I hoops at avoiding blocked shots, they’ll still have to be careful when Hogans is in the area.

The Mean Green also gets some upperclassman leadership from Jacob Holmen, who had started all three games before missing Sunday’s contest against Mississippi State. The 6’8″ junior forward averaged nearly 25 minutes in his three games and scored 17 total points.

In Holmen’s absence, Niko Stojiljkovic joined the starting five and led the team with eight rebounds against the Bulldogs. The 6’9″ junior has a varied background, with international experience for his native country of France and minutes at the college level with both San Francisco and Lon Morris College. He’s averaging five points and four boards at North Texas this season, but will certainly see those numbers increase if Holmen’s injury is a long-term issue.

Sophomore Alzee Williams knows what it’s like to have a long-term injury, as he missed all of last year thanks to knee problems. Known as a defensive specialist, he’s actually surprised folks by leading the team in field-goal percentage this year. Although he hasn’t taken many shots, Alzee’s 56.3% mark has helped him log the team’s third-highest scoring average with 6.5 per game.

North Texas also has a pair of players coming off the bench who have experience against the Longhorns. Junior Roger Franklin played at Oklahoma State his first two seasons, but transferred to UNT to be closer to an ill family member. In two games against the Longhorns last year, Franklin grabbed 10 rebounds and scored two points.

Unlike Franklin, Alonzo Edwards‘ time against Texas is essentially just a historical footnote. The 6’8″ senior spent his first two years at Nebraska, and he logged less than a minute in the Cornhuskers’ upset victory against Texas back in 2009. This year, he’s started three times for North Texas and has done solid work on the glass, but is only averaging about 15 minutes per game.

Another transfer on the North Texas bench is Brandan Walton, a product of Compton, California who made his way to Denton via Casper College in Wyoming. The 6’2″ guard is speedy, but played a little out of control against Texas Tech and seemed to be pressing at times. With another chance to play against Big 12 competition tonight, Walton will have to settle down if he wants to make an impact.

Freshman guard Trey Norris rounds out the ten-man rotation. He is another quick guard for Coach Jones, and like Walton, he needs to settle down. Norris has turned it over 10 times despite playing just 64 minutes this season. With Chris Jones already locking down the starting role, Norris will have to improve his ballhandling if he wants to see many minutes off the bench.

Keys to the game

1) Hang on to the ball – The North Texas defense is porous, but the one way they manage to stop opponents is by forcing turnovers. If the Longhorns can avoid the frustrating mistakes they had early against Sam Houston State, they should find it very easy to score against the Mean Green.

2) Limit second-chance scoring – We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again — rebounding is going to be the constant storyline for this Longhorn team. Fortunately, North Texas struggles on the defensive glass, so it looks like Texas’ main concern will be keeping the Mean Green from getting offensive boards. If the Longhorns can cut down on second-chance points, North Texas should have a hard time keeping up tonight.

3) Get the guards going – It’s been a rough couple of games for Myck Kabongo, and even J’Covan Brown found tough sledding against Sam Houston State on Saturday night. With a tough UCLA squad next on the docket after North Texas, it would be nice to see the Longhorn guards regain some confidence tonight. Texas ball screens and dribble penetration resulted in fewer open looks during the last two games, so we’ll be watching to see what the Longhorn guards can create tonight.

The Texas Longhorns return to action at the Erwin Center tonight after a tough weekend in New Jersey. Despite holding second-half leads of eight and 18 at the IZOD Center, Texas stumbled down the stretch against both Oregon State and N.C. State, leaving East Rutherford with a pair of frustrating losses.

Fortunately, the Longhorns now have a pair of winnable games at the Erwin Center to rebuild their confidence before taking on UCLA next weekend. The team opens its short homestand tonight against Sam Houston State, a school that is winless in its four Division I games this season.

By the numbers

No matter how you slice it, the numbers aren’t pretty this year for Coach Jason Hooten and the Bearkats. According to stats guru Ken Pomeroy, Sam Houston State’s adjusted offensive efficiency is one of the 30 worst in all of Division I hoops.

The reasons behind the team’s struggle to put the ball in the basket are numerous. The Bearkats turn it over on 26.7% of their possessions, and are 32nd-worst in the nation when it comes to getting to the free-throw line. For a Texas team that sent Oregon State and N.C. State to the free throw line repeatedly in New Jersey, this statistic is a welcome one.

Sam Houston State is also struggling from long range, where they have made just 22.9% of their threes, the 14th-worst mark in Divison I. The Longhorns experimented with zone defense when they ran into foul trouble in New Jersey, and there’s no doubt that a team struggling this much from long range provides the perfect opportunity for the Horns to work on their zone at game speeds.

The three-point line has also been unkind to Sam Houston State on the defensive end. The Bearkats have faced four D-I opponents so far, and those teams knocked down more than 41% of their looks from behind the arc. Marksmen J’Covan Brown and Julien Lewis should be licking their chops.

Meet the Bearkats

To say that Sam Houston State is rebuilding this season would probably be a tad bit generous. The Bearkats lost four starters from last year’s team and return just three scholarship players. On a team filled with freshmen and junior college transfers, the returning players have accounted for just 23.3% of the team’s minutes so far this year.

The already-thin lineup took a major hit when Antuan Bootle, the team’s lone returning starter, was sidelined by a broken foot during the first week of the season and will be out of action for at least another four weeks. Last season, he led all Bearkat scorers when they faced Texas, just missing a double-double with his 16-point, nine-rebound line.

Big man Steven Werner will also likely miss tonight’s game after injuring his foot on Monday against Mercer. Werner was the team’s second-leading rebounder, averaging 6.7 boards per game. He was also third on the team in scoring, chalking up an average of 8.7 points.

While injuries have forced the Bearkats to get creative with the lineup, the team has received steady leadership from newcomer Konner Tucker. A transfer who played six games for Wake Forest, Tucker was also a juco stud at Lon Morris in Jacksonville, Texas. Averaging 34 minutes per game so far, Tucker leads the team with just under 11 points per game. Although the junior guard is “sneaky quick” in the words of his head coach, his paltry 22% success rate behind the arc means that opposing defenses can sag off and make it tougher for Tucker to blow by them.

The player most impacted by the injury shuffle is senior Marcus James, who has had to slide from the wing to the post in Werner’s absence. The 6’7″ Connecticut native had his own injury issues in the offseason, breaking a wrist playing pickup games back home. Fully healed, he’s now second on the team in scoring with 10.2 points per game and is averaging more than five rebounds.

At the point, junior Darius Gatson has stepped right into the role of floor leader. A juco transfer from Trinity Valley, the 5’11” guard is the only player on the team with more than 10 assists so far this season. Unfortunately, he has had some growing pains since jumping to D-I basketball, shooting less than 30% from the field while turning it over 13 times.

The Bearkats are also getting some immediate contributions from freshman Michael Holyfield and sophomore transfer Demarcus Gatlin. Out of New Mexico, Holyfield checks in at 6’11” and is unsurprisingly the team’s best rebounder, grabbing more than seven per game. Gatlin, who played his first season at Navarro, has started all five games and is averaging more than 27 minutes. He’s still working to find his footing, though, as he’s shooting just 24% from the field — 11% from behind the arc — and has 17 turnovers.

Off the bench, 6’9″ Aaron Thompson is chipping in valuable frontcourt minutes. One of the three returning scholarship players for Coach Hooten, Thompson is averaging more than 17 minutes per game but has scored only 14 points to date. Against Texas last season, the big man hardly saw the floor, logging just a turnover and rebound in his two minutes of action.

Coach Hooten also has a pair of backcourt reserves in Aaron Harwell and walk-on Marquel McKinney. Both have come off the bench in all five games, combining to average 2.9 points in roughly 25 minutes per game. Harwell arrives in Huntsville from Centenary College in Louisiana, a school that just transitioned from Division I to Division III, allowing the sophomore to be immediately eligible for Sam Houston State.

Keys to the game

Although Texas is going to have its struggles this season, there’s simply no reason why the Horns should lose this game. Instead, tonight’s match-up provides good opportunity to work on the issues that cropped up in New Jersey and get the team ready for big tests in the coming weeks from UCLA, Temple, and North Carolina. With that in mind, here are three things we’ll be watching.

1) How does J’Covan Brown respond? – Brown’s exit from the Legends Classic was an abrupt and unceremonious one, as his personal foul and nearly-immediate technical foul were the catalysts for a Texas meltdown against N.C. State. Before that, he was dominant, scoring 17 points while, in the words of Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried, “slic[ing] us up like a side of fries.”

The words from Coach Barnes in the post-game presser weren’t that kind to Brown. He questioned the junior guard’s maturity and put him on notice in a very public setting. Against an overmatched Sam Houston State squad, Brown will need to pick up where he left off and also show poise when he feels foul calls are unwarranted.

2) Can Myck Kabongo regroup? – With Brown out of the game against the Wolfpack, it looked like Kabongo had suddenly misplaced his superhero cape. While Myck has struggled all season with finishing at the rim, he was suddenly unable to create any offense with the dribble and the Longhorns stalled out. Not only will we be watching to see how Kabongo looks with Brown back on the floor, but we’ll also be keeping an eye on how the offense works when the reigns are solely his to hold.

3) Can the Longhorns play defense without fouling? – As mentioned previously, the Bearkats are a perfect matchup for a Texas team that piled up the fouls in New Jersey. Rick Barnes is always a defense-first coach, and there’s no doubt he’s frustrated with his team’s inability to stop its opponents so far this year. Against a struggling Bearkat team, can Texas get back to the kind of defensive dominance it showed against Boston U in the season opener?