Texas makes its first road trip of conference play as they travel to Ames, Iowa tonight, but there’s a much bigger “first” in play when the team hits the court at 7 P.M. The Longhorns will be playing their first game in school history as the top-ranked team in the nation.

At first blush, the match-up with Iowa State seems like it should be a cakewalk, just another notch in the win column as the Longhorns march on to next week’s showdowns with Kansas State and Connecticut. But regardless of how good or bad the Cyclones are in any given year, Hilton Coliseum still manages to be a house of horrors for visiting opponents. The venue even has a name for its own special brand of home-court advantage — they call it “Hilton Magic.”

Add in the fact that every team plays with extra effort to knock off number one, and consider the always-dangerous possibility that players start buying into their own media hype, and you could have a recipe for an inexplicable stumble in an “easy” game. That’s why Coach Rick Barnes told his team on Monday afternoon “I can’t honestly tell you who the No. 1 team was in the country on the second week of January last year. But I do know who won the national championship.” Maintaining focus the rest of the way will be necessary for Texas to avoid an embarrassing pratfall.

By the numbers

Despite the fact that former Cyclone Wes Johnson is tearing it up for Syracuse, the current Iowa State squad is much improved from last season. Where once there was only Craig Brackins and a cast of underachieving role players, now there is depth and talent.

As a result, the Cyclones are enjoying efficiency numbers on both sides of the ball that rank in the top 100 in the country. They average a per-possession differential of +1.22 points, and as a result, they no longer have to play slow games where they attempt to limit the number of possessions.

The key component of the Iowa State offense is their three-point accuracy. While the Cyclones don’t actually take a ton of long-range looks, their incredible success rate from behind the arc opens up the inside game for their big men. Iowa State has made more than 42% of their three-point attempts, but still take nearly 70% of their shots from inside the arc.

Defensively, Iowa State provides a complete change of pace from the Colorado team that Texas just faced. While the Buffaloes constantly put their opponents on the free-throw line, only seven teams in the country do that less often than the Cyclones. For a Texas team that often struggles from the stripe, this could be a very good thing for the offense.

Although the Longhorns do struggle with free throws, Iowa State is yet another opponent that will have similar problems from the charity stripe. Just like Arkansas and North Carolina, the Cyclones leave a ton of points at the line, making just 63.3% of their attempts so far this year.

Meet the Cyclones

The only household name on the Iowa State roster is Craig Brackins (16.9 PPG/8.1 RPG). The junior toyed with heading to the NBA after last season, but returned for another year and was rewarded with Preseason All-American honors. At 6’10”, 230 pounds, Brackins is an extremely versatile player who can shoot from anywhere on the floor and can adequately handle any position in the lineup. His wide-ranging skill set allows Coach Greg McDermott much more flexibility with lineups, and it gives opposing defenses fits when trying to match up with him. Brackins is the team’s most accurate three-point shooter so far, hitting 52% of his 27 attempts, and that long-range threat allows him to pull bigger defenders out of the paint.

Newcomer Marquis Gilstrap (14.3 PPG/8.4 RPG) is a senior playing in his first season for the Cyclones. He transferred after playing one year at Gulf Coast Community College in Florida, where he suffered a horrible knee injury that sidelined him for all of 2006 and 2007. Iowa State is hoping to get him another year with a medical redshirt, but if this is truly his last collegiate season, he is certainly making the most of it.

Gilstrap is an incredibly athletic wing player with great handles, and can also score from anywhere on the court. His rebounding numbers are tops on the team, and although he’s only taken 39 threes, he’s made 41% of them. Just like Brackins, Gilstrap is a tough match-up, although he lacks some of the size to bang inside with the bigger post players of the Big 12.

The floor leader for Iowa State is Diante Garrett (8.4 PPG/5.4 APG), a 6’4″ guard who has a solid shot, but prefers to facilitate the offense. He can break down defenders off the dribble and get to the rack, but more often than not, Garrett dishes it off to one of his bigs when he penetrates the lane. He’s improved his defense in the offseason, which has earned him even more playing time at a position where the Cyclones are loaded with talent.

One of those other talented point guards is freshman Chris Colvin (3.2 PPG/2.1 APG). He was one of the nation’s top prospects at his position and provides solid defense with his really long wingspan. Fortunately for Texas, the freshman is suspended for this game for a violation of team rules. That suspension likely means more playing time tonight for sophomore guard Dominique Buckley (1.6 PPG), another steady ballhandler who provides depth at the point.

Also in the backcourt is German gunner Lucca Staiger (9.0 PPG/1.9 RPG). He leads the team in threes with 42, and is sinking them at nearly a 43% clip so far this season. He’s not very adept at creating his own shot, but the Cyclones are good when it comes to freeing him up for open looks. If they can set good screens tonight, Staiger will certainly knock down a few clutch triples.

The most surprising player of the season has to be big man Justin Hamilton. He’s a 6’11” sophomore from Utah who brought low expectations with him to Ames. He had a few breakout games in his freshman campaign, but has improved to become a consistent contributor this year. Hamilton started in each of the Cyclones’ first 14 games, but a head injury kept him out of Saturday’s win over North Dakota State.

If Hamilton is healthy enough to play tonight, his performance down low against the Texas frontcourt will be integral. Fail to produce, and the Longhorns can focus on shutting down Brackins and Gilstrap. Play well, and suddenly Texas has its hands full picking which poison to swallow.

Providing more depth in the frontcourt is junior college transfer LaRon Dendy (7.4 PPG/3.4 RPG). He is a big, long player who can really hang in the air to get rebounds and tip-ins. His scrappy style and hustle for loose balls really reminds me of Gary Johnson, and should the two directly match up tonight, it ought to be fun to see who wins the 50/50 balls. The biggest knock on Dendy, however, is his pitiful 47% mark at the free throw line, where the comparisons to Johnson quickly end.

Coming off the bench for Coach McDermott are a pair of marksmen in Jamie Vanderbeken (4.1 PPG) and Scott Christopherson (7.3 PPG). Vanderbeken is a senior whose minutes have been limited by the influx of talent to the Ames campus, but he still makes his presence known in his shorter stints on the court. He has knocked down 50% of his threes this year, although he has taken only 16 from behind the arc. Christopherson, meanwhile, has the same 50% success rate, but has put up 34 tries. A 6’3″ sophomore, Christopherson is a transfer from Marquette and is coming off of knee surgery in the off-season.

The final player in the ten-man rotation that the Cyclones employ is sophomore Charles Boozer (3.7 PPG/1.6 RPG). The younger brother of Utah Jazz star Carlos Boozer, the 6’3″ guard had a breakout game on Saturday against North Dakota State. After averaging just 2.6 points per contest coming into it, Boozer had 19 points filling in for the suspended Colvin. He did it with hustle and an impressive 7-of-11 shooting night, including 3-of-6 from long range. Look for Boozer to again grab a bunch of minutes at the two against Texas.

Keys to the game

The Longhorns have one of the nation’s best interior defenses statistically, and that will be tested against a deeper Iowa State frontcourt than we’ve seen in recent years. But where Texas is likely most vulnerable is on the perimeter, where the Cyclones are liable to get hot at a moment’s notice. In most shocking upsets, you’ll find that the less-talented team hit their fair share of three-pointers, and ISU is certainly capable of doing that tonight. Texas must limit the damage from long range.

If the Cyclones aren’t scoring three at a time, they are going to need a ton of points from their junior stud Brackins. While Gilstrap and Dendy are solid additions, they won’t be able to beat Texas on their own. If the Longhorns can turn Brackins into a mere mortal, it would seem that Iowa State has almost no chance to pull off the upset.

Our third thing to watch tonight is not a key, but rather a historical milestone. Damion James enters tonight’s game just eleven rebounds shy of claiming the all-time Big 12 crown, currently held by Kansas’ Nick Collison. It’s no guarantee that DaMo will hit the magic number against this Iowa State frontcourt, but there’s still a good possibility that the double-double machine could break the record tonight.

We’re getting a little bit of a later start than anticipated, but it’s time to begin our sojourn northward to Ames, Iowa. Tonight’s leg will get us to Wichita, Kansas for a few hours of rest before we finish the journey on Wednesday. Game preview will be headed your way in the A.M. hours, while any short tidbits from the road will show up on the Twitter feed.

It’s official. The coaches and media agree — Texas is the best basketball team in the country right now.

The Longhorns took home 56 of the 65 first-place votes in the Associated Press poll that was released this afternoon, while 30 of the 31 coaches slotted Rick Barnes’ team first in the nation.

Today marks the first time in school history that Texas was honored with the top ranking in the country. Previously, the Longhorns had held the Associated Press’ No. 2 ranking for a total of twelve different weeks — the previous six weeks of this season, five weeks in 2005, and one week in December of 2002.

Texas is one of four Big 12 teams in the Top 25, as Kansas, Kansas State, and Baylor are all ranked in both polls. Texas A&M, Missouri, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech also received votes in both polls.

If that bevy of talented teams in conference play wasn’t enough of a challenge for Texas, they are also less than two weeks away from a road trip to Connecticut, where they will face the 15th-ranked Huskies.

The Longhorns will put their newly-minted ranking to the test with a visit to Ames on Wednesday night. Tip for their game against the Iowa State Cyclones is set for 7 P.M.

With Kansas’ stunning road loss to a depleted Tennessee Volunteers team yesterday afternoon, the Jayhawk stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking is finally over. And with Purdue falling at Wisconsin just a day earlier, that leaves only two undefeated contenders vying for that top spot — the Kentucky Wildcats and your Texas Longhorns.

The Wildcats were pushed for 38 minutes by the Georgia Bulldogs in Rupp Arena on Saturday, while Texas logged double-digit victories against Colorado and on the road against Arkansas. The Longhorns already had eight first place votes in last week’s AP Poll, while one coach tabbed Texas as the best team in the land. Kentucky managed just one vote for first, in the Associated Press rankings.

All signs point to the first-ever No. 1 ranking in school history for the Longhorns. This afternoon, we’ll find out if it really happens.

The Longhorns march into Big 12 play this afternoon with a perfect 14-0 mark, tied for the school’s best start in the modern era. Texas opened the season with 20 wins in 1932 and with a school-record 23 wins in 1923. While a chance to match those rarefied numbers is still weeks away and would require some tough road wins, the Longhorns do have a shot to storm into conference play with an opening slate that includes Colorado, Iowa State, and Texas A&M.

This afternoon’s opener comes against the Buffaloes, who were picked by most outlets to finish dead last in the conference. Don’t be surprised, however, if Jeff Bzdelik‘s team manages to climb out of the league cellar this year. Last season, the Buffs put scares into Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, despite having a very young team. They have added a solid five-man recruiting class to the mix, and finally have the offensive potency to move past the slow, grind-it-out style of basketball that Bzdelik had to implement in past seasons just to keep his team in the games.

Historical numbers are certainly not on Colorado’s side this afternoon. The Buffaloes have lost 26-straight road games in conference play, dating all the way back to January of 2006. Colorado has also lost twelve straight conference openers, while the Longhorns have won eleven consecutive home openers in conference play. If you put any stock into historical trends, things don’t look good for the visitors.

By the numbers

As we’ve mentioned already, the Buffaloes are no longer a slow-down team that hopes to win a game in the 50- or 60-point range. Their 69 possessions per game is soundly in the middle of the NCAA, although it is still a good deal slower than Texas’ 76-plus possessions per contest. While the Buffaloes may try to slow things down just a bit to mitigate the talent discrepancies in this game, this season they are certainly more capable of playing an up-tempo game with the Longhorns.

The thing that the Buffaloes do best is earn points at the line. They are one of the top 25 teams in the country at getting to the foul stripe, as their quick dribble drives and constant motion on offense often leads to opponents getting behind the play and hacking in desperation. Once Colorado gets to the line, they also make it worth their time. The Buffs are second in the nation with a 78.2% success rate at the stripe, and even led the country at one point earlier in the week.

Colorado is a smaller team that typically runs four guards and one undersized forward. Many of these “guards” actually play more of a swingman role for the team, but they are usually hanging around the perimeter unless they are driving to the basket. Even the Buffalo post player is often found near the three-point line, setting screens that open up driving lanes and get the team’s offense running. All of this adds up to absolutely awful offensive rebounding numbers. The Buffaloes grab barely more than a quarter of their misses, which is only 318th out of the 347 D-I schools.

The Buffaloes also make up for their size disadvantages by running a ton of different zone looks that confuse opponents and allow them to press the issue far from the basket. Unfortunately, when bigger teams manage to work it inside, the fouls pile up quickly for Colorado. The free-throw rate for the Buffaloes on defense is 309th in the nation, and the team’s platoon of big men has combined to foul out seven times this year.

Meet the Buffaloes

The biggest reason for the improvement in Colorado’s performance is the addition of five newcomers to the roster, although freshman Shannon Sharpe is medically redshirting this year after pre-season knee surgery. Coach Bzdelik addressed the team’s lack of height by adding 6’11” Aussie freshman Shane Harris-Tunks. He still needs some seasoning, but already has a good skill set thanks to his time spent at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Junior-college transfer Marcus Relphorde adds a tenacious rebounder to the roster, along with a solid passer in the high post. He also brings three-point range, which is a key in Bzdelik’s offense. While Relphorde can knock down the long-range shots, he’s struggled a bit from behind the arc so far this year. He’s made just 32.5% of his attempts, but is capable of much more. He certainly knows that, as he keeps firing up the long bombs — so many, in fact, that he’s second on the team in attempts.

The jewel of the class, however, is freshman Alec Burks. In his senior season of high school, Burks was named Gatorade’s Player of the Year in the state of Missouri, and he’s quickly making an impact in the college ranks. At 6’6″, he actually leads the team in rebounds and is second in scoring with 16.3 points per game. He is quick off the dribble, which opens up his teammates for good looks when he penetrates. His long wingspan is also very valuable when Colorado throws out their 1-3-1 zone and traps opponents on the wings.

The star of team is still Cory Higgins, who can beat you any way you want it. He’s a solid shooter, hitting just a shade under 50% from the field, and worked hard on his outside shot in the offseason. That work has led to a 40% mark from behind the arc this season, up from 36% last year. He’s also nearly automatic when he gets to the line, where last season he had streaks of 45 and 23 consecutive makes. This year, he’s knocked down 86% of his attempts from the line, and his quick attack on the dribble-drive means that defenders are often sending him there.

The other thing Higgins brings to the table is a set of really quick hands. He’s leading the team in steals, and was even near the top of the Big 12 ranks in that category last season. Texas has shown its moments of sloppiness and carelessness with the ball, so they will have to be careful when the junior guard is nearby on defense.

The Buffaloes score their points by driving and finding the open man, and often when the defenses collapse that means the open man is somewhere behind the arc. Texas has one of the best defenses in the country, but so far this season they have shown that they are content with stopping teams inside and daring opponents to beat them from outside. This could lead to a big day for Dwight Thorne II, who led the team in three-pointers last year and also was tops in accuracy from behind the arc. At the beginning of this season, he was the team’s starting point guard, but recently sophomore Nate Tomlinson has reclaimed those duties. As the sixth man, Thorne could be a key to this game with his long-range marksmanship.

The big man opening up Thorne on the perimeter is Austin Dufault, the lone forward in the starting lineup. Although he’s the team’s tallest starter at 6’9″, his biggest role in the offense is setting screens outside. Dufault was named Mr. Basketball in the state of North Dakota as a high school senior, and it’s his outside shot that sets him apart from other big men. That long-range threat is huge in the Colorado offense, as teams who choose to double the ballhandler after a screen will often pay when Dufault knocks down a triple. The big man is also second in rebounding on a team that will have issues with that this afternoon, so he’ll have to come up huge on the glass against the Texas frontcourt.

Sophomore point guard Tomlinson has made huge strides after a rookie year where he often struggled with the new offense he was asked to run. In addition to being a solid floor general, he’s also a solid shooter. Tomlinson takes less than five shots a game, though, so his scoring impact is usually negligible. If Texas leaves him open, you can probably bank on the Aussie sophomore tickling the twine.

Also coming off the bench for Coach Bzdelik are Keegan Hornbuckle and Casey Crawford. Hornbuckle is the fifth member of the recruiting class, and is a quality-shooting small forward. He has fairly limited minutes, though, so he will likely have a small impact on today’s game. Crawford is in his second year at CU after transferring from Wake Forest. He’s used mostly to spell Dufault, and is another big man who can knock down the three when he’s out there setting screens.

Keys to the game

The biggest advantage Texas has in this game — besides the talent differential — is a much bigger lineup. The Longhorns must dominate the rebounding battle, especially on the defensive end. Colorado is a very well-coached team that is loaded with good shooters, so limiting the Buffaloes to one-and-done possessions should squash any thoughts of an upset.

Beyond crashing the glass, the other main focus for Texas will be shutting down Higgins. In Boulder last February, the guard went off for 34 points as the Buffs pushed the Longhorns to overtime. This Texas team is much more sound on defense, but they had a lot of problems with another quick guard on Tuesday night, Arkansas’ Courtney Fortson. The Longhorns found themselves behind the play quite often, and their frustration fouls piled up. Texas will need to communicate on defense and help each other out if they hope to limit Higgins’ effectiveness.

While it’s been an issue all season long, Texas has certainly improved their free throw shooting in the last few games. As often as Colorado fouls opponents, though, tonight knocking down the freebies will be even more key than usual. The Buffaloes can level the talent disparity by making Texas earn their points, so we’ll likely see a ton of free throw attempts for the Horns this afternoon. Make them, and Texas should cruise to victory. Miss too many, and the final score will be a lot closer than it should be.