Baylor won a championship!! It may have only been the Paradise Jam down in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the Bears won three straight games, culminating with a 62-54 win over Winthrop in the finals. After knocking off Wichita State and Notre Dame in the first two rounds, one has to wonder if the Bears are going to be making some noise in the Big 12 this year. Let’s be honest — there’s Kansas, Kansas State, Texas A&M, Texas, and then a huge drop off. (And without Gary Johnson, Texas is not even in the conversation with the other three.) Baylor still has home games against Washington State and Arkansas and a shot to emerge from the pack of the Big 12, so perhaps we’ll be discussing their resumé come February and March.

The Longhorns flip-flopped with A&M in this week’s AP poll, moving up to 15th while staying put at 16th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. At the bottom, Davidson cracked the Coaches at #25 after nearly upsetting #1 North Carolina last week. The Wildcats still have a road game against #10 Duke left on the schedule…I’m just saying.

Okie State won their opening-round game in Maui, taking out LSU 83-77. Mizzou looked incredibly impressive in the CBE Classic semis, but fell just short against a quality Michigan State team, 86-83. They refused to quit despite falling significantly behind a couple of times, and Stefhon Hannah almost singlehandedly willed them to victory in the final few minutes. That January road game in Columbia might not be too much fun for the Horns.

Romeo Miller signed his LOI to attend USC yesterday with future teammate DeMar DeRozan beside him at a press conference in the ritzy Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. That’s right, folks. Lil Romeo is going to play for the Trojans. The LA Times article raises a very good question, namely whether or not the USC staff offered Lil Romeo a scholarship in order to earn points with DeRozan, the much more talented of the two friends.

Big, big game on tap tonight featuring two Texas opponents, when #1 UCLA takes on #11 Michigan State in the championship of the CBE Classic out in Kansas City (9 PM CST, ESPN2). The consolation game should also be good, with Maryland and Mizzou meeting at 6:45 CST on ESPNU. Second-round action out of Maui includes LSU/Chaminade (12:30, ESPNU), Princeton/Arizona State (3:00 CST, ESPNU), Marquette/Oklahoma State (6:00 CST, ESPN), and Duke/Illinois (8:30 CST, ESPN).

The early signing period starts today and runs through November 21st. Bob Gibbons of Scout confirms the J’Covan Brown whispers that have been swirling, saying he would not be surprised if the Memorial High star signs with Texas this week. Other UT targets — Tyreke Evans, Wesley Witherspoon, and Jeff Taylor, Jr. — are all expected to wait until spring to sign.

Texas A&M looked solid in their opening round game of the Preseason NIT, dispatching Oral Roberts, 67-53. Freshman stud DeAndre Jordan looked like a manchild among boys, grabbing seemingly every offensive rebound in his 23 minutes on the floor and then flushing it with authority. Chinemelu Elonu had a great game off the bench and provided the announcers a great five-minute diversion while they discussed the merits of a nickname for the guy. But to be completely honest, the kid who caught my eye was senior Beau Muhlbach. He only played 11 minutes off the bench, but seemed to have an endless motor and a passion for the game. He’s the kind of guy you like to watch because you can tell the game is fun for him. It’s a shame he didn’t see more minutes under Billy Clyde Gillispie.

Remember Mercer, the Atlantic Sun squad that took out USC on the road last week? The Hollywood storyline ended far too soon, as they lost at home to Alabama, 90-83. Keep an eye on them in conference play come 2008, though. They were picked to finish fifth in the ASC by the media, but who wouldn’t love to see them rewrite the ending and earn that auto-bid to the Big Dance?

The preseason tournaments roll on, with Washington hosting Utah in second-round Preseason NIT action on ESPN at 9:30 PM CST. In other second-round action, Texas A&M hosts UTEP — the school they plucked Gillispie from — at 8 PM CST on ESPNU. But before all that, North Carolina and Tyler Hansbrough open the season at 6 PM CST on the Worldwide Leader.

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.

Rivals.com is reporting that Greg Monroe, the top-ranked prospect in the 2008 class, has committed to Georgetown.

PF Greg Monroe (Photo credit: AJ Mast)

Just two weeks ago, Monroe had narrowed his list of schools down to five, including UConn, Duke, LSU, and Texas. Although it had long been believed that Georgetown was leading the hunt, most observers thought Monroe was going to take all five visits. Sources say that Monroe was originally scheduled to visit Texas this upcoming weekend.

Monroe apparently saw all that he needed to on Friday night at the Hoyas’ midnight madness. Fans lined up around the Washington, D.C. campus all day in order to secure the best seats. Once inside, they were treated to an unveiling of the newest Final Four banner and the hanging of recent alumnus Jeff Green’s Seattle SuperSonics jersey alongside other Hoya greats. Even Jerry Rice was in attendance, and danced to Soulja Boy at midcourt with Patrick Ewing, Jr.

This leaves Texas with a decidedly thin list of prospects for the current recruiting class. J’Covan Brown — who was in attendance at last season’s Texas A&M game — has yet to commit, although sources feel he is the closest thing the Horns have to a lock at this point. Jeff Taylor, Jr., who visited two weeks ago, is also still considering Texas.

But the biggest prize still on the table is Tyreke Evans, the Pennsylvania point guard who sources say will visit the Forty Acres the weekend of November 2nd. At 6-foot, 5-inches, Evans would add some much needed height to the Texas backcourt, and would also fill the vacancy at the 1 if D.J. Augustin declares for next summer’s draft. Early news claimed that Villanova and Louisville were leading the charge for Evans, but family members have denied those reports.

For now, the loss of Monroe is not a huge blow, as many felt his signing with Texas was nothing but a pipe dream. However, big commits are being scored every day across the country, and the Longhorns have yet to land one.

As the football team hosts Kansas State and Vince Young revists the Forty Acres, the UT basketball staff is also busy. Jeff Taylor, Jr. will be in Austin on a recruiting visit this weekend, and word on the street is that the Horns are extremely high on the kid. But before the weekend’s visit even begins, the basketball offices in Belmont are already riding high from great news elsewhere on the recruiting front. Louisiana’s Greg Monroe trimmed his list of schools today, and Texas remains a part of the exclusive club.

Monroe, ranked as the #1 recruit by Rivals.com, narrowed his list of schools to five, all of whom will receive a visit. The Greg Monroe tour starts next weekend with hometown school LSU, considered one of the two favorites in the recruiting chase. The following weekend, Georgetown hosts the high school star, and most think the Hoyas are leading the hunt. Connecticut and the Dukies join Texas in the final five, although the Huskies and Horns have not yet scheduled visits with Monroe.

Meanwhile, the Horns will be pushing hard for Taylor, a Swedish national and son of a former Texas Tech guard. Jeff played his high school ball back in the States, having lived in New Mexico with his uncle the last few years. Both Tech and New Mexico are working their ties to try to land the kid, but Mark Few and Gonzaga are still recruiting Taylor, who spent his summer playing for the U18 Swedish national team.

If you happen to see Jeff on campus this weekend, be sure to shout out a quick hello. It certainly can’t hurt to have him already feeling like the Big Man on Campus.