Michael Flowers came off of a high screen and drilled an NBA-range three, then stole the ensuing inbounds pass and threw it skyward as time expired. By the time the ball came back to the court, there was an eerie feeling in the Erwin Center. Faint cheering could be heard cascading from the large Wisconsin contingent in the rafters, while the Longhorn players trudged off the court, eyes locked to the ground. Wisconsin had stolen a win over a Top 10 team on the road, and they’d done it without their best player.

Without Trevon Hughes on the court for Bo Ryan, the Longhorns (11-2) seemed like the odds on favorite in the game. They dominated the boards in the first half, negating the one huge advantage that the Badgers should have had. Texas even burst out of the gates in the second half, sprinting to an eight-point lead. So what went wrong?

Many will focus on the missed free throw by A.J. Abrams with 11 seconds left. But the Longhorns had already missed five of their ten free throws prior to that, including two front ends on one-and-ones. In a game decided by only one, that’s seven possible points left at the charity stripe. In the grand scheme of things, this one loss isn’t that big, but 50% free throw shooting will kill a season in March.

A lot of focus has also been paid to the controversial charging call on D.J. Augustin, which erased a basket that could’ve put the Horns up by five. While it’s very likely that this one call changed the outcome of the game, it’s a fact of life that referees will sometimes blow calls. Oftentimes they turn out to be inconsequential, but in rare cases such as these, they come at a moment which completely changes the game. All that being said, the simple fact of the matter is that Texas should not have been in a position where that call would have mattered. End of story.

Damion James was the only Longhorn who played a solid game throughout, grabbing 15 rebounds to go with his 21-point performance. Although James had a trio of rim-rocking dunks, he accrued those other 15 points very quietly. James hit a ton of mid-range jumpers and cleaned it up around the paint, methodically racking up the points and keeping the Horns in front.

After a solid first few minutes, Connor Atchley struggled the rest of the way. Although he blocked three shots, he picked up four fouls largely as a result of his sudden penchant for biting on every pump fake the Wisconsin big men threw his way. Atchley finished the night with eight points and seven boards, but his struggles defensively were a huge reason why the Badgers chalked up 36 points in the paint.

The half-court, grind-it-out game that Wisconsin played was a perfect fit for Dexter Pittman, and the big man grabbed a solid thirteen minutes in the contest. It’s a good sign that he’ll be ready for the Aggies and Sooners, but the worrisome part of the equation is that Pittman also bit on a ton of pump fakes, just like Atchley. I have a strong feeling that Todd Wright and Rick Barnes will be working hard with the forwards and centers on their defense this week.

A.J. Abrams contributed in a ton of different ways, hitting a lot of ridiculous runners and fadeaways. I’ve mentioned it earlier this season, but it bears repeating — last year, Abrams could not hit a runner to save his life. The addition of these shots to his repertoire makes him an even more dangerous player, and adds another layer to the Texas offense that other teams must prepare for.

Perhaps the biggest reason why the 67-66 loss didn’t sting too badly was the text message about 30 minutes before tipoff informing me that Gary Johnson was cleared to play in the TCU game. Since then, it has been announced he will be inserted into the starting lineup, and quite frankly that has me completely jazzed about the rest of the season. Switching to a two-guard lineup allows Augustin, Abrams, and Justin Mason to rest, and gives Rick Barnes a slight bit of depth in his backcourt. Johnson’s presence in the frontcourt also fills a huge hole for a Longhorn team that desperately needs more of an inside presence.

That lack of an inside presence was a huge problem as the Badgers clawed back from the eight-point deficit in the second half. The +7 rebounding margin that the Longhorns enjoyed in the first half swung the other way, with Wisconsin outrebounding the Horns by six in the second twenty minutes.

Wisconsin’s big, physical players also wreaked havoc with the refs allowing a lot of banging inside. The Big 12 can get very physical at times, and Texas is going to see a lot of this from the Aggies and Sooners this season. They can’t afford to miss 293 bunnies at point blank range, as it seemed like they did in the first half of this one.

With a conservative look forward at the rest of this season, this loss likely cost Texas a shot at a 1-seed. With Kansas, two games against A&M, tough road tests in Mizzou and Kansas State, plus resurgent Baylor and Oklahoma teams in the South, the Longhorns have a very difficult schedule left. But a 1-seed isn’t a ticket to the Final Four, so the only reason this loss is incredibly frustrating is because it was a game the Longhorns should’ve won.

With two games left before conference play, Texas still has a very solid chance at entering the Missouri game with a 13-2 record. Tomorrow offers a great chance to try new things out with Gary Johnson in the lineup, while the Saturday match-up with St. Mary’s is a potential trap that the Horns must be ready for. Enjoy the New Year’s Bowls in the meantime, and a preview of the Horned Frogs will be headed your way tomorrow morning.

In the long college basketball season, teams inevitably have off nights. Shots aren’t falling, the defense isn’t rotating, and the players all just seem a little bit flat. Fortunately for the Texas Longhorns, their first poor game came against a vastly inferior team. The Horns overcame a rough, sloppy start and poor shooting from its three-point specialist to move to 10-0 on the year, defeating their I-35 rival Texas State last night, 96-81.

The Horns struggled coming out of the gate, turning the ball over three times in the first three possessions on errant passes by D.J. Augustin, Connor Atchley, and Damion James. The first-half defense was particularly poor for a Rick Barnes-led team, with Texas State able to shoot 42.4% from the field in the first twenty minutes. A.J. Abrams had a tough time getting going, making only one of his five first-half three point attempts, while the team was a paltry 3-of-12 from behind the arc. Despite the poor defense and long-range shooting, Texas still headed to the locker room with a 42-40 lead.

The second half was a story of foul disparity, as Texas went to the line 21 times over the first thirteen minutes of the second frame, while the Bobcats shot only 20 free throws all game. The Horns used the charity stripe to their advantage, building a 21-point lead with just under seven minutes left to play. They fell into a harsh drought the rest of the way, though, scoring only ten more points on two field goals and five free throws.

A win is a win, but this was certainly the ugliest one of the season so far. Besides Connor Atchley, each of the Horns had their struggles. Augustin played a little reckless and out of control in the first half, trying to force drives and shots when they weren’t available and making some poor passes at high speed. He settled down in the second stanza, getting himself to the line as the team pulled away. The breakneck pace of the game clearly had an effect on the sophomore point guard though, most evident when his late free throw attempts constantly hit front iron. This is one of those games where the loss of Dogus Balbay was clear, as tired legs were getting to The D.J.

James had a rough game as well, settling for threes and long jumpers on a night when they simply were not falling. It’s clear that he will need to play more on the wings if Texas is ever going to “go big” and get the guards some rest, but on a night when the long-range Js aren’t going down, Damion needs to attack the rim and try to get himself jump-started with some easy buckets. He was an ugly 3-of-13 for the game, but made up for it with fourteen rebounds. A careful observer would note that twelve of those boards were on the defensive end, as he was almost always out of position on the offensive glass thanks to his inexplicable marriage to the perimeter.

Coach was also pretty hard on DaMo during the time outs, especially in regards to the inbounds play. Against the Texas State pressure, James would wait along the baseline for a teammate to give him the ball, even if they had all run to get into position for the play. Letting the ball dribble to a stop a few feet from the baseline allowed the Bobcats ample time to set up their press and really killed the Texas transition game. James also was harped on for repeatedly trying to bring the ball up the floor by himself, which led to some scary moments for Texas fans as he flirted with disaster.

Justin Mason had an incredibly difficult night shooting, constantly missing wide-open looks. Jay was only 2-of-8 on the night, including an 0-for-3 showing from long range. Mason still constantly hustled though, grabbing five rebounds and scrambling for all the loose balls. And on a night when the Texas D was looking a little hairy, Mason played fairly well on the defensive side.

Like Mason, there was also a bright spot to be found in the game that Abrams had. Despite his struggles from long-range, the local kid created off the dribble and finished the night with 20 points. When Abrams would drive the lane and throw up a floater last year, Texas fans cringed. Those shots hardly ever went in, and his momentum usually took him across the court and out of the play. This season, the runners are falling, and it allows A.J. the opportunity to still help the team when he isn’t knocking them down from outside.

Freshman Clint Chapman again put in some solid work on the glass, although a few of his five rebounds came off of his own misses at point-blank range. He still looks really stiff down low and he fouled out of this one, but you can’t help but notice the talent the kid possesses. With the staff Rick Barnes has on board, there’s no doubt he is going to be a beast before he leaves the Forty Acres. Now if only they can get him to stay straight up on the defensive end…

While it was a bumpy night all around for the Longhorns, you can’t forget that they still had a 21-point lead with seven minutes to go. Despite playing their poorest game all season, they had the Bobcats right where you would expect them — down by a lot late in the game. That bodes well for the future, when Texas is bound to have more games that don’t go quite according to script. Although the UCLA game was an infinitely tougher gut-check win, this was yet another chance for the players to prove to each other that they can fight through and win on a sub-par evening.

At halftime last night in Pauley Pavilion, I sat down to tap out a text message to a fellow LRT traveler who was stuck in Austin for the weekend. “I have a sinking feeling this could be another Kansas or Tennessee,” the message said. Just minutes later, I felt unfortunately prophetic as the Bruins had erased a twelve-point halftime deficit and grabbed the lead with twelve minutes to play.

But this Texas team handled it differently than last year’s squad did in squandering huge leads to the Vols and Jayhawks. They took every punch that the Bruins threw in a brutal heavyweight fight and came back swinging. The Longhorns refused to let UCLA get further than four points ahead down the stretch, putting themselves in position for a game-winning Damion James dunk with only eight seconds left. This team not only weathered the storm; they came out on top for the first-ever road victory over a #1 team in school history.

The blue stars are aplenty in this one, as it seems in retrospect that every player came up with a big moment. Connor Atchley continued his emergence as a breakout star, grabbing four rebounds and scoring nine points — three of them on a clutch trifecta to tie the game with 64 seconds left. But even more importantly, he frustrated Kevin Love on the low blocks and ran a fantastic game in transition. Yet again, Atchley’s performance was so solid and well-rounded that it’s hard to believe this is the same nervous kid from the Elite Eight team.

D.J. Augustin was again the maestro, scoring 19 points and dishing out four dimes in a game with 39 scouts in attendance. While Darren Collison may have been the bigger name coming into this one, Augustin’s stock rose tremendously with those critical eyes watching a gutsy performance that underscored his icy nerves. With roughly three minutes left in the game, the Longhorns trailed by four following a Luc Richard Mbah a Moute layup. Augustin led the Horns down the floor, called out an offensive play, and then quickly drilled a three-pointer over a stunned Collison.

Throughout the second half, Ben Howland had the Bruins increasing their defensive pressure, meeting the Longhorn guards well beyond the perimeter and forcing the issue. At first, Augustin struggled with it, and UCLA clawed their way back into the game. But he remained calm and adjusted, leading Texas through a nerve-wracking final twelve minutes to victory.

Although Damion James will be long-remembered for his dunk off of a missed Augustin shot — or was it a pass? — the sophomore from Nacogdoches quietly kept the Horns in the game with jumper after silky jumper. DaMo has been occasionally utilizing his mid-range game early in the season, but when the UCLA contest became dicey, his 16-foot jumper was the go-to play. James finished the night with 19 boards and ten rebounds in 37 minutes on the floor.

Justin Mason did the little things right in this one, as it seemed like his extra hustle was always the determining factor in a loose ball or a team rebound. Jay chipped in four assists on the night and scored seven, including a big three that kept the Horns in it when UCLA tried to jump out to a commanding early lead.

Combo guard A.J. Abrams had a quiet night by his standards, scoring only seven against a Bruins D that did an excellent job locking down on the hot shooter. A.J. kept them busy though, constantly racing around the court in an effort to get free, which consequently kept the floor spaced out. He did hit a trey in the midst of a 17-0 Texas run in the first half, extending his streak of consecutive games with a three-pointer to 45.

Abrams was especially quiet during a long stretch in the second half, one which further highlighted the importance of Atchley to this ballclub. One of the most important things that Connor does for Coach Barnes is set really solid screens, especially when A.J. is cutting along the baseline to get open in the corner. With Atchley out of the game due to foul trouble, it became even more difficult for a tiring Abrams to outrun defenders and find space. While A.J. might get a ton of the points, just as much credit has to go to Connor for freeing him up.

Clint Chapman had an excellent game in limited minutes, fighting hard for four rebounds in front of his family. Chapman played his high school ball in Oregon, and there were quite a few smiling faces that made the trip and greeted him after the victory. While Clint is still struggling with his role in the offensive sets, his work defensively and on the glass were incredibly important when Atchley’s fouls started to mount.

Even when taking a step back from the individual accomplishments, the picture still remains rosy. An incredibly undersized Texas team took it to the Bruins in this one, actually winning the rebounding battle by a 34-27 count. They limited freshman stud Kevin Love to eleven points and five rebounds, and rendered him so ineffective that he sat the final two minutes of the game.

The Longhorns also pushed the tempo against the slow-down Bruins, which allowed them to build a twelve-point halftime lead behind ten fast break points. But even when UCLA adjusted their defense in the second frame, the Longhorns adapted on the fly and found a way to score buckets. Even with no second-half points on the fast break, Texas managed to win in a half-court battle.

Coupled with a neutral-court win over #7 Tennessee last week, the Longhorns currently have the strongest resumé in the NCAAs. And while there are still two tough tests ahead this month with Big 10 powers Michigan State and Wisconsin, this victory gives Longhorn fans a lot to be excited about. Rick Barnes and his team have shown that they’ve got what it takes to win, no matter what style of game you throw at them. And in a sport with as much parity as college basketball, that’s about all you can ask for on any given night.

The Longhorns allowed New Mexico State to shoot 50% from the field last night, with the Aggies hitting thirteen three-pointers on the night. Thanks to A.J. Abrams, it didn’t even matter. Texas cracked the century mark for the second straight game and dispatched New Mexico State 102-87 in the semifinals of the Legends Classic in Newark, New Jersey.

Abrams scored 31 points on the night, shooting a ridiculous 9-of-12 from behind the arc. If not for cramps that suddenly sidelined him in the second half, the junior guard might have tied or broken the school record for three-pointers in a game (10). As it was, Abrams still had his second consecutive night with 30 points or more, and pushed his season average to 23.3 points per game.

The game was a track meet, with Texas pushing the tempo from the start. The Longhorns forced 19 turnovers on the night, and their pressure defense led to a ton of early fast break points that staked them to a 30-11 lead less than eight minutes into it. The Aggies hung around with 60% shooting in the first half, but could never fight their way back into it. They could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way as the two teams ran up the score throughout the second twenty minutes.

While it’s easy to get drunk on the burnt orange kool-aid after two 100-plus point games, there are certainly still some issues worth noting. We knew heading in that NMSU would likely control the glass, but seeing them dominate with a +14 on the night is still a little unsettling. Perhaps most unsettling, though, is the fact that half of the 34 Aggie rebounds came on the offensive glass. On a night where the Texas offense isn’t hitting on all cylinders, a good team will make the Longhorns pay for allowing so many second chances.

Don’t let that get you down, though. The positives to be gleaned from this one are certainly much more numerous. Connor Atchley continued to showcase the progress he made during the offseason, demonstrating his newfound confidence in that sweet three-point stroke. Atch hustled all over the floor, blocking three shots and grabbing three rebounds while dropping in 15 points. While we’d love to see him more active on the glass, his defense has improved and he’s given Coach Barnes three consecutive ten-point games. That’s the kind of reliability fans were looking for last season.

The move to the 3 for Damion James continues to work out well for the Horns, as DaMo hit some outside jumpers en route to a twelve-point night. He fought for six rebounds and generally looked comfortable in the position he played back in high school. But Damion did pick up four personal fouls, which was often a problem for him last season. We’ll give him a pass in this game, as the Aggies had a bunch of trees disguised as players, but it’s definitely something that James will need to control this season, particularly with the thin bench.

As for D.J. Augustin, it was just another day at the office. Twenty-five points and ten assists? Ho hum. It’s quite a luxury for Barnes and Horn fans that D.J. has raised his game to the level that we just expect these kinds of numbers from him every night. He had a couple of sick plays where he attacked the rim and finished the play with typical Augustin flair, and knocked down a pair of nice threes as well. A ton of the credit for A.J.’s great shooting night also has to go to D.J., who found the hot hand repeatedly.

Justin Mason is still a scrappy defender who seems to be rediscovering the offense that we saw early in his freshman year. Discussing the game last night, we couldn’t recall a definitive offensive game for Mason since his game-winner against Arkansas last December. Perhaps last night’s eleven point performance — including 2-of-5 from long range — is a step in the right direction.

The rest of the squad was generally unremarkable last night. There were short spurts of brilliance from Alexis Wangmene, who once again managed to get to the line repeatedly. He only grabbed two rebounds in his thirteen minutes, and is definitely one of the players that must step up his game on the glass if the Longhorns are going to improve. Dexter Pittman and Clint Chapman played two and nine minutes, respectively, while J.D. Lewis chipped in with three. None scored, and had marginal impact on the stat sheet.

Texas now advances to play #7 Tennessee in the Legends Classic championship tonight at 6 P.M. An abbreviated game preview is on the way shortly.

Although Texas pulled away a 58-37 victory over UT-San Antonio last night, it felt like anything but a basketball game. The Roadrunners did absolutely everything to prove their mascot a misnomer, dribbling endlessly at the top of the key, then trying to drive or kick out for a three in the final five seconds of a possession. It made for disjointed, ugly basketball, and I can safely say that I’d never want to see this team on the schedule again…or at least not until they find a new coach.

Longtime readers know that I’m a big fan of Ken Pomeroy’s metrics, and this game was absolutely made for number crunching. I had mentioned in the pre-game that UTSA favors a slowdown game, but this was even more than that. UTSA coach Brooks Thompson seemed to realize that the only way to beat the Longhorns was to limit each team to a handful of possessions per half and just pray that his squad shot a better percentage.

The teams played at a pace of 47.4 possessions, but the Longhorns played at an incredible 122.4 efficiency. For those unfamiliar with Pomeroy, this means that for every 100 possessions, Texas would score 122.4 points. If you wanted to counter the effect of UTSA’s slow pace and project this out for an “average” Texas game, the numbers would look much better. Using last year’s pace of 69.7 possessions per game with last night’s efficiency, the Longhorns would’ve been expected to score 85 points. So, don’t let the score fool you.

In the first half, Texas struggled enough to make UTSA’s tactics pay off. They were only 8-of-23 from the field and seemed content to play four men around the perimeter, leaving only one rebounder down low. The shorter Roadrunners benefited, and won the first half battle on the glass by a 17-10 count.

But in the second twenty, the Longhorns came out firing on all cylinders. They hit the boards with enough intensity to overtake the rebounding battle by a 19-18 count within minutes. (They would go on to edge the Roadrunners on the glass 29-27 for the game.) Their shooting percentage went through the roof as well, jumping to over 54% for the second frame. With the Longhorns finally scoring at will, UTSA’s slowdown gambit only served to keep the game closer than it should’ve been.

D.J. Augustin looked solid once again, leading the way with 19 points and four assists. He did play every minute of the game, though, which is something that will be much more difficult for him to pull off in the rigors of conference play. The sweet drives to the lane were still a part of his repertoire, as D.J. had at least two highlight-reel layups that I can remember.

Damion James showed off his outside shot, hitting jumpers from just a few feet inside the arc. The only complaint I had with Damion’s performance was an aversion to playing inside. With the Horns sporting a three-guard lineup for much of the night, there was no reason why James should’ve been hanging out around the perimeter, leaving Connor Atchley as the only inside presence. Damion needs to attack the rim more often and assert himself on the offensive glass. He had nine rebounds on the night, but only two of them came off of Longhorn misses.

While the Longhorns are still giving up a lot of height by playing Justin Mason as a third starting guard, he fought hard for rebounds and played well offensively. Jay-Mase scored 12 points on the night and grabbed five rebounds, three of them offensive.

The Longhorns showed a lot of quality ball movement last night, which is very good with Mason in the game. Last year, he would sometimes turn the ball over by trying to do too much with the dribble or hanging on to it too long. This team seems to realize that quick passes can help to find the open man or open seams, and I hope to see more of it this year.

For the freshman, Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman saw some quality minutes with Gary Johnson and Dogus Balbay unavailable due to injury. I really like Chapman’s motor, as he seems to be such a quiet, unassuming guy that harbors a tenacious side. He grabbed four rebounds in seventeen minutes on the floor and really got after it, even on plays where he’d already lost position. Wangmene also looked good in the short spurts we saw him, but it was tough to get a good read with only 12 minutes on the floor (and most of that wasted time as UTSA guards dribbled possessions out near half court).

I expected more from Connor Atchley, but as I mentioned earlier, he was often stranded down low in the first half. And even at 6’10”, the kid can’t be expected to pull down every rebound against the entire UTSA squad as the rest of the Longhorns hang out at the three-point line. To be fair, Connor seemed to recognize what was happening and would try to tap out some of the rebounds to his teammates. But often that wasn’t successful, and the Roadrunners controlled the loose caroms. It will be interesting to see what opens up for Connor if and when Damion decides to play down low in the three-guard sets.

Dexter Pittman didn’t see much action as he found himself in coach’s doghouse pretty quickly. Dex lost rebounding position against the shorter, smaller Roadrunners, and didn’t do what he was supposed to do on the set plays drawn up for him. He grabbed two offensive boards in his five minutes of action, but otherwise did not make an impact.

I liked a lot of the new things I saw from this team last night. In particular, I like seeing Atchley on the floor for inbounding plays, and not trapped under the basket. Many will remember that the pressure from New Mexico State in Spokane caused a ton of problems on the inbounds plays. In that game, the Aggies constantly forced Atchley perilously close to a five-second call with suffocating inbounds D. But last night, he was the escape option, using his long arms to pop out at the top of the key for the high lob when all of the cuts were covered. That is an excellent use of our personnel, and I’m glad to see it happening.

As I mentioned earlier, there was a lot of quick ball movement from this year’s team, as well. There seemed to be more off-the-ball screening, too, which really flowed nicely with the snap passes and the three-guard lineup. All told, it just looked more like an offense, which is something that Texas fans aren’t that used to with defensive-minded Rick Barnes at the helm. It will be interesting to keep an eye on how the offensive game plan evolves throughout the year, particularly in regards to the lack of an inside game last night.

The Horns now enjoy three days off before starting play in the Legends Classic on Friday night. Tip will be at 7 PM CST from the Erwin Center against the Aggies of UC-Davis. See y’all there.