It’s not quite a basketball game, but this evening the Longhorns will get together one more time for the annual basketball banquet. And while it probably won’t match the excitement of a double-overtime win over A&M, it’s our last chance to relive the season and celebrate the accomplishments of this young team. I’ll be heading over there shortly, and will have a report later tonight or sometime tomorrow.

As for everything happening with the NCAA coaching carousel and the NBA stretch run, I will attempt to touch on all of them beginning tomorrow. And with a couple of former Longhorns having punched their playoff tickets, we’ll have a lot to talk about for the next couple of months.

As Kevin Durant swept through the post-season awards this year, the Naismith seemed to be a foregone conclusion. All that remained was the official announcement making K-Smoove the first freshman to ever win the prestigious award. Last night, the Atlanta Tipoff Club finally ended the wait, naming Kevin Durant the Men’s College Player of the Year. KD is only the second Longhorn to win the award, and the third player from a Big 12 school to take home the trophy.

The Naismith can now go on Durant’s trophy shelf along with the AP Player of the Year, National Basketball Coaches POY, the Oscar Robertson Trophy, the Adolph Rupp Trophy, and that Chevrolet POY award he was given during the semifinals on Saturday. Oh, and did I mention he was a consensus first-team All-American?

If you weren’t planning on watching the national championship game tonight, at least try to tune in at halftime. CBS will do their halftime bit with Durant in a locker room where they congratulate him for winning the award. It’s a very weird and contrived setup, what with it being halftime and the real locker rooms being used by the teams playing in the game. But it’s still exposure for the program, and yet even more attention for the young man who deserves truckloads of it.

Yesterday

Royal Ivey did not play in the Hawks’ 105-97 loss to the Bulls. Perhaps he will show up at tonight’s NCAA title game in the pimp orange blazer he wore to last year’s regionals.

Only one thing could help Doc Rivers and the Celtics get a win over the Cavs — LeBron James didn’t play. Daniel Gibson did, though, and earned a steal, assist, and rebound in his 18 minutes on the court. D-Gib was 0-for-2 from the field.

The Raptors continued their winning ways, thumping the visiting Charlotte Bobcats, 107-94. T.J. Ford scored 11 and earned eight assists in the victory. T.J. also added four boards and two steals.

Maurice Evans finally made it back to the court for the L.A. Lakers, who destroyed the Kings by a 126-103 count. Mo earned Horn of the Night honors from Longhorn Road Trip, scoring 21 points — including an ally-oop worthy of SportsCenter’s “Top Plays.”

Tonight

The League takes a day off while the college kids play their championship game in the Georgia Dome. Interesting how they don’t do that for the Women’s Final Four. Hmmmmm.

Remember the old cartoons where the dog would see a juicy steak in a thought bubble and start drooling? Memphis, Boston, and Milwaukee will be a lot like that tonight. Except Danny Ainge will look more like an incompetent GM than a drooling dog.

A lot of draft-ready talent will be on the court in Atlanta — now it’s just a question of whose lottery ball comes out first.

Yesterday

The Cavaliers topped the Bulls in overtime, 112-108, putting them 2.5 games behind Detroit for the division and conference lead with only nine games left. Daniel Gibson saw 16 minutes of action, making the only shot he took. He added two rebounds, but also picked up four fouls.

LaMarcus Aldridge played only seven minutes in the first quarter before having to leave the game due to dizziness. Unfortunately, this is not a bad April Fool’s joke. He was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and was later discharged, with Blazers GM Kevin Pritchard attributing the dizziness to dehydration. Portland fell to the Clippers, 99-86.

Today

The Bulls and Hawks are in the middle of the second quarter in Atlanta, but Royal Ivey has yet to see the floor. (NBA League Pass)

D-Gib and the Cavs try to continue their winning ways against my Celtics. I have a feeling that they won’t have any problems with this one, but if for some reason Boston is ahead, don’t be overly concerned — Doc Rivers will bench all the starters for the entire fourth quarter. (5 PM CDT, NBA LP)

The Raptors and T.J. Ford face the struggling Charlotte Bobcats in Toronto tonight. The Raps are closing in on a division crown, as their magic number is down to only four. (5 PM CDT, NBA LP)

When will Maurice Evans return from knee injury? His next chance comes tonight at Staples against the Sacramento Kings. (8:30 PM CDT)

While much of the attention this weekend will be focused on the likes of Greg Oden, Arron Afflalo, Joakim Noah, and Roy Hibbert, Longhorn fans will be paying special attention to Kevin Durant. One of four finalists for the Naismith Award, KD will find out on Sunday whether or not he will win the prestigious award as only a freshman. And if he does in fact bring home the hardware, you’ll find full coverage here at Longhorn Road Trip to peruse while eating your Monday morning bagels.

In the coming weeks, I’ll also be working to bring you the tales from the road that have yet to be posted. My goal is to unveil one a week, but if I’m feeling extra-productive, who knows what will appear. Along with that comes the remaining photo galleries, which includes all of the home games and post-season as well. And along the way, I will randomly be revealing different top-ten lists regarding my time following UT hoops — top arenas, top games, best fans, and the like.

If you don’t feel like visiting the page on a daily basis, you can always add the RSS to your news feed if you’ve got an aggregator. Or you could just join in with the hundreds of folks who are bookmarking the page. Either way, you’ll be sure to find new content all spring and summer as we await the start of the next season of Longhorn basketball….and perhaps a new season of road trips.