The Longhorns return to the Erwin Center tonight, fresh off an impressive thirteen-point win over a top ten opponent in the North Carolina Tar Heels. But rather than getting a few days to unwind and enjoy the big victory, Texas will be immediately tested once again. This evening, their latest top-ten battle is with the Michigan State Spartans, a program that has been a thorn in the side of Coach Rick Barnes over the last three years. Each of those seasons, the Spartans narrowly won on a neutral court, with the three victories coming by just a combined twelve points.

Michigan State lost a lot of senior leadership and presence in the paint following last season’s Final Four run. Guard Travis Walton was the team’s steady leader in 2009, while big men Goran Sutan and Marquise Gray played important roles down low. Their departures leave the Spartans without a reliable center, and according to Coach Tom Izzo, also leave his team without a vocal leader.

By the numbers

Fans of college basketball know that Izzo is a disciple of defense. Every year, the Spartans are a frustrating match-up for opponents, as they pressure out past the perimeter and force countless turnovers. This season, however, Michigan State has added an impressive offense to match. In fact, the Spartan offense is actually ranked higher nationally (27th) than their defense (43rd) in adjusted efficiency, according to Ken Pomeroy.

With the newfound offensive firepower, Michigan State is pushing the tempo a little bit more this season. As members of the Big 10 Conference, the Spartans have often played grind-it-out basketball games with their league opponents. This year, the Big 10 is going to have to hustle to keep up. Michigan State’s 70.9 possessions per game is 84th-quickest in the nation, and is a massive shift from Izzo’s previous style. During the last six seasons, MSU has averaged just 65.5 possessions per game and never finished higher than 126th nationally in tempo, while placing 240th or lower in three of those years.

The thing the Spartans do best, though, is rebound. They are ranked eighth in the nation in offensive rebounding percentage, as they grab over 43% of their own misses. That dominance extends to the defensive glass, allowing Michigan State to enjoy a rebounding margin of +11.2, which is 6th-best in the country. Just behind the Spartans in the national rankings are the Longhorns, who have a margin of +11.1 boards per game. Tonight’s contest could very well be decided by which team imposes their will on the glass.

Meet the Spartans

Coach Izzo has been tinkering with his lineup all season long, looking for the right combination as he reloads his team and searches for that aforementioned missing leadership. Nine different Spartans have started during the team’s first eleven games, although only the core rotation of seven players are averaging more than 20 minutes per contest.

Junior guard Kalin Lucas is the one player that has started each game for Michigan State. Named the Big 10’s Player of the Year as just a sophomore, the speedy little guard has a deadly shot and seemingly omniscient court vision. Saturday’s victory over IPFW marked the 21st-consecutive game where Lucas scored in double digits, and he is leading the team with an average of 16.1 points per game. He added muscle over the offseason, so the 6-foot guard is also able to fight through contact when he attacks the rim this year.

Joining Lucas in the backcourt is Chris Allen, a 6’3″ junior who isn’t afraid to battle inside with bigger opponents. But what Allen is best known for is his jump shot, a skill that has unfortunately eluded him over the last season and a half. He broke his foot in the NCAA title game against North Carolina, and perhaps that is the reason why he has struggled from the floor this season. He’s shown flashes of his former brilliance at times, but has played inconsistently enough to log a 46% success rate from the field, including just 34% from behind the arc. Allen is certainly a dangerous man who is due to break out, so the Longhorns must keep an eye on him this evening.

Adding to the depth in the Spartan backcourt is Korie Lucious, a sophomore guard who, like Lucas, is not just a great facilitator, but also a dangerous shooter. While Korie has hit just 35% of his three-pointers this year and only 36% of all his shots, his jumper is far better than those numbers indicate. Like Allen, Lucious is liable to get hot at any moment, and Texas can’t afford to let him do so. Also just like Allen, Lucious is recovering from a broken foot, and that could be affecting his accuracy.

Down low, big man Raymar Morgan is the only senior on Michigan State who plays any significant minutes. He’s a big, strong forward who is a handful down low, but his accurate midrange jumper makes him even more dangerous. This season, he’s averaging nearly eleven points and six rebounds per game. His ability (or inability) to turn in that kind of performance against the Texas frontcourt will be key to Michigan State’s chances tonight.

The other big force in the paint is forward Draymond Green. Although he has started just three games, he’s second on the team in scoring and leads the team in rebounding. At 6’6″, he’s a bit undersized for the power forward role, but can do that when the Spartans want to run with a smaller lineup. When Michigan State wants to go bigger, Green’s surprising abilities with the basketball even allow Coach Izzo to use him as a point forward. If ballhandling, rebounding, scoring, and assists aren’t enough of a contribution from Green, he even chips in with his quick hands on defense, to the tune of a team-leading 16 steals. With tonight’s big game on national television, this could be a breakout game for the well-rounded sophomore.

Durrell Summers is another ‘tweener for Coach Izzo, who has the player listed as a 6’4″ guard. He’s quick and can take defenders off the dribble, and has bulked up prior to his junior season so that he’s able to body up more inside. He has a lot of length that will frustrate the Texas offense, and incredible hops that could lead to some impressive dunks and blocks in tonight’s game. Like Allen and Lucious, Summers is a solid shooter who has struggled so far this season. But as Texas fans can surely remember, Durrell can hit the clutch shots, like the three that knocked off the Longhorns in Houston last December.

The final member of the core rotation is power forward Delvon Roe, who has started nine games and is averaging 22 minutes per contest. The sophomore has high expectations this year, following a freshman season in which he was adjusting to a surgically-repaired knee. Once a top-ten recruit, Roe is quicker and more agile than most power forwards, allowing him to defend further from the paint and also draw out opponents when he has the ball.

While he’s averaging just eight points and eight boards per game, those numbers have been limited by an unfortunate problem with fouls. Roe picked up his fifth personal against both North Carolina and Gonzaga with seven minutes still left on the clock, and also fouled out against Florida Gulf Coast. Against the deep Texas frontcourt, Delvon will have to be careful not to pile up the personals once again.

Averaging only nine minutes per game, freshman center Garrick Sherman is a work-in-progress that Izzo hopes will anchor his frontcourt in years to come. As a high school senior in Ohio last year, Sherman was the Co-Player of the Year, and his fundamentals and footwork certainly seem to be sound. It appears, however, that Garrick gets overly nervous at times and rushes with the basketball. When he slows down, he’s actually been fairly impressive, and his eight point performance in just eight minutes on Saturday could be a sign that the light has finally come on for this youngster.

The other newcomer at center is freshman Derrick Nix, a 6’8″, 280-pound player that will remind fans of Dexter Pittman as a freshman. Nix was as heavy as 340 pounds in high school and is still adjusting to his new body and the speed of Michigan State basketball, but he is highly effective in short bursts. Nix swats a ton of shots down low, and has even had a few nice steals early in the season.

On offense, he still seems awkward at times, likely as a result of having to post up against college defenders instead of just barreling through them like he did in high school. If Nix and Pittman are on the floor at the same time tonight, it ought to be entertaining to watch.

Keys to the game

As we mentioned earlier, these two teams are both dominant on the glass. While it’s highly likely this will lead to a very close battle on the boards, if either team is able to hold a significant rebounding edge, it could be the difference. Texas can easily frustrate their opponents if they can manage to shut down the highly-effective Michigan State offensive rebounders and eliminate a ton of extra Spartan chances.

With so many skilled shooters who have struggled over the first month of the year, the Longhorns also have to be worried about a sudden flurry of offense from the outside. Texas needs to shut down the three-point shooters, especially after allowing North Carolina to hit 54% of their long-range attempts on Saturday afternoon.

While the Longhorns should be worried about the Michigan State backcourt, they are likely giddy over the advantage their frontcourt has in this match-up. Texas should attack the Spartans inside, drawing fouls on Roe and Green so that Sherman and Nix are forced to play a bigger role. The Longhorns should enjoy a nice edge on points scored in the paint, and getting the thin Michigan State frontcourt in foul trouble should only make that easier.

For the second time in the last three years, Rick Barnes has led his Texas Longhorns to a perfect 9-0 start. Texas has yet to truly be tested, winning those first nine games by an average margin of 32.7 points. That all changes today.

The Longhorns square off with the defending National Champions this afternoon in the first-ever basketball game held at the giant Cowboys Stadium in Arlington Texas. While both schools have cash incentives built into their contracts to reward them for drawing crowd as big as 75,000, most observers expect less than 40,000 in the seats. Regardless of how many basketball fans make their way into JerryWorld this afternoon, it will be a historic day.

Although the Tar Heels are fresh off another national title, Roy Williams’ team is still finding its way early in the season. North Carolina lost four starters from last year’s team, including Tyler Hansborough and point guard Ty Lawson. The new-look Tar Heels are incredibly young, boasting a highly talented five-man recruiting class, and have a very deep frontcourt that could be the best in the nation.

By the numbers

That excellent North Carolina frontcourt means that the Heels don’t push the ball up and down the floor quite as much as they used to. Of course, that’s not saying much when you consider just how fast last year’s UNC team played. This year, the “slower” style of Tar Heel basketball is still the 25th-quickest in the nation, with an average of over 74 possessions in each of their games.

When North Carolina isn’t scoring easy points in the transition game or on the secondary break, they love pounding the ball down low to their big men. Nearly 64% of their points come from within the arc, good enough for fourth nationally in that metric.

Oddly enough, their free-throw rate isn’t sky-high as a result. The FTR measures how often teams head to the line in relation to field goals they attempt per game. North Carolina’s FTR is just a tad over 38%, which actually places them just outside the top third of the country. By comparison, the Longhorns boast an FTR of 46 percent.

The number which could be most important in this afternoon’s game is the turnover margin. So far this year, North Carolina has actually turned the ball over more often than their opponent, albeit just barely. The Tar Heels have a negative 0.3 turnover differential per game this season, a number that stems largely from their massive early-season struggles with the ball. While the youngsters have settled down quite a bit in recent weeks, the quick tempo and inexperience can still lead to a fair share of miscues for the Heels.

Meet the Tar Heels

Without a doubt, the toughest match-up for Texas is big man Deon Thompson. The 6’9”, 245-pound senior is not only a beast in the paint, but is a handful off the dribble and can hit spot-up jumpers from anywhere on the floor. While he’s not going to shoot a ton of threes, Thompson has still proven that he has the perimeter shot in his arsenal. The threat of his jump shot keeps defenses honest, so when opponents play him tighter outside, Thompson uses an explosive first step to blow by them and get to the rim.

Thompson is also going to give Texas a lot to handle on the glass. He is averaging eight boards per game to go along with his team-leading 17 points per contest, and his offensive rebounding rate is actually 66th-best in the country according to stat guru Ken Pomeroy.

In the backcourt, Marcus Ginyard is the steady leader of the team. After missing nearly the entire championship season due to injury, the senior guard used a medical redshirt to return for one more season. Unfortunately, he is struggling with another foot injury and is listed as probable for today’s game.

Ginyard is best-known for his suffocating, lock-down defense, and is often found harassing the opposing ballhandlers well beyond the perimeter. He worked hard on his jump shot all off-season, and it’s already paying off. While North Carolina isn’t a team that takes a ton of three-pointers, Ginyard is one player opponents hate to see shooting from behind the arc. So far this year, he is hitting at a 44% clip from long range and is averaging over 10 points per game.

Although not a senior like Thompson and Ginyard, big man Ed Davis is also a huge contributor for the Heels. Just a sophomore, he still hasn’t even completely developed into his 6’10” frame, but is already dominating opponents down low. He fights for every single rebound, and currently leads the team with more than nine boards per game. Davis is also an intimidating presence on defense, swatting nearly three shots per contest.

In the backcourt, sophomore Larry Drew II has huge shoes to fill at the point guard position. Following the departure of Lawson to the NBA, the youngster who averaged just nine minutes and 1.4 points per game in 2008-09 was handed the keys to the offense. No pressure.

For the most part, Drew has responded very well. He’s averaging nine points per game and has improved dramatically over the first month of the season after struggling with turnovers in his first few games. Drew is very quick with the basketball and can weave in and out of traffic to reach the paint. But if teams think they can sag back to try to keep the speedster in front of them, they quickly discover how deadly accurate Drew is from long range. On the year, the guard has connected on 42.3% of his three-point attempts.

Swingman Will Graves is the fifth man in the starting rotation for Coach Williams. With so many other talented players on the floor, Graves isn’t asked to do too much, and his stats are rather pedestrian as a result. What he does provide to the team, though, is a heady player who can run the floor and attack defenders off the dribble from the perimeter. Don’t be surprised if Graves is the one coming up with a key bucket late in the game while Texas is focused on all of the other stars.

Off the bench, giant seven-footer Tyler Zeller provides quite the spark in the paint. Although he plays just 19 minutes a game, Zeller is still the third-highest scorer on the team with 9.2 points per game. Named “Mr. Basketball” for the state of Indiana in 2008, the tall, thin center can run the floor incredibly well for his size and fits perfectly into the up-tempo style of UNC. In the half-court game, he provides a huge target on the blocks and his solid turnaround jumper can make him seem unstoppable when he gets the ball down low.

Freshman John Henson started playing his high school ball at Round Rock, just a few hours south of JerryWorld. After transferring to a prep school in Florida, he chose North Carolina from a long list of suitors that included the Texas Longhorns. Henson is 6’10” and has an incredible wingspan, but still has the body of a freshman. He’s wiry and lacks the muscle to bang around down low with experienced college forwards and centers. But Henson is incredibly athletic and agile, so he’s able to pull those defenders out away from the basket and beat them off the dribble.

Dexter Strickland is another of the talented freshman on the Carolina roster, and has been blossoming as the backup point guard behind Drew II. Like the starting point, Strickland is ridiculously fast and can speed past the defense in transition and off the perimeter. But the youngster is still making his share of freshman mistakes, which have limited him to just over thirteen minutes per game. Strickland is hampered by a hamstring injury that has him listed as questionable for today’s game. If he does play, the Horns can’t afford to lose him on defense, as he’s showcased a very solid jump shot early in the year.

The excellent freshman class at Carolina also includes twin brothers Travis and David Wear from Mater Dei in California. The 6’10” freshmen can score inside, but they also are very impressive shooting the ball from the midrange and even beyond the perimeter. Defensively, they often seem uncomfortable if pulled too far outside the paint, but when they are able to camp out near the rim, their length is invaluable.

Keys to the game

This afternoon’s contest is an intriguing match-up of similar styles, with both teams able to run the floor or beat up their opponents in a half-court game with their solid frontcourts. Vegas thinks the Longhorns are six-point favorites on this semi-home court, but it wouldn’t be at all surprising to see this one finish even closer.

For Texas, the most important thing is to control the paint. In their loss to Syracuse, the Tar Heels were absolutely stymied by a 2-3 zone that kept them from scoring inside and forced them to take a ton of perimeter shots which mostly resulted in misses. Even against an over-matched North Carolina Central team, the Tar Heels seem perturbed by the zone and were content to wait around the perimeter when they couldn’t attack the paint. If the Longhorns can keep Carolina from getting looks inside, they will have a much better shot at the win.

Texas also needs to force mistakes by the young Tar Heels. North Carolina has turned it over at least 19 times in four of their games, so the quick hands of Dogus Balbay and Avery Bradley on defense could lead to turnovers and easy points for the Horns. There is no easier way to slow down a high-octane team than taking the ball away from them.

In addition, the Longhorn guards and swingmen have to make sure they don’t force things inside. With their stable of tall, lengthy defenders, the Tar Heels love it when opponents try to drive all the way to the rim, or take their time trying to make moves on the blocks. The typical result is a swatted shot that ends up somewhere in the 15th row. What Carolina’s defense is susceptible to is good ball movement and drive-and-dish attacks. If Texas can work the ball around and make the tall defenders react, they will earn many more open looks.

Finally, Texas must take advantage of the freebies. Neither of these teams is very good at shooting free throws, with the Heels making just 65% of their attempts and the Longhorns sinking an even-more embarrassing 61 percent. This game has all the makings of a nail-biter, so every single point is crucial. Leaving those points sitting at the line will certainly leave one of these teams saying “What if?” tomorrow morning.

As the records above would indicate, there’s not much of a challenge facing the Longhorns tonight as they host the independent UT-Pan Am Broncs. The visitors are in the midst of an NCAA investigation, have self-sanctioned their program to the tune of one less scholarship, and have a lineup with seven newcomers including three walk-ons. This one could get very, very messy.

The Broncs have played a bold schedule early this season, having already taken on Missouri, Nebraska, and Mississippi State. Those three games netted losses of 56, 28, and 25 points, respectively. Even when not playing big-conference opponents, UT-Pan Am has struggled. They dropped a 10-point contest at home to Texas State, the school which the Longhorns defeated by 33 points on Saturday. While we all know that the Transitive Property of Scoreboards is highly inaccurate, those numbers add up to a 43 point Texas win tonight. Yeehaw.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Texas, as the Longhorns stumble into this game with quite a bruised lineup. Coach Barnes will be without both J’Covan Brown and Shawn Williams who are recovering from ankle injuries suffered Saturday against Texas State. Sophomore guard Varez Ward is out for the year with a ruptured quadriceps tendon, while Florida transfer Jai Lucas will not actually be eligible to play until Saturday, not tonight as initially expected. That leaves Texas with just Dogus Balbay, Justin Mason, and Avery Bradley in the backcourt.

Fortunately for Texas, their opponents are incredibly undersized and can be abused by a Longhorn lineup that is skewed towards the frontcourt. For that to happen, though, Texas will have to get more than the combined 35.5 minutes that Dexter Pittman and Damion James averaged in the last two games.

UT-Pan American has eleven players who are averaging more than ten minutes per contest, and quite frankly, none of them are worth the time or the words we could spend on previewing them. Walk-on guard Aaron Urbanas earns a cursory note from us, solely due to the fact that he played at Bowie High School in south Austin.

With that same dismissive attitude, we provide our one key to the game for Texas — show up in uniform at tip-off. Texas will easily cruise in this game, so easily in fact that stat guru Ken Pomeroy’s models give the Longhorns a 100% chance to win the game. Interestingly enough, that model also gives the same stone-cold lock status for Texas against Gardner-Webb in two weeks.

If you’re in town and want to catch the game, print this web coupon and enjoy a buy one, get one free offer from Texas Box Office. And since the game will likely be out of reach before halftime, you can even get the kids in bed at a decent hour. If you are located elsewhere in Texas, turn on the TV to Fox Sports Southwest, while those Longhorn fans flung nationwide can get the game as part of ESPN’s Full Court package, or online at ESPN360.com.

The Longhorns are off to a rocking 7-0 start this season, the third time they’ve reached that mark in the last five seasons. While they haven’t played any particularly great teams, their strength of schedule is currently the second-toughest of the nation’s fifteen remaining unbeaten teams. That SOS score will definitely take a hit after this afternoon’s game with the Texas State Bobcats, but the Longhorns can rest assured that they will still be amongst the unblemished.

The Bobcats are returning seven players from last year’s squad, but have only two seniors on the roster. They lost their three best players to graduation, but signed a trio of juco transfers that has fourth-year coach Doug Davalos excited about his team’s prospects this season. Unfortunately for Davalos and the Bobcats, not many others hold those same expectations. Texas State was predicted to finish at or near the bottom of the Southland Conference’s West Division by most media outlets.

By the numbers

So far this season, the numbers haven’t been pretty for the Bobcats. If the 3-6 start isn’t bad enough, their defense and sloppy ballhandling have fans pulling out their hair. Texas State has allowed teams to hit 48.9% of their three-point attempts so far this year, better than only one other team in all of Division I basketball. Against a Texas team that has a bevy of solid outside shooters, the lack of perimeter defense could lead to a nightmare situation for the ‘Cats.

On offense, Texas State can’t seem to hang on to the basketball. They turn it over more than once every four possessions, which led to nauseating performances against Arizona State and Cal State Northridge. In those two games, the Bobcats coughed it up a combined 57 times. That kind of performance would embarrass a Little Dribblers coach.

Texas State runs an up-tempo style of play that is actually fifth-quickest in the country to date. Having so many possessions per game certainly helps the Bobcats make up for the fact that they lose the ball so often, but against efficient offensive teams like Texas, that style can only lead to bigger blowouts. The Longhorns and Bobcats have met all three years that Coach Davalos has been on the sideline, and while last year’s game was respectably close, his up-tempo style has been a boon for Texas. In those three meetings, the Longhorns have averaged 91 points.

Meet the Bobcats

The frenetic pace of Texas State basketball means that Coach Davalos is constantly throwing fresh bodies on the floor. He has eleven different players who average at least thirteen minutes per game, and all of them have earned at least one start. In most years, that could give his team an edge in depth against Texas, but this season the Longhorns have just as many players, and all are more talented.

So far, power forward Cameron Johnson has been the offensive leader for Texas State. He posted a double-double against UT-Pan American last Saturday, and is averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds through the first nine games. Johnson can post up and score, but is still comfortable in the open, transition game that Texas State loves. Against the number one defense in the country, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

J.B. Conley is another forward who has quickly made a mark after transferring from Temple College. While he was a small forward in his two seasons of junior college, Davalos expects him to fill a variety of roles for Texas State. So far, the biggest role he has filled is three-point marksman. Conley has knocked down 52% of his attempts from behind the arc, which has led him to nearly eleven points per game.

Senior forward John Ryback is one of just two returning starters for the Bobcats, and his leadership is desperately needed on this year’s team. He has responded early, starting eight games and averaging 10.6 points per contest. At just 6’7″, he’s going to have a tough time against the bigger Texas frontcourt, but his ability to knock down the three-ball could allow him to draw out bigger defenders and level the playing field. This season, he’s hitting on 40% of his long-range attempts.

Uriel Segura is another juco transfer for Texas State who has also made a quick start. He is a 6’3″ combo guard who Coach Davalos hopes will give him the flexibility to have two point guards on the floor at once. Segura is a pass-first player whose 3.4 assists per game lead the team, but he also knows how to shoot the basketball. He’s averaging just a shade under ten points per game and is practically automatic from the line.

In his sophomore campaign, guard Josh Bowman is bouncing back nicely from an injury-riddled first year. He’s firmly entrenched in the core rotation, and has even started in six games. He’s averaging nine points per game, but has been having trouble shooting so far this season. In fact, his 57% success rate at the free throw stripe might actually make him a candidate to transfer to Texas.

Rounding out that core rotation is junior point guard Ryan White. The Longhorns had a lot of problems with the speed of the Long Beach State guards on Monday night, so White could enjoy a breakout game if he attacks off the dribble and pushes for transition buckets. At just 5’11”, he could be a defensive liability on the perimeter against a taller Texas backcourt, but his quick hands will still be a point of concern for the Longhorns. He had better than a steal per game last season, and is swiping nearly two a game this year.

Dylan Hale and Tony Bishop are both newcomers who grab a solid share of minutes for Texas State. Hale is the team’s lone freshman, hailing from Minnesota. He’s a left-handed defensive specialist who’s already playing 18 minutes per game, but Coach Davalos expects even greater things in his next three seasons. Bishop is a 6’6″ juco transfer from Richland College who boasts a freakish 7-foot wingspan. The lengthy wing player can cause some havoc on defense, but is averaging just eight points per game on the offensive end.

Perhaps the most important bench player for Texas State is Cameroon-born forward Emmanuel Bidias a Moute, who grabs over five rebounds a night despite seeing the court for just fifteen minutes in each game. Against the bigger Texas Longhorns, the Bobcats are going to need that presence on the glass from Bidias a Moute, and he’ll likely see more action than usual.

Junior center Jonathan Sloan and sophomore guard Roshun Jackson are the other two players who see the floor consistently for Texas State, although neither has done anything exceptional this year Last year, Sloan struggled with injury and illness, while Jackson played a bit role from the bench.

What to look for

We know the Bobcats like to run, and from the looks of Monday night’s game against Long Beach State, the Longhorns have no trouble doing that. Texas is significantly bigger than Texas State, so they should have a commanding advantage on the glass. That should lead to a lot of empty possessions for the Bobcats, and tons of second-chance opportunities if Texas happens to be missing its shots.

When not stifling Texas State on the boards, the Longhorns should also be forcing a ton of turnovers. The Bobcats don’t take care of the ball, and on Monday night the Longhorns made hay off their opponent’s miscues. Texas scored 33 points off turnovers against Long Beach State, and should enjoy another gaudy output in that category this afternoon.

The final thing we’ll be watching tonight is whether or not Dogus Balbay continues to shine. This kind of up-and-down game is made for a thoughtful floor general with great court vision, and that’s what Balbay has brought to the table so far this year. If he continues to perform at that high of a level, and can keep defenses honest with any semblance of a short- to mid-range game, Texas will be ridiculously good. We’re crossing our fingers that he has another career day in this shootout.

Final notes

As always, tickets remain for this non-conference patsy, so take a break from the Christmas shopping and come see the Longhorns. You’ll even be treated to a return visit from 90’s Texas star Terrence Rencher, who is one of the assistants on the Texas State sidelines. If things get too ugly, perhaps he’ll even tear off the suit and try to play in one of those hideous grey, orange, and white uniforms that Tom Penders’ Runnin’ Horns wore last decade.

For those staying at home, the game is available on cable in Texas on Fox Sports Southwest, while fans outside of the Lone Star State can catch it as a part of the ESPN Full Court package.

“Real life” has stepped completely in the way of any productivity since departing Kansas City last Tuesday night, and you can clearly see the results on the website. With only the Rice preview in the way of content over the last nine days, things have been a bit……slow. Unfortunately, that real-life nuisance has continued its annoying creep and cost us a game preview tonight.

Fortunately, the USC team that comes to the Drum tonight should not be much of a challenge, and perhaps would have been a waste of words. The Trojans already have two losses, including an eight-point home embarrassment against Loyola Marymount and a narrow defeat on the road against the Cornhuskers. Unfortunately, that will make the taste of tonight’s revenge beating a little less satisfying for Longhorns fans hoping to wash out the bitter taste of the 87-68 NCAA Second Round loss to the Trojans back in 2007.

To get your pre-game fix, be sure to check out these great previews from our Longhorn friends on the web:

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