The long wait of summer is over, and basketball has returned to the Forty Acres. The Texas Longhorns open the 2007-08 campaign with an exhibition game against the Xavier Gold Rush of the NAIA. Admission is free and seating is open, so be sure to get to the Frank Erwin Center early to grab the best seats. But for those of you who won’t be able to make the game, TexasSports.com is offering a free internet broadcast.

While Xavier missed its entire basketball season just two years ago due to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the Gold Rush have quickly bounced back from adversity. They finished last season with a 22-10 record and earned an at-large bid to the NAIA tournament, where they won their first playoff game since 1973 . This year, they find themselves ranked 10th in the NAIA pre-season poll.

Last year’s game was dominated by the Longhorns, who won 103-53 after a slow start. A hot-shooting A.J. Abrams was the story of the night, as he hit six of seven three pointers and finished with 24 points on the night. Damion James also looked strong in last year’s exhibition, scoring 15 points in only 22 minutes of work.

This year, injuries make the prognosis a little murky for the Horns. Dogus Balbay will be unavailable after going under the knife on Tuesday, and Matt Hill could possibly miss the entire season due to injury. Clint Chapman is sporting a protective wrist brace, while Dexter Pittman has been seen in a boot that is rumored to be only precautionary following a deep bruise. Gary Johnson, while cleared to play tonight, will be closely monitored and then re-evaluated following the contest.

That leaves the usual suspects for Rick Barnes in the backcourt — D.J. Augustin running the point, A.J. Abrams at the 2-guard, and Justin Mason. J-Mase has been hitting the gym with aplomb this offseason, and reports say he is in the best shape of his young career. Connor Atchley and Alexis Wangmene should see a lot of minutes down low, especially if Chapman and Pittman have their minutes limited.

Meanwhile, Xavier coach Dannton Jackson will be overseeing a veteran squad this season. They return all five starters, including senior standout Mark Stewart, who already holds the record for most career three-pointers at the Louisiana university. Against Texas last year, Stewart led all Gold Rush scorers with 13 points despite coming off of the bench. Even the Xavier reserves are experienced, as five of last year’s six bench players are still on the squad this season.

With Xavier’s tallest player checking in at 6’9″, tonight should see the new Texas frontcourt dominating on the glass. Fans should also keep an eye on how Barnes mixes up the personnel with four new faces and a rash of injuries. While Justin Mason will likely be used in some three-guard sets, I fully expect to see some traditional lineups with the timely addition of Gary Johnson to the game plan.

For those of you in Austin, be sure to swing by the Frank Erwin Center before heading out for the bars and parties. Big-name recruit Tyreke Evans is in town, so it is even more important that the Texas fans show up and be loud. While we all know that is a far-fetched dream with Longhorns fans before Big 12 play, I’m going to live in denial of that fact until the game actually tips off. So, bring your friends, your family, and even your enemies……surprise me and give this team the crowd they deserve.

We’re just about five hours from the tip of Texas’ second-round NCAA tournament game in Spokane, Washington. And roughly fourteen months after Vincent Paul Young, Jr. and the Longhorns dethroned the Southern Cal Trojans in their own city, the two teams will meet again on the basketball court.

Last night was a pretty late one for those of us on the Longhorn Road Trip, meaning we overslept a tad this morning. And we’ve got to show these Spokies how to tailgate Texas-style, so we have to head to the arena shortly. Unfortunately, that means the pre-game report will be a little less detailed than usual.

The Trojans are not the best of scorers, checking in at 117th in the nation for offensive efficiency. But they still have their share of playmakers on the offensive end. Wayne Brady lookalike Lodrick Stewart is an absolute nightmare from three-point range, and could cause a major headache for a team like Texas that struggles in guarding the perimeter.

Freshman big man Taj Gibson is a hell of a player down low, and will be a tough assignment for Damion James and Connor Atchley. If the Atchley that showed up on Friday makes a return appearance today, it should be a good battle down low. James will also have to play a much better game this time out and avoid picking up early fouls.

Nick Young is a great guard for Coach Tim Floyd, and is leading the team in both scoring and minutes. Young can knock down the 17-footers with ease and is incredibly dangerous off the dribble. He can sink a floater on the run, or stop on a dime and arc one over a surprised defender. Young’s speed and ability to dribble penetrate could cause problems for the Texas guards.

Although he doesn’t play a ton of minutes, 6-foot, 11-inch freshman RouSean Cromwell can be a difference-maker in the paint. Against the Razorbacks on Friday night, Cromwell had an amazing defensive series where he blocked two consecutive shots without even leaving the floor. D.J. Augustin might want to be careful with his drives to the bucket against this guy.

On the defensive end, USC is one of the better teams that Texas has faced this season. Their defensive efficiency is 29th in the country, and they are especially stout in the paint. The Trojans limit opponents to 43.5% shooting from inside the arc, which is 18th out of the NCAA’s 336 D-1 basketball teams.

Texas is going to need a stellar game from D.J. Augustin and Kevin Durant, as usual. But as previously mentioned, Damion James and Connor Atchley must step up against a much better USC frontcourt. Quality minutes from Craig Winder will be needed to spell A.J. Abrams and Justin Mason, while even Dexter Pittman could be called on if the game settles into a half-court battle.

This is going to be another close game for the Longhorns, and USC definitely has the talent to knock them off. But I feel Texas can pull it out and advance to their fifth Sweet Sixteen appearance in the last six years. Post-game thoughts won’t be coming for a few days, as we are hitting the road back to Austin almost immediately after the game. In the meantime, crack open a few beers and settle in on the couch for a day full of basketball.

It took 42 hours on the road and a few crazy setbacks, but we are finally in the Pacific Northwest and ready to watch the Horns begin the best postseason tournament in sports. Recipients of a 4-seed, the Longhorns draw the 13-seed New Mexico State Aggies, the winners of the WAC’s auto-bid. The Aggies held off Utah State to win the conference tournament despite throwing an inbounds pass out of bounds in the waning seconds with only a two-point lead.

Coached by Reggie Theus, the Aggies run an up-tempo game with high defensive intensity. NMSU’s possessions per game is 24th nationally. They will throw out a lot of full-court pressure and trap in the half-court sets, so it will be important for D.J. Augustin to stay out of foul trouble. When Augustin is not on the floor, pressure-oriented defenses have a field day with Texas’ less-seasoned guards.

New Mexico State is ranked 5th nationally in free throw rate, which indicates that they attack the rim a great deal and draw fouls in shooting situations. Unfortunately for the Aggies, they don’t have much success when they get there. Point guard Elijah Ingram shoots 84% from the charity stripe, but all of the other players with significant minutes are shooting 70% or worse.

The high tempo scheme employed by Theus also forces the Aggies to run fairly deep on the bench. Nine different players average over 15 minutes per game. If Texas allows the Aggies to run the game at their preferred pace, fatigue and depth could definitely come into play. The Horns only truly run six deep — perhaps now seven, if Craig Winder continues to pull solid minutes — and cannot affod to get into a track meet with NMSU.

Ingram is the only Aggie who takes many three pointers, and is making them 42% of the time. Former Kansas State guard Fred Peete and senior guard Shaun Davis also take a fair number from behind the arc, but neither is as dangerous as Ingram. For a Texas team that has often shown a weakness in guarding the perimeter, this could be an excellent matchup. The Horns like to collapse and clog the lane, so it could come down to a battle between the big men for NMSU and the sagging Texas defense.

The Aggies definitely have some trees in the lane that could cause problems for a much smaller Longhorn squad. Martin Iti is a 7-foot center coming off the bench for Coach Theus, while forwards Justin Hawkins and Tyrone Nelson rebound remarkably well. Texas needs to be careful to avoid offensive possessions that result in defensive rebounds and easy outlets into transition. And on the defensive end, the Horns need to keep the NMSU bigs off the glass. They are a great rebounding team and can get a ton of points off second-chance opportunities.

For now, I need to get some food and head over to the Spokane Arena. TV is obviously CBS, although there are also three other games that will be on across the country. I’m thinking the pull of Kevin Durant might make this the “national” game for any areas not tied regionally to any of the other games, but if you’re not from the Austin area, you may want to try a sports bar.

Post-game thoughts will be up late tonight, as we’ve got the USC/Arkansas game after ours. And if time allows on Saturday, I may try to write up the crazy journey to the game. Enjoy the wall-to-wall basketball action, and Hook ’em Horns!

Selection Sunday is a big day for basketball teams across the country, but it’s only a brief reprieve for coaching staffs before they must press onward with preparing for their next opponent. Once the brackets are announced, calls are made to small schools around the country, looking for film for this year’s random opponent from the Big Sky or Metro Atlantic or Big Central Northwestern East Valley Conference.

For fans, the hunt for information can be similar. Minutes after seeing their team’s name pop up on CBS or ESPN, thousands of fans fire up the internet and hunt for message boards and stats related to their next opponent. Here at Longhorn Road Trip, I’m going to make it easy on New Mexico State fans. Texas supporters who were late to the party might also find this a great guide to their new, young team. And hell, this might even be helpful to those folks who like to over-research their brackets.

Obviously the star of the team is freshman phenom and Player of the Year candidate Kevin Durant. A 6-foot, 9-inch swingman with freakish talent, KD sports a wingspan over seven feet. His range is limitless, as he can sink a ten-foot jumper or nail a three with a defender in his face. He’s also good at posting up in isolation or against the double team, usually kissing it in off the glass. And, of course, if you give him the lane, chances are good that a highlight dunk is on the way.

Critics have tried knocking K-Smoove’s defense, and while he does sometimes overhelp on the ball or leave a man open while coming over a screen, he was named to the Big 12 Conference’s All-Defensive Team. KD’s long arms give him the advantage of being able to come up with blocks even when beaten on the play, and he controls a ton of rebounds that most players wouldn’t have a shot at. When a team is having a cold shooting night, Durant is often the man limiting their possessions to one-and-done.

As fantastic as number 35 is, the real key to Texas’ offense is freshman point guard D.J. Augustin. As D.J. goes, so go the Horns. He can slash to the basket for a sick reverse layup, but is most valuable in finding passing lanes when it seems there aren’t any. His 6.7 assists per game are fourth in the nation.

Augustin is also very good at getting himself to the line, where he is an 83% shooter. It seemed that every time the Longhorns were in a tough spot on the road against a hostile crowd this season, it was Augustin who would drive to the bucket, draw the foul, and quiet the crowd with a pair of swished free throws. And while earlier in the year D.J. would often continue to attempt to attack the rim even when the defense was denying it, he seems to have matured to the point that he will pull it out and try to reset the offense.

If teams want to slow down Texas, they need to get Augustin on the bench. When he was out of the game against Kansas on Sunday afternoon, the Jayhawks made their biggest runs.

The other most consistent scorer for Coach Rick Barnes is shooting guard A.J. Abrams. Only a sophomore, Abrams is the oldest starter and the only player on the team who played significant minutes last season. He has one of the quickest releases I’ve ever seen, and is absolutely deadly as a catch-and-shoot three-point specialist. Unfortunately, A.J. also has a tendency to take a lot of running floaters off the dribble, and rarely finds success. He is most effective coming off of curls and screens for the Horns.

Abrams’ main liability is his defense. For starters, he is listed at a generous 5-foot, 10-inches, which allows taller guards to easily shoot over him. He also has a tendency to get beat off of the dribble by quicker guards. A.J.’s defense has improved somewhat throughout the season, as Barnes challenged him with the toughest assignments in the homestretch of conference play. A team with quick guards will certainly present a problem, however.

An emerging star for Texas is Damion James, who was named Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Texas for his senior season. James has a sweet mid-range jumper, and is becoming a defensive presence in the middle. He’s blocked at least one shot in thirteen straight games, including four against A&M in College Station. James’ weaknessses are his conditioning and tendency to pick up fouls quickly.

The fifth starter for Coach Barnes is Justin Mason, an Amarillo product who has been struggling lately. Jay May was producing admirably on the defensive end for much of the year, but has seen his minutes decline over the last three weeks as both his offense and defense have tailed off. If Mason can return to form, he is a viable scoring threat that makes teams pay for focusing too much on Durant and Augustin.

The Texas bench is relatively thin, making this team vulnerable against an opponent with quality depth. The first man off the pine is usually redshirt sophomore Connor Atchley. While not a superstar by any means, Atchley is a serviceable frontcourt reserve. Unfortunately, he has also been slumping for as long as Mason. Atchley is susceptible to the ball fake, but still manages to get his blocks each game. He has a sweet three-point stroke, but does not seem to have much confidence in it. If Atchley scores very much, it will be off of easy layups and putbacks.

During last week’s Big 12 Tournament, a new man provided significant minutes off the bench to relieve the overworked backcourt. Senior transfer guard Craig Winder came in and provided a spark in all three games, ratcheting up the defensive intensity and showing hustle all over the floor. The only downside with Winder is that his breakneck pace sometimes results in stupid fouls — he has fouled on three-point shots on three or four ocassions this year — and poorly-chosen shots taken too early in the possession.

The other bench players for Texas do not generally provide a ton of minutes, and all are youngsters. Big man Matt Hill has only been healthy for the last four games after missing over a month with a stress fracture. With the lack of quality minutes for Hill this year, it is tough to give a definitive book on the kid.

Dexter Pittman is a massive freshman who has lost over 70 pounds since reporting to campus this summer. The sudden weight loss means that his conditioning isn’t quite up to par, so he usually doesn’t see the floor against high-tempo, high-pressure teams.

J.D. Lewis is the other guard option off the bench for Texas, but rarely sees the floor. He will come in solely to spell Abrams or Augustin, or in late game situations where a three might be needed.

By looking at the stats, we can see that Texas has one of the most efficient offenses in the country, scoring 122.1 points for every 100 possessions, adjusted to reflect opponent strength. Their defense leaves a bit more to be desired, as their adjusted defensive efficiency checks in at 59th nationally.

The biggest weakness of the Texas defense is guarding the perimeter. Although the Longhorn defense has improved since getting absolutely torched from three-point range by the Kansas State Wildcats, they still have problems shutting down the three in late-game situations. Both Texas A&M and Kansas exploited this in the last two weeks of the season, and a hot three-point shooting team could cause problems in the NCAAs for the Horns.

That’s about as exhaustive as I’m going to get with the team, considering we’ve got to hit the road in about seven hours. If you have any more questions about the Longhorns, feel free to leave them in the comments. I’ll try to get a response out when we pull into rest stops with wireless access.

It’s a rainy morning here in Oklahoma City, but it’s still Championship Sunday for the Big 12 Conference. Despite the weather, the Ford Center is sure to be full of loud, blue-clad KU supporters — and a bunch of other Jayhawk “fans” wearing maroon and road-cone orange. Last Saturday these teams played for the Big 12 regular season title, and now, just eight days later, they meet with the conference tournament on the line.

For Texas, this is their fourth appearance in the Big 12 tournament title game, but the Horns have yet to hoist the trophy. Kansas, meanwhile, has dominated the league since its inception in the 1996-97 season. The Jayhawks are 3-1 in Big 12 championship games, including a win over the Longhorns last year in Dallas.

Kansas is an amazingly solid team from top to bottom, despite the lack of a senior on their roster. Guard Brandon Rush, a Terrence Howard lookalike, leads the team in scoring in his sophomore year. Joining him in the backcourt is another great scorer, Mario Chalmers. The pair combined for 36 points in the win over Texas last weekend.

In the first matchup, the Jayhawks easily won the battle on the glass. As the hot Longhorn shooting began to cool, Kansas grabbed nearly every miss and limited Texas to one-and-done possessions. Big man Julian Wright is a beast on the boards for KU, as his rebounding average is the only thing higher than his socks. Wright is pulling down eight boards a game, and had thirteen against the Longhorns in the last meeting.

Sasha Kaun is the closest thing to a weak link on the Jayhawk roster, and that’s not saying very much. The big white guy could be a star on most any other team, but is really a fifth scoring option when he’s on the floor. He’s prone to point-blank misses and is painfully bad at the free throw line, but his 6-foot 11-inch frame could still easily cause problems for a much smaller Texas team.

Freshman superstars Darrell Arthur and Sherron Collins are both McDonald’s All-Americans that come off the bench for Bill Self’s Jayhawks. Nothing like the luxury of a few McD’s AA’s coming in to spell your starters. Collins is a fireplug of a guard, and possibly the fastest guy I’ve seen on a court this season. He’s averaging nearly ten points a game despite averaging only 20 minutes, and is a very solid shooter from behind the arc.

Arthur — who chose the Jayhawks over the Longhorns — was picking up a ton of fouls quickly as a starter early in the year, but has really found his niche as the sixth man. He’s averaging ten points and five boards a game in only nineteen minutes, so he will without a doubt be providing double-doubles if and when he regains his starting role next season.

Russell Robinson is yet another great guard for Coach Self. He finds passing lanes that most don’t even know are there, and is averaging four and a half assists and 28 minutes per game. Besides the preternatural passing sense, I’m not sure why he’s such a favorite of the Jayhawk fans. I really hope it’s not just because they love shouting “New York!” when he’s introduced before games.

After yesterday’s win over a tired OSU squad, today the Longhorns could be the ones suffering from bonked legs. Texas has a much shorter bench than the Jayhawks, and the Longhorn starters have had to play more minutes over the last two days. But after the incredible comeback win on Friday night, I’m starting to believe that this Texas team could really fight through anything and be in a position to win at the end of every game.

The Horns are obviously not going to repeat their incredible shooting performance from the first half of last Saturday’s game. But at the same time, I don’t think they will play as poorly as they did in the start of the second half. I’m sure that Kansas will come out showing intense pressure extended out to the perimeter, as that is what threw the Horns out of their offensive rhythm. Hopefully Texas will be able to adjust a little better than they did in the second half last Saturday.

Texas also needs to improve its rebounding if it wants to fare better in this one. They need second-chance opportunities, and they can’t afford to give up easy follow-up buckets to the Jayhawks after shutting them down on defense. Without an improvement on the glass, the Longhorns won’t be able to turn this matchup into a victory.

I’m sensing another close game between the Big 12’s top two programs, but think the Jayhawks will ultimately win another conference tournament. Texas certainly has a shot in this one, though.

Don’t forget the Selection Show on CBS tonight at 5 P.M. Central. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to chime in with my thoughts until late, late tonight, as we’ve got a six hour drive back to Austin once they unveil the brackets. I’d really rather hang myself with pantyhose than go to Columbus, so if you happen to see that the Longhorns are being sent to Ohio for the first and second rounds, try not to laugh.