A huge update this time, considering there hasn’t been a Horns in the League report since the UCLA trip…

T.J. Ford averaged 12.3 points per game over the last six Toronto contests, including 26 points against the Hawks prior to his injury in the final minutes. T.J. also had 29 assists over the last two weeks, although Jose Calderon still saw a solid chunk of time at the point following Ford’s neck stinger. The Raptors went 3-3 over Ford’s six games, putting them solidly in second place in the Atlantic division. And with Boston playing out of their minds, that’s about all the Raps can ask for at this point.

Kevin Durant and the Sonics have really put things together since our last update, going 5-3 over the last two weeks and passing Minnesota as they vacated the Northwest Division cellar. KD averaged 21.8 PPG over that stretch, including three games of 30 points or more. He is currently the leading rookie scorer in the league and 27th-best overall, checking in with 20.2 points per contest.

Plantar fascitis has knocked LaMarcus Aldridge out of commission for at least a week, but the former Horn was playing solid ball prior to the injury. L.A. had two dub-dubs in the five games since our last update and averaged 18.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG. The Trail Blazers moved slightly closer to .500 over these last two weeks, winning their last four games after dropping the first two. Portland’s 11-12 record has them only 3.5 games back of the Nuggets.

Daniel Gibson also missed a game this week, but it was a sore wisdom tooth that sidelined D-Gib. He returned last night, however, and scored twelve points while shooting 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Gibson averaged 14.8 points over his last six games, although the Cavs lost every one as they struggled without LeBron James in five of them.

Royal Ivey has seen a lot more playing time in December, averaging 18 minutes per game this month. Royale With Cheese is putting up modest numbers with his increased playing time, chipping in 4.5 points, two rebounds, and two assists per game. The Bucks are on a skid, though, having lost nine of their last eleven games.

The Lakers are sitting at second in the Pacific Division, having won four straight until last night’s close loss to Golden State. Chris Mihm hasn’t played for the Lake Show since December 5th, however, and there is no injury news that explains his absence. Mihm was struggling prior to his disappearance, averaging only 4.8 points in 19 minutes over his last four games.

Maurice Evans is seeing more playing time with the Magic than he ever did with the Lakers, averaging 21 minutes per game this month. Mo has logged 6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in December and has helped defensively with seven steals and four blocks. Orlando is still the second-best team in the Eastern Conference at 17-7, sitting a half-game ahead of the Pistons.

Tonight

D-Gib and the Cavs look to break out of their funk when they host the 76ers. (6:30 PM CST)

It’s a battle in the frozen north when the Timberwolves visit Royal Ivey and the Bucks. (7:30 PM)

The Sonics and Kevin Durant hope to keep their momentum going as they travel to Utah. (8 PM)

We’re baaaaaack! I’ve completed my very last final — ever — which opens up a huge chunk of extra time to work on the website and continue bringing you Longhorn and national basketball news. Next week we embark on a road trip that may even top the epic journey to Spokane last March, and with a few bonus stops scheduled along the way, it’s going to provide a lot of great post-Christmas content for everybody. I’ll have more details on Monday, but it’s something you’ll definitely want to check back for.

Checking in on meaningless poll movement, Texas slides a spot to #3 in ESPN’s Power 16, while Luke Winn has yet to update his power rankings this week.

If you happened to catch that Vanderbilt game on Wednesday night, you were treated to one of the best second-half comebacks in recent memory. The Commodores clawed back from an 18-point deficit on the road at DePaul, forced overtime, and then iced away another win to remain perfect. DePaul shot a ridiculous percentage coming out of the halftime break to build that huge lead, but Vandy just remained calm and continued to play their game. Watch out, SEC. These guys are definitely not finishing 5th in their division.

Don’t look now, but former Texas assistant coach Frank Haith has the Miami Hurricanes playing some great ball so far. The U is 9-0 on the young season and sport the best RPI ranking in the nation according to Ken Pomeroy’s number-crunching. They still have a couple mid-major threats left on their December schedule, but there is a very distinct possibility that the Hurricanes could start ACC play with a 14-0 mark when they host Georgia Tech on January 12th.

Horns in the League returns tonight with a massive update on how each player has done the last two weeks. Also look for a piece on the big step backwards Bellmont is making with the student ticket situation at the Drum and, of course, the Texas State game preview.

A scary, scary moment in the Raptors game in Atlanta last night when T.J. Ford was fouled hard by Al Horford and fell straight to the court, slamming his head. T.J. was carted off on a stretcher, but has since been released from the hospital and is cleared to play. I’m guessing he won’t be right back out there, but it’s good to know things are looking up after seeing that frightening footage last night.

So much for St. Mary’s being ranked when they come to town. The Gaels ran into Southern Illinois on the wrong night, losing 71-56 to a team that had almost no offense over their first six games. All this really does to Texas is give a slight ding on the RPI later in the season, but it’s better to be playing a tough, one-loss St. Mary’s squad than a 16-loss Prairie View A&M.

Don’t ask me how I missed this in SI’s weekly power rankings last week, but apparently the Penn students brought their A-game for Tyler Hansbrough and UNC. They blew up pictures of his mother, who was a former Miss Missouri, and waved copies of this horrible senior picture collage. I pulled the photo from Tyler50.com, the official website of Mr. Hansbrough. Why, oh why would you put something this hilariously awkward on the internet when you are a college athlete? I half-expect to find Uncle Rico’s glamor shots if I keep clicking around long enough.

Chris Low at ESPN.com has a good feature on A.J. Ogilvy over at Vanderbilt. After seeing the Commodores shock a lot of folks last year, I thought they just needed a good inside presence to help out Shan Foster and get them over the hump. There was some below-the-radar buzz on the Aussie before he hit the college hardwood, but I wasn’t sure he’d be the answer as only a freshman. It turns out that Ogilvy is just as good as advertised, if not better, and has Vandy poised to be one of the top three or four teams in the SEC.

Finally, some more action on the tube for hoopsheads tonight. Cincy takes on Xavier and former OU guard Drew Lavender in the Crosstown Shootout (6 PM, ESPN2). Check out the 7-1 Musketeers if you haven’t had a chance yet, as they should absolutely school the ‘Cats. If you don’t believe me or Chris Low about the Ogilvy kid, watch Vandy hunt for a road win at DePaul (7 PM, ESPN Classic). And if you remember when UMass was solid and the A-10 was a part of the Big Monday package, reminisce as the Minutemen host BC (8 PM, ESPNU).

Apologies for the lack of a daily update on Monday, but this week finds me mired in a couple of finals and a lot of writing. It’s a cruel set-up to have students walk before they finish their exams, but by this time Friday I will at least enjoy a sudden spike in free time. Content on the site might be a bit on the lighter side between now and then, but with most teams taking it easy during their own final exams, it works out pretty well.

New polls came out yesterday, and Texas stayed in the 4th and 5th slots of the AP and Coaches Polls. Not much movement near the top, as most teams took care of business last week. Texas fans will take note of St. Mary’s, who cracked both polls at #24 this week. If the Gaels can get past Southern Illinois on the road tonight, it looks like there will be a Top 25 match-up in Austin on January 5th.

Another week, another honor from the Big 12 Conference. This time, D.J. Augustin was named Player of the Week, while Kansas State’s freshman Towel Pisser was named Rookie of the Week. After both Damion James and A.J. Abrams have claimed the award this season, this thing might just be renamed Big 12 Player of the Week Presented by The University of Texas.

Want to watch some basketball on TV tonight? Good luck, buddy. While folks would likely enjoy that great mid-major match-up between St. Mary’s and Southern Illinois, fans will instead be treated to a scintillating game between Prairie View A&M and New Mexico State…on ESPN Full Court. Hope that new episode of Nip/Tuck captures your fancy.

At times last night, Texas looked very good in their win over the Rice Owls. But there were also some points of concern for Longhorn fans, despite the lopsided outcome. We’ll get to all of that late tonight in a wrap of this week’s games. For now, onward with our look around the country.

A couple of upsets in the middle of the Top 25, starting with Louisville stumbling against the Dayton Flyers, 70-65. The Flyers are quietly building a solid resumé, with a 7-1 record against the current RPI Top 50. In addition to beating Louisville, they’ve challenged themselves with some tough mid-major opponents, which should help after the A-10 sked hurts their SOS. In the other upset of the day, Wright State knocked off Butler, 43-42. It’s the second straight win for Wright State over the Bulldogs, as they also captured the Horizon League tournament in March by beating them in front of a raucous home crowd.

Davidson keeps playing well against good teams, but still doesn’t have any quality wins to show for it. They blew an 18-point lead to UCLA in Anaheim yesterday, falling by a final of 75-63 and dropping their record to a painful 3-5 this year. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute led the way for UCLA with 21 points.

The Big 12 looked pretty good on Saturday, if you can overlook OU losing at home to Stephen F. Austin, 66-62. The Lumberjacks are now 7-1 on the year, but have done so against the 279th-toughest schedule. Things aren’t going to get any easier for Oklahoma after this one, as their next three games are against Arkansas, Gonzaga, and West Virginia. Quality loss there, Sooners.

Elsewhere in the conference, Iowa State topped Iowa, Kansas pounded DePaul, Oklahoma State pulled away from East Tennessee State, Mizzou pressured Purdue for the win, and Texas A&M face-raped Texas State. (Thanks, Dave Lapham.) Colorado was the second Big 12 loser on the day, dropping one in Wyoming, but they are playing respectably for one of the worst teams in the conference.

FSN has a doubleheader in HD today, but otherwise not a lot on tap as many schools lighten their schedule in the midst of final exams. George Washington heads southwest to take on Virginia Tech (4:30 PM CST), followed by an early ACC matchup between BC and Maryland (6:30 PM). Over on ESPNU, Villanova and Temple renew their Big Five rivalry (6 PM). In action happening without TV coverage, Kansas State is currently facing off with Cal.