This update comes to you from Toronto, our third stop on this lengthy trip. It is an amazing city and we stayed out a little too late last night, so unfortunately this game preview will have to be quite abbreviated to get us back across the border and up to Auburn Hills on time.

Michigan State, much like UCLA, is a tough match-up for the Horns. They play good defensive basketball, grinding the game down to their tempo. Ken Pomeroy has their tempo near the bottom of the rankings. The interesting thing about this year’s Spartan team, though, is their increased offensive efficiency, as their adjusted offensive efficiency is only seven points lower than Texas’ numbers.

If you remember last year’s meeting at Madison Square Garden, you may also remember that the Spartans held the Horns to only 20.6% shooting in the second half. Michigan State also beat the Horns solidly on the glass, grabbing a ton of rebounds and second-chance points. The battle on the glass could again be problematic for Texas this evening, particularly considering how the Horns have struggled to control the boards even against much smaller teams this season. Tom Izzo has some big-time rebounding threats in Raymar Morgan, Goran Sutan, and to a lesser extent Marquise Gray, so Connor Atchley and Damion James will have their hands full.

Drew Neitzel is obviously the heart and soul of this team, but he is struggling from an uncomfortable bout of streak-itis. He’s yet to put together a complete game against one of the tougher opponents on the Spartans’ schedule, but still averages 14.5 points per game. He also always seems to take — and make — the big shots late in the game, so if this one is close at the end, Texas needs to keep the ball out of his hands.

Texas proved in Los Angeles that it can win a tough, grind-it-out basketball game against a bigger team. That is going to be their task tonight, and they have a good chance to do so. They will need to limit the easy put-backs and fight through screens or constantly switch to keep Michigan State from freeing up Neitzel. Texas should also expect to struggle offensively against a Tom Izzo team, but must not abandon their game plan.

TV for this one is ESPN2, although it appears it won’t be in HD. Tip is 5:30 P.M. Central, so flip over to the Deuce as the Horns go for their third win over a top-ten opponent in only two months.

After a good night’s sleep — a true rarity on this five-day sojourn — we are leaving Nashville with sights set on Champaign, Illinois. We just passed The House That Vince Built and are winding through the foothills on I-24. Updates to come, as long as we don’t get caught in a reality remake of Deliverance.

Update (3:23 P.M.): It has been a fairly uneventful trip so far today. A series of storms dogged us through southwest Kentucky, but did not slow things down too much. Unfortunately, southern Illinois is so barren and boring it could make your eyes bleed. Champaign is only 49 miles away, so thankfully this seemingly interminable drive will come to a close.

While we’re in Assembly Hall, you can check out #9 Pitt against #7 Duke (6 P.M. CST, ESPN) or the Battle of the Suttons between Oral Roberts and Okie Lite (6 P.M, ESPN2).

I mentioned last week that our trip to Michigan St. could surpass the Spokane adventure in scope and downright insanity. Six hours into the journey, I can safely say that was not an exaggeration.

Last night, after watching Texas defeat Oral Roberts we packed up the SUV and headed out for five days of driving and college hoops. Our route first takes us to Nashville for tonight’s game between Belmont and Austin Peay. The following day, we travel to Illinois for a contest between the Fighting Illini and Miami of Ohio. Friday puts us in Toronto, with the doubleheader in Auburn Hills looming on Saturday.

This update from the road comes courtesy of my passenger’s iPhone. I’ve dictated this entry while Dexy’s Midnight Runners plead with Eileen on the stereo and we fight through the heavy fog on I-30.

Roughly 20 minutes ago, we crossed into Arkansas where the stench was immediately overpowering. If we manage not to suffocate, more updates can be expected from the road.

Update (8:15 A.M CST): About 45 miles southwest of Memphis, we pass a trailer full of sheep. Their bleating cries could easily be heard over the sound of the highway — “Baa means no!”

Update (11:35 A.M. CST): Less than 40 miles from Nashville and fatigue is mixing with relief as we approach the first destination. We have not stopped in five hours, so we’ve been feasting on a healthy mix of Monster, Starburst, Wheat Thins, and Mountain Dew — truly a breakfast of champions.

Update (5:34 P.M. CST): After a day spent at the campuses of Belmont and Vanderbilt, we are cramming dinner down our throats before heading back to the arena for a 7:05 tip. While you can’t see this one on TV, you can still have hoops for supper by tuning in to Memphis/Cincinnati (6 PM CT, ESPN2) or Nicholls State/UNC (8 PM, ESPNU).

Although Texas defeated Texas State to move to 10-0 on Saturday night, Rick Barnes was anything but pleased. He put the team through a two-and-a-half hour film session the next day where every mistake was exposed, analyzed, and scrutinized by the coach. He was particularly disgusted with a defense that over-pursued and bit on too many ball fakes. Barnes certainly hopes that the session pays immediate dividends, as the sharpshooting Oral Roberts Golden Eagles arrive in Austin this evening.

This game is a perfect convergence of factors that could lead to an upset. Texas is playing on only two days rest, and the game against the Bobcats was a ridiculously up-tempo track meet. Oral Roberts, on the other hand, hasn’t played a game since December 8th. Texas certainly has problems with depth, and that could be a factor against a well-rested Golden Eagle team.

In addition, the inexplicable tip time of 5:30 P.M. means that John Q. Public will find it hard to make it to the game before it starts, and may even blow it off for the comfort of their couch. Meanwhile, many students have already gone home for the holidays, meaning that the Frank Erwin Center could be more of a morgue than an arena. If you think back to some of the team’s flattest games over the last few years, they often were accompanied by mediocre or quiet crowds.

Most importantly, Oral Roberts is a quality basketball team with experienced leadership. They have won their conference’s last two tournaments and won the regular season crown in each of the last three seasons. Last November, the Golden Eagles not only knocked off Kansas, but they did it in Allen Fieldhouse. While they’ve lost two starters from last season, their current roster has seven upperclassmen who play more than 20 minutes per game.

If Texas isn’t careful, tonight could get incredibly dicey. The combination of fatigue, an empty arena, and an experienced mid-major opponent could spell disaster.

By the numbers

Oral Roberts runs at a pace that is slightly below average, checking in with 64.5 possessions per game. That is a far cry from the 80+ that Texas State was averaging prior to Saturday night’s contest, which should help a tired Texas team. The Golden Eagles are also roughly middle-of-the-pack in both offensive and defensive efficiency, with no numbers that jump off of the page.

The starting five

Senior Moses Ehambe has started all nine games for Scott Sutton. Ehambe is a great outside shooter, hitting 46% of his threes so far this year. At 6’6″, he has quite a bit of height over the Texas guards and could knock down quite a few treys right in front of them. He has only been to the line ten times this year, so it’s safe to assume this guy won’t be attacking the rim. Texas needs to lock down on him around the perimeter, or it could be a long night.

Shawn King is another senior who has started all nine contests this year, averaging 10.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game so far. He is a blocking machine, stuffing 20 in the first eight games. It will be interesting to see how D.J. Augustin’s game is affected when he tries to drive the lane with this guy waiting down low. Connor Atchley will also be tested by the 6’10” center from St. Vincent.

Yemi Ogunoye starts at forward, and is known as a fantastic on-the-ball defender. While one might expect him to match up with Damion James based simply on size, against North Dakota State he was tasked with shutting down the league’s leading scorer, a 5’11” guard. Ogunoye could very well be matched up with D.J. Augustin if Sutton decides to employ this mismatch technique again, but no matter who he is sticking, one Longhorn will have a tough night.

Robert Jarvis is the team’s leading scorer and another threat from downtown. While he isn’t quite as good as Ehambe so far this season, he is sinking 44.3% of his three-point attempts. Texas had difficulty last year defending the three ball and occasionally has struggled with it this season as well. Oral Roberts will likely look to exploit this in their upset bid.

The second starting guard for Scott Sutton is Adam Liberty, but he is not much of a scoring threat. When Liberty does score, though, it is usually from long range or the line. He’s made more free throws (29) than field goals (22), and is shooting less than five percentage points lower from behind the arc than inside it. At 6’2″, he is a good match-up for Texas’ quick, undersized guards, but the Horns need to make sure they keep him off the charity stripe.

What to look for

The high-flying transition game of Texas might be stuck in second gear tonight, as most of the starters will have very tired legs. This comes at an unfortunate time, considering this Oral Roberts team has a problem controlling the ball. Despite a winning 6-3 record, the Golden Eagles have only forced three more turnovers than they’ve given up. If the Longhorns can overcome the fatigue and win the transition battle, the chances for upset are significantly diminished.

With the tempo being much more normal in this game, fans can also look for more minutes out of Dexter Pittman. He doesn’t fit well into the flow of a transition game, but the half-court sets we should see tonight offer him a great opportunity to work on posting up. Also keep your eyes on freshman Clint Chapman in this one. He played hard on Saturday, but his effort was overshadowed by a handful of stupid fouls. It will be interesting to see if he can make a difference tonight without sending the Golden Eagles to the line.

It’s been mentioned multiple times in this preview, but the Horns must stop the three. They also need to improve their entire defensive showing after such a tough night against Texas State. If the Longhorn defense from the UCLA or Tennessee games shows up tonight, it’s going to be a bloodbath. If not, the Golden Eagles could be in it until the end.

Not a lot of action around the country yesterday as most of the sports world was focused on NFL action. North Carolina crushed Rutgers 93-71, but the real story was Tyler Hansbrough leaving the game after suffering a mild concussion. The Aggies whipped Arkansas-Pine Bluff by a 64-37 count, although hook-nosed Mark Turgeon was irritated by his team’s inability to close out the patsies when they should’ve.

New polls are due out today, but there won’t be much action near the top. In the bottom half, Oregon, Xavier, Lousville, and Saint Mary’s all suffered losses and should slide down the rankings — if not completely disappear from them. With everybody staying put in the top of the ranks, it sets up three huge top-ten match-ups this week, with Duke and Pitt meeting on Thursday and the Michigan State/Texas and Georgetown/Memphis games slated for Saturday.

Chatter on the court at Saturday’s game with Texas State revealed that the new hardwood in the Frank Erwin Center is a little slippery, particularly down in the blocks. It’s also kind of ugly to be honest, with the orange more “bright” than “burnt,” and the Big 12 logo in the lane being replaced by a new one that reads as “Texas 12” rather than the conference name. Interesting.

With Monday Night Football on the “family of networks,” tonight’s TV slate is again a little weak. Duke hosts Albany at 6 PM CST (ESPN2), with a handful of games on the ESPN Full Court package. Big 12 fans who ponied up for ESPNFC can check out Bethune-Cookman at Iowa State (7 PM) and North Carolina A&T at Mizzou (7 PM).