Last night

There were no Longhorns playing last night, but Kevin Durant did drop by the NBA on TNT studios to chat with the guys. I know that they’ve been using YouTube to have questions submitted for the crew, so I was hoping that maybe the video would be posted there this morning. No dice, but I did find this little gem…

Tonight

LaMarcus Aldridge and the Trail Blazers head to the City of Brotherly Love to face the 76ers. (6 PM CST)

The Toronto Raptors and T.J. Ford host the Indiana Pacers. (6 PM CST)

It’s the first NBA meeting between Kevin Durant and Acie Law IVLCXMI when the Sonics travel to Atlanta and take on the Hawks. (6:30 PM CST)

The Cavs and Daniel Gibson host the Utah Jazz. (6:30 PM CST)

Chris Mihm and Maurice Evans get some more national airtime when the Lakers and Pistons tangle from Staples. (9:30 PM CST, ESPN)

Orangebloods broke the news yesterday that J’Covan Brown has committed to Texas ($$ article). That’d be all fine and dandy if the kid had actually signed on the dotted line. But with the pressures from his parents and coach still trying to push him elsewhere, we’ll have to see if he ever ends up putting his Herbie Hancock on this thing and playing on the 40 Acres. Fingers are crossed very, very tightly that this one works out.

In 2KSports Classic semifinal action, UConn dispatched Gardner-Webb and will take on Memphis in the finals after the Tigers held off OU. In the nightcap, Derrick Rose finished with 17 points, five boards, and three assists, while OU’s Blake Griffin finished with an 8/8 night. Longar Longar was only able to log three eye-socket shatterings with his flailing elbows.

That UConn/Memphis championship game from Madison Square Garden highlights the NCAA hoops on TV today, airing at 8 PM CST on ESPN2. There’s also games all day long from the Puerto Rico Tip Off, starting at 11 AM CST on ESPNU. And if you’re into a little Gardner-Webb/OU action, that one is on the Duece at 5:30 PM CST.

This “College Basketball Invitational” is probably the worst thing to happen since Wayne Newyon first discovered plastic surgery. Why exactly is there a need to crown the 97th-best team in NCAA hoops? And who will even play in this train wreck of toxic waste? Rush the Court pulled a sample bracket from the Gazelle Group’s website, and it leaves…a lot to be desired. But then again, when I think about the god-awful fields they’ve put together for the Guardian’s Classic, 2KSports Classic, and especially this year’s Legends Classic, I don’t know why I’m really surprised. Classic.

Last night

Kevin Durant and the Sonics got over the hump, knocking off the Miami Heat 104-95. KD played 33 minutes in this one, scoring 18 points to go with five boards. On the night, he shot 50% behind the arc (3-for-6) and only 30% inside it (3-for-10). Interesting, no?

The Raptors were edged out at home by the Utah Jazz, 92-88. T.J. Ford just missed a double-double, dishing out eight assists while scoring 13 in his 32 minutes of play.

The Cavs and Magic needed an extra five minutes to decide a winner, but ultimately Orlando prevailed by a 117-116 count. Daniel Gibson saw the floor for 41 minutes, dropping in 16 to go with two assists, two rebounds, and two steals.

Royal Ivey did not play for the Bucks, who defeated the Memphis Grizzlies, 102-99. These two facts are in no way related. In all honesty, the Grizzlies are so awful that Royal could’ve played them 1-on-5 and won by about 30, but Coach Larry Krystkowiak didn’t want to embarrass Memphis that way. So, hooray for sportsmanship I guess.

The Lakers took out the Rockets in Houston, 93-90. With Kwame Brown back at full strength, Chris Mihm played for only a minute and a half and didn’t find the stat sheet. But Maurice Evans made the most of his ten minutes, scoring seven and grabbing a board.

LaMarcus Aldridge started strong and faded in the 4th quarter, but still finished the night with 15 points and nine rebounds. He also added a steal as the Trail Blazers fell to the homestanding Nuggets, 110-93.

Tonight

Apparently the Spurs and Mavericks are playing tonight, and that’s important for some reason. But there’s no Longhorns on the NBA’s schedule, so I’ll be blissfully ignoring TNT. San Antonio and Dallas fans, enjoy your e-pene battle.

A couple of close calls for ranked teams last night, but no major upsets. North Carolina held off Davidson after blowing a seven-point halftime lead, while Texas A&M used a second-half comeback to beat UTEP. As discussed in the comments on yesterday’s post, A&M’s clear weakness is the free-throw shooting of DeAndre Jordan (1-for-6 last night). It’s just a matter of time until the Hack-a-Shaq strategy is put into play against this guy.

The rest of the Big 12 fell on its face last night, with Okie State losing to UNT by 9, Tech falling to the Bearkats of SHSU, and Iowa State being toppled by the Bradley Braves. That’s gotta be good for the ol’ conference RPI.

An interesting link comes our way from the folks over at Bring on the Cats. It turns out that one stat overlooked amidst KSU’s 2-0 start and Michael Beasley’s stellar debut is the fact that the Wildcats have turned over the ball 47 times in two games. That’s right, they are averaging 23.5 turnovers in a pair of games against Sacramento State and Pittsburg State. And, even more noteworthy, new coach Frank Martin doesn’t give a shit.

Another link courtesy of long-time LRT reader Caradoc, in which we learn about P.J. Tucker’s time playing for Hapoel Holon in the Israeli league. Turns out, a nutjob threw a firecracker on the court on Sunday and the security guard who acted quickly enough to retrieve it lost three fingers for his bravery. I know this usually doesn’t happen at basketball games over there, despite the turmoil going on outside of the arenas. But still, let’s get P.J. home. Maybe he can join Kenton Paulino on the Austin Toros…

(That link from Caradoc also brings us to the shameless begging portion of this update. If you see an article that you think we’d find interesting, please send it along. Contact at longhornroadtrip dot com. We’ll show you the love.)

Tonight the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament hits the semifinal stage, pitting UConn versus Gardner-Webb in the opener (6 PM CST) and #3 Memphis versus Oklahoma (8 PM CST). Both games are on ESPN2. It’ll be a great chance to catch freshmen phenoms Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose, so tune in or set the Tivos accordingly. And an interesting fact on that Gardner-Webb/UConn tilt — since the Runnin’ Bulldogs weren’t expecting to beat Kentucky, these games at MSG are being sandwiched between those they had already scheduled. Now they will be forced to play five games in eight days, including a second one against UConn next Wednesday night.

ESPNU’s got basketball all day from Puerto Rico. Check out this stellar lineup — Houston vs. VCU (8 AM CST), Marist vs. Miami FL (10:30 AM CST), Temple vs. Providence (1:30 PM CST), and the College of Charleston vs. Arkansas (4 PM CST). Something tells me I won’t be wasting a sick day to watch these games.

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.