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.

Last night

The Trail Blazers made a 4th-quarter push, but fell short in Houston, 89-80. LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. He was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.

Royal Ivey and the Bucks won their first game on the year, taking down the Bulls 78-72 in Milwaukee. Ivey played only four minutes in this one, missing both of his shots. He did pull down one rebound for the winning cause.

Today

The Raptors and T.J. Ford host the rejuvenated Boston Celtics and their “PGA Tour.” (1:30 PM Central)

Kevin Durant takes his first trip to L.A. as the Sonics battle the Clippers and Chris Kaman, the missing link. (2:30 PM Central)

D-Gib and the Cavs tangle with the up-tempo Suns at U.S. Airways Arena. (7 PM Central, NBA TV)

Chris Mihm, Maurice Evans, and the Lakers host the Utah Jazz. (8:30 PM Central)

Last night

T.J. Ford and the Raptors moved to 2-0 after absolutely destroying the Nets in East Rutherford, 106-69. Ford played only 22 minutes in the game, but scored eight points and logged seven assists.

LaMarcus Aldridge struggled in the Big Easy as the Trail Blazers lost to the Hornets, 113-93. LA scored only eight points on 4-of-12 shooting and missed both of his free throw attempts. He did add nine rebounds after grabbing only three in the season opener.

Maurice Evans played a full 20 minutes for the Lakers as they pulled off a 119-98 road victory in Phoenix. Mo scored eight points, dished out three assists, and pulled down a rebound in the winning effort. Chris Mihm did not play for the Lakers.

Royal Ivey provided eight minutes off the bench for the Bucks, who lost 102-99 to the Charlotte Bobcats. Ivey scored two points and added an assist and steal.

Tonight

LaMarcus Aldridge continues his season-opening tour through the south as the Trail Blazers visit the Rockets. (7:30 PM Central, NBA TV)

Royal Ivey plays before the home Bucks crowd for the first time when Milwaukee hosts the Bulls (7:30 PM Central)

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.

It’s opening day, as the Longhorns kick off the 2007-08 season with an exhibition tonight against Xavier University from Louisiana. That means it’s also time for the final installment of “Meet the Freshmen” here at LRT, which takes a look at versatile big man Clint Chapman.

Coming out of Oregon, Chapman played for the Canby Cougars, who finished at 22-8 during his senior season. Clint soared up the recruiting rankings during his last two years of high school, finishing in the top 70 of the Rivals rankings. Pac-10 schools were incredibly high on the kid, as Washington, Oregon, ASU, and Cal were all in the mix.

Chapman checks in at 6’10” and is a hard-working defender in the paint. On offense, he can step out and hit midrange jumpers to about 18 feet, but still needs work on his post moves. He has great fundamentals and is another quality big man on a team that sorely needed depth in the frontcourt last season.

Clint has been wearing a protective brace on his right wrist, but is still able to practice and play. Tonight’s exhibition game should give a sense of how safely the coaches and trainers want to play it with Chapman in the early part of the season.

Chapman is expected to split minutes with Wangmene coming off of the bench, so this minor injury means that we may just see a bit more of Alexis in November and December. But no matter how the minutes break down, Chapman is going to be an key reserve for Rick Barnes and the Longhorns.