Dexter Pittman, A.J. Abrams, and Matt Hill watched the exhibition in street clothes

With injuries sidelining four of the Longhorns for Friday night’s season opening exhibition against Xavier Univeristy, a true sense of the 2007-08 Texas team was hard to come by. A.J. Abrams, Dexter Pittman, and Matt Hill all were in street clothes at the end of the bench, while freshman point guard Dogus Balbay was not even in the building. So while the Longhorns won 87-56 against their over-matched NAIA opponent, depth was revealed to be an immediate concern.

Seniors Ian Mooney and J.D. Lewis both started for Rick Barnes’ club, while returning sophomores Damion James, Justin Mason, and D.J. Augustin rounded out the lineup. While Mooney only played six minutes, Lewis’ assignment was much larger. The JuCo transfer logged 21 minutes in the contest, hitting only 1-of-8 from behind the arc.

Augustin picked up where he left off, scoring 22 points and dishing out seven assists. The Gold Rush presented problems for the sophomore PG, though, often trapping him high following a ball screen from one of the Longhorn big men. This led to a few of Augustin’s six turnovers on the night.

James appears ready to step into the larger role the Horns need him to occupy this season. He hit shots from all over the court, going 2-for-4 from behind the arc, and shooting 64% overall en route to an 18 point performance. Damion was also active on the glass, grabbing eight boards.

The long-awaited debut of Gary Johnson was just as exciting as anticipated, as the freshman star attacked the rim and finished the night with 19 points. He also proved himself able to pop the midrange jumper, and was stroking threes in pre-game warmups, although he went 0-for-2 from behind the arc in the game.

There was one scary moment for Johnson late in the game, as he took an excellent feed in mid-stride at the wing and tried to throw it down. He was fouled in mid-air and came up just short on the dunk, jamming the ball into the rim. He fell hard to the court, but almost immediately popped back up, clapping. His limitless energy is going to be huge this season, and if he manages to play more than the 19 minutes he logged in this one, will certainly draw national attention before the year is out.

Freshmen big men Clint Chapman and Alexis Wangmene impressed with their rebounding ability, but both will take some time to adjust to playing defense at the collegiate level. Although Chapman came out of the gate with incredibly intensity, tenaciously sticking his man, he did often find himself behind the play. Wangmene also tended to lose his man on high screens, but showed tremendous hustle trying to get back into it. Both look to be big contributors on the glass, hopefully as 10- to 15-minute guys for the Horns.

While Justin Mason wasn’t quite as impressive as he was this time last year, he did seem to make some slight improvements over his play at the end of last season. Jay Mase is certainly a slimmer, faster player now, but he often seemed too amped up to play a smart game. His brief time at the point also further underscored how imperative it is that A.J. Abrams recover from his toe injury. While neither Mason or Abrams are a true point, A.J. is clearly the better option to spell Augustin when he needs a breather or finds himself in foul trouble.

All told, it was difficult to key on any one lineup that Barnes was favoring, as he constantly shuffled players in and out of the game. While it’s likely that he will lean towards a three-guard lineup based on his quotes at the Big 12 media day and elsewhere in the press, the loss of Balbay is going to make this more difficult. J.D. Lewis is a role player, and should not be relied upon for any solid chunk of minutes. And with Justin Mason the tallest guard at 6’2″, it’s a huge defensive liability to play him against any team utilizing a conventional lineup.

At this point, Dexter Pittman could be the X-factor for this season. He is allegedly only going to be on crutches for one more week, but how long the rehab takes after that point is anybody’s guess. Without him, the Longhorns are left with only Atchley, Wangmene, and Chapman as true post players, and forces Johnson and James to occasionally rotate in to grab minutes at the four. The Longhorns have the flexibility and talent to cover for their lack of depth, but over the course of a 30-plus game season, it is going to wear down much of the lineup.

Looking ahead, we can expect another fun season with a bunch of exciting, talented youngsters. But if Pittman’s injury drags on for any length of time, this game of three-card lineup monte may leave the Horns out of gas as the calendar rolls into February and March.

Not even Texas Pom could fire up a lackluster Spokane crowd

It certainly wasn’t a pretty game, but the Texas Longhorns avoided the nightmare of a one-and-done NCAA appearance by defeating New Mexico State 79-67 last night in Spokane. Freshman superstar Kevin Durant scored 27 points — 15 of them from the line — while guards A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin combined for 35 more to lead the Horns to victory.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair in front of a largely empty arena. Because of TV scheduling and the Spokane pod being played in the Pacific time zone, there were only 30 minutes between the end of the Oregon/Miami of Ohio game and the tip of the Texas/New Mexico tilt. Problem was, the games were part of different sessions which made it necessary to completely empty the arena and then re-admit everyone. In thirty minutes. We were at the front of the line, and still only made it to our seats as the Star-Spangled Banner was starting.

New Mexico State gave the Horns a brief scare in the second half. After trailing by 14, the Aggies fought back and reclaimed a 60-57 lead with 6:39 left to play. While my personal thoughts were circling around the insanity of a 40+ hour trip to see a loss to a thirteen-seed, the Horns were fortunately a little more focused on the task at hand. Texas allowed only two more field goals and three field goals the rest of the way, cruising through the final minutes to a double-digit win.

The biggest story of the game — besides the typical Durant-Augustin-Abrams domination — was the re-emergence of Connor Atchley. While Damion James was being whistled every two seconds for looking the wrong way at a New Mexico State player, Atchley was counted on to provide valuable minutes inside against Hatilla Passos and Martin Iti.

Sure, Connor had a few problems with the press late in the game. But his hustle on defense and on the boards was a huge part of the victory. Atchley ended up with seven points and six boards in 28 minutes of play, and even blocked another three shots. While it’s going to be important for Damion to have a big game tomorrow against the Trojans, it’ll be an incredible boost if Connor can play at the same level for a second time this weekend.

Once again Craig Winder played well in his short stints on the floor. In eight minutes, Winder gave the Horns four points and his usual spark off the bench. As odd as it sounds, Craig Winder could be key to a deep tournament run for Texas. He plays with much more intensity on defense than many of the Horns, and will be needed to spell the starting guards to keep them fresh.

A full USC preview should be coming later tonight or early in the morning. For now, we have to go investigate the St. Patrick’s Day happenings in downtown Spokane. And in the meantime, Hook ‘Em, Spartans!

Just a quick hit from Oklahoma City, as we’re soon heading to the Ford Center to try to scalp our way into the semis. While it was hilarious to see the Ags fall flat on their faces after talking shit all afternoon, the win by Oklahoma State is making tickets harder to come by.

If you happened to miss last night’s incredible comeback victory over Baylor, you saved yourself the craziest rollercoaster of emotions I’ve ever experienced at a sporting event. Of course, you also didn’t get to see the biggest comeback in Big 12 Tournament history and in Rick Barnes’ tenure on the 40 Acres. C’est la vie.

Kevin Durant started the game by missing his first ten or eleven shots. But the cold shooting wasn’t limited to KD. Tons of good looks from the Horns were just rimming out, and point blank shots were banking hard off the glass. Combined with Baylor’s hot shooting, Texas’ offensive impotence gave the Bears a huge 18-point halftime lead.

In the second, BU pushed the lead as large as 20 points before the rally began. Kevin Durant scored 24 points in the second half alone and kept the team fired up as they dug their way out of the hole. The surprise player of the game was senior Craig Winder, who played twelve minutes off the bench in relief of a largely ineffective Justin Mason. Winder scored eight points, including a bucket with just under two minutes left to take the lead.

All told, it was a game that truly defied explanation. But I may try to revisit it after the weekend comes to a close. For now, we push onward to a quick look at this afternoon’s game.

The win sets up a semifinal matchup with the Oklahoma State Cowboys today at roughly 3:20 P.M. For a recap on their star players, please check out my pregame thoughts from the triple-overtime game in Stillwater and the blowout in Austin.

I think the key thing to remember in this one is that the Pokes are going to be playing their fifth game in eight days. While the Horns have a short bench, they did get some good minutes out of Winder last night to keep the three starting guards fresh. The OSU fatigue might not be a visible factor until the game gets to crunch time, but the Horns need to make sure they are ahead or within striking distance when those final five minutes roll around.

For now, it’s off to downtown OKC and the Ford Center. TV is ESPN2 for this contest (Big XII markets check your local listings), so be sure to tune in. Otherwise, you just might miss a 30-point comeback or a four-overtime thriller.

Kansas held off the Longhorns and held up their 50th conference championship trophy

Two years ago I sat in the very top row of Allen Fieldhouse, sweating off ten pounds in that sauna of a gym as the Longhorns were whipped by twenty-five. LaMarcus Aldridge was on the bench with an injury, while P.J. Tucker was watching in Austin due to academic ineligibility.

So when we drove into Lawrence on Saturday morning, my hopes were high for a better performance. After all, it’s tough to lose by more than 25 points. And I felt that this Texas team could hang with the Jayhawks and keep themselves within ten at the final buzzer. Little did I know that the Horns were going to play absolutely out of their minds in the first half and have all of their fans thinking upset.

Texas (22-8 overall, 12-4 Big 12) started the game shooting absolutely lights out. The Horns hit 57% of their shots, including a ridiculous 11-of-14 from behind the arc. There was one stretch where they scored on 12 straight possessions and even held a 16-point lead with less than three minutes remaining in the half.

But Kansas (27-4, 14-2) refused to go away, shooting 50% in the first half to keep Texas within arm’s reach at the break. The Jayhawks trailed by only 12 at halftime, and came out of the locker room with an incredible surge. Within four minutes of play, Kansas had retaken the lead at 58-57. During that stretch, the Horns made only four free throws.

Kansas stifled the Longhorn offense in the second half by extending the pressure out to the perimeter. In the first half, they had been content to try to double down on Durant when he touched the ball, and the Horns were utilizing the open man it created to make the Jayhawks pay. But with the pressure turned up around the arc, the Texas guards seemed frustrated. A big man would try to set a high screen, but before the guard could even dribble around it, the Kansas defender had fought through, turning it into a double team.

Finally, down four with about eleven minutes left, Kevin Durant attacked the rim from the wing. His shot missed, and as Texas fans looked for him to follow for the inside rebound and putback, we instead saw him crumple to the floor. He tried to get up and limp away, but fell once more. Our basketball lives flashed before our eyes. KD headed to the locker room and all hope seemed lost.

But D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams stepped up in the absence of their teammate, scoring seven points over the ensuing two minutes to keep the Longhorns within one point. Unfortunately, Kansas hit the glass hard and extended that lead back out to nine before Durant returned from the locker room.

Texas was able to get the defecit down to six in the final minutes, but continually made mistakes on the offensive end after stopping the Jayhawks from scoring. A charge by Abrams negated one possession, while a fast break was killed when Abrams tossed the ball to Augustin when he was standing on the sideline. But despite those brain farts, missed free throws by Kansas and a late flurry of threes by the Horns made it a three-point game with time running out.

Durant grabbed a rebound off of a missed Kansas free throw, and the Horns pushed it up the floor with only 22 seconds left. Justin Mason missed a three from the corner, but Augustin controlled the carom with 12 seconds left. Instead of pulling it out and using the remaining time to find a good look, he tried to immediately go back up for three with a pair of Jayhawk defenders in his face. Julian Wright came from behind and stuffed the try as Durant, J.D. Lewis, and Abrams all stood wide-open elsewhere around the arc.

While it’s certainly frustrating to lose a 16-point lead and a chance for a second-straight stunning upset, this game shows huge progress for the Longhorns. Kansas is likely a 1-seed in the NCAA tournament, or at least one of the first 2-seeds if they lay an egg in the Big 12 tournament. And this young Texas team hung with that top-flight Kansas squad on the road, in a hostile environment, and without its biggest star for a chunk of the second half. I’m sure I sound like an Aggie fan grasping at moral victories, but you can’t be anything but encouraged by that performance.

In addition to Durant’s insane 25-point first half and 32-point night, there were other standout performances for the Horns. Damion James played tough inside against a bigger, more experienced, and more talented Kansas frontcourt. James had twelve points and seven boards on the night. Point guard Augustin did not miss a minute of play and chipped in with 19 points. But more amazingly, he dished out 13 assists to only three turnovers for his third double-double of the year.

Connor Atchley had a tough game inside, but I feel will bounce back admirably on Friday. A game against Missouri or Baylor should really increase his confidence, which is what I think he needs desperately at this point. Fans wanting more out of C.Atch should root for Baylor to upset Missouri on Thursday, as Connor had his best games of the year in the two earlier meetings with the Bears.

Matt Hill came back from injury and gave the Horns 13 minutes. He didn’t look at 100% and later told me that he was still feeling a bit sore, but played incredibly well for a guy who has been out of commission for a month and a half. And when you remember that his last outing resulted in a line with 5 fouls and a row of zeroes, his two points and three boards are a step in the right direction.

Texas now has nearly a week to rest and allow Durant’s ankle to heal back up. They have earned a bye through the first round of Big 12 Tournament play and will not play until roughly 8:30 P.M. on Friday night. In the meantime, I’ll be adding some road trip stuff to the site and perhaps throw in some updates from Championship Week. The calendar finally reads March, and I couldn’t be happier.

Damion James had his best game of the year, scoring 22 points

Three weeks ago, the Longhorns lost in College Station to a red-hot Texas A&M team who had just defeated Kansas on the road only two days prior. In the locker room, Coach Rick Barnes told his team that they could still win the league — but they’d have to play defense. Since then, they have run off six straight wins and find themselves playing for a share of the league crown on Saturday night in Lawrence.

The sixth of those consecutive wins came last night in Austin against those same Aggies. The Longhorns (22-7 overall, 12-3 Big 12) fed off of a raucous, capacity crowd to hold off repeated comeback bids by Texas A&M and secure a double-overtime victory, 98-96.

The game was back-and-forth for much of the first half until Kevin Durant hit a three to put the Horns up 28-27. Texas was able to extend the lead before the break, although the Aggies kept themselves within arm’s reach at all times. Although the Longhorns couldn’t hit free throws and were brutally outrebounded in the first half — at one point, Texas A&M held a 21-9 advantage — they did hold Acie Law to only one field goal in the first twenty minutes.

Coming out of the locker room, the Longhorns were able to push their advantage to 11 points before Texas A&M mounted a massive comeback. Over the next eight minutes, the Aggies outscored the Horns 23-5 to go ahead by seven. But despite their youth, the Longhorns showed resiliency and resolve in quickly fighting back and reclaiming the lead with six minutes to play.

The homestretch was again a back-and-forth affair, but the game looked to be over after Kevin Durant hit an NBA-range three-pointer for a 76-72 lead with only 16 seconds left. But after a Dominique Kirk three and a pair of free throws from D.J. Augustin, it was Mr. Clutch, Acie Law IV, who hit the three to send it to overtime.

It wasn’t his only heroic act on the night, as Law again knocked down a game-tying three at the end of the first overtime to force another five minutes of basketball. And just as in regulation and the first overtime, it looked like the Aggies might mount another incredible comeback in the second OT. But with the Horns up three and only eleven seconds remaining, Antanas Kavaliauskas elected to take the layup instead of kick it to Law behind the arc. Kevin Durant knocked down both free throws on the ensuing foul, leaving the Aggies with five seconds and a three-point deficit.

At the end of regulation, Rick Barnes had told the team to foul Law before he could get a three off. Durant refused to do so, and Law hit the game-tying shot. But in double overtime, Texas finally listened. D.J. Augustin practically tackled Law at the top of the key, leaving the Ags with a one-and-one and only a second remaining. Law sunk the first, but was forced to miss the second. Bench-warmer Chinemelu Elonu grabbed the rebound, but was unable to tip it in for another tie, and the Longhorns escaped with a hard-fought, emotional victory.

Damion James had the game of his life, scoring 22 points, knocking down clutch free throws, grabbing nine boards, and coming up with a huge block at the end of regulation. He did have a lane violation in overtime that negated what would’ve been the game-winning point, but without him the Longhorns wouldn’t have even been in that position. With or without Kevin Durant, next year James is going to be a breakout star.

Durant turned in yet another superstar performance while making it look like just another day on the job. He played 49 of the game’s 50 minutes, dropping in 30 and grabbing 16 rebounds on a night where the Horns needed every board they could get. Defensively, he even added three blocks and a steal to help the cause.

Although he was the second-best point guard on the floor last night, D.J. Augustin still gave another all-conference performance. He earned 25 points and seven assists, and turned in a ton of flashy layups against a defense that is among the best in the country. He knew when to attack the rim and when to pull it back out, as his miniscule turnover total of two attests. Shit, that was all kinds of alliteration.

It was an electric, emotional night in the Drum. I’ve seen sellout crowds in my time on the Forty Acres, and I’ve seen some big wins. But I have never seen a packed arena that was so rowdy and into the game. The alumni along the sidelines stood for a majority of the first half, the last five minutes of regulation, and both of the overtimes. Even as the game dragged on and both players and fans tired, the students still jumped and screamed on defense. It was big-time college basketball, and finally the Frank Erwin Center had the atmosphere to match it.

Now the Horns must make a quick turnaround as they face their toughest task to date. A well-rested Kansas team awaits in Lawrence for a painfully early tip-time of 11 A.M. on Saturday. Texas gets only 60 hours to recuperate and prepare, so we can only hope we don’t get a repeat of the flat performance we saw in Philadelphia following a triple-overtime game in Stillwater.

Regardless, this Longhorn team now owns the signature win that its NCAA resumé sorely lacked. Last night’s win has to assure them of at least a 6-seed in the Big Dance. And as hot as they are right now, who knows where the ceiling is.