Fresh off their season-opening victory over Navy, the Texas Longhorns return to the hardwood again tonight in their second opening round match-up of the 2K Sports Classic. This time out, Texas will tangle with an enigmatic Louisiana Tech team loaded with newcomers.

Meet the Bulldogs

It won’t just be Longhorn fans who are getting their first look at the Louisiana Tech team. Even Bulldog fans will see a lot of unfamiliar faces wearing their school’s red and blue.

Olu Ashaolu and DeAndre Brown are the only returning starters, and they chipped in a combined 21.3 points per game last season. The other four Bulldogs who were on last year’s roster managed just a combined 4.8 points per game. Louisiana Tech coach Kerry Rupp will be relying heavily on transfers and untested freshman this season, so the team could have quite a few miscues in their season opener tonight.

During Rupp’s first two years in Ruston, the Bulldogs played a dreadfully slow style of basketball. The coach was working with very untalented players and had to limit possessions to keep his squad in games. Despite the slowdown efforts, LaTech still only won 21 games in those two seasons — just six victories came in Rupp’s debut year — as the coach slowly rebuilt the program.

Last year, his system finally produced results. The Bulldogs won 24 games, finished 4th in the WAC, and qualified for the post-season CBI Tournament. Magnum Rolle, an LSU transfer, even landed in the NBA, where he’s now averaging about six minutes a night for the Indiana Pacers. The building blocks for success have clearly been laid on the Ruston campus. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, though, the Longhorns are a little tougher than most WAC foes.

What we’re watching

As always, these early-season game previews don’t contain our “Keys to the Game,” but rather things to keep an eye on. With the Longhorns still forming their team identity in November and December, and the only true “key” to victory being the ability to show up on time, we find this is a much more valuable approach.

Tonight, we’re interested to see how the Texas half-court offense looks. Against Navy, the half-court offense was bogged down against the zone during the first 20 minutes. Once the Horns started to run the floor and the guards starting probing the Midshipmen’s D, things opened up and the points flowed freely.

Coach Barnes seems to be returning to the offenses of the Brad Buckman days, having his big men set interior screens instead of relying primarily on ball screens for the guards at the perimeter. With Tristan Thompson and Gary Johnson working hard down low, this is definitely a solid plan of attack. Still, it’s imperative that Thompson, Alexis Wangmene, and Matt Hill learn to react quicker to double-teams on the blocks.

Once again, we’ll have an eye on the backcourt rotation. All four guards split the minutes evenly against Navy, and with another easy win expected tonight, it might be more of the same. But with questions surrounding the roles of J’Covan Brown and Jai Lucas, it will be interesting to see how they fare tonight and how Barnes handles their substitutions.

Finally, we’ll be watching to see if Cory Joseph lights it up. On Monday night, he made quick moves with the basketball and looked confident on the court. Unfortunately, his shots weren’t falling as usual and he finished with just four points on 2-of-7 shooting. Joseph is known for being not just a point guard, but also a long-range marksman. It’s just a matter of time until he impresses Texas fans with a D.J. Augustine-like performance. Will tonight be his first time to burst into the spotlight?

Last-minute promos

With plenty of tickets still available, the Texas Box Office is offering $6 tickets for tonight’s game. Simply click that link, print out the coupon, and buy your end-zone mezzanine tickets for just six bucks.

I can hear you now. “End-zone mezzanine?!?” you’re screeching incredulously at your computer. Oh, don’t fret, dear readers. This is fall basketball in Austin, Texas. Even a mezzanine ticket is good for lower-level arena seating. Just pick your seats wisely, and take care to be polite if you get bounced from your first choice.

For those who can’t scrounge up 24 quarters from between their couch cushions, the game will once again be available on ESPNU and on the radio through the Longhorn Sports Network. (Check here for radio affiliates.)

For Texas fans beaten down by a horrid football season that seems interminable, last night’s tipoff of the 2010-11 basketball campaign was a welcome sight. The Longhorns cruised to yet another opening-night victory — the 11th in Rick Barnes’ 13 years on the Forty Acres — as they pulled away in the second half for an 83-52 win over Navy.

As always, the things we think we learned about teams in November and December rarely seem important by the time March rolls around. While glaring team flaws tend to be season-long issues, breakout performances against North Dakota Technical College can’t be fawned over. It’s likely that some Longhorn fans may be overly giddy following last night’s win, but just eight months after Texas came unglued in the national spotlight, restrained optimism is probably the best reaction.

In yesterday’s game preview, we posed three questions worth thinking about during the opening game. With 40 minutes and a W in the books, let’s re-examine those nagging questions…

1) Who will be the leader? – With a 26-point, 10-rebound night, Jordan Hamilton threw his hat into the ring in a big way. The sophomore was hustling all over the floor, getting rebounds from the wing and generally making smarter decisions than he did as a freshman. There is no doubt that Hamilton needed to have a big summer for the Longhorns to succeed this year, and it appears that he put in the work. Jordan didn’t press things or force up dumb shots, and he seemed much more confident on the floor than he did last season.

In addition to Hamilton, Gary Johnson put in another steady performance, earning a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. While he is not nearly as emotional a player as Hamilton, it seems that the quiet, scrappy forward is going to take charge this season. In the post-game press conference, even J’Covan Brown agreed. “Last year, I couldn’t tell you who was leading,” Brown said. “One day it was one person, one day it was another. I don’t think anybody’s going to take [Johnson’s] job.”

There’s no doubt that last year’s team had chemistry and leadership issues. The second-half meltdown at Connecticut in January was a microcosm of the season as a whole, with the Longhorns looking disheveled and desperate, lacking a strong figure to carry them through adversity. When that adversity inevitably comes calling this season, Texas fans must hope that Hamilton and Johnson can rally the troops.

2) How will the frontcourt come together? – A weird day ended in appropriate fashion, as Coach Barnes told reporters at the post-game press conference that they were “leaning towards” redshirting big man Clint Chapman. Just hours after the announcement of Shawn Williams‘ transfer, the news came as a shock. A shirt for Chapman means the Texas frontcourt consists of just Tristan Thompson, Johnson, Matt Hill, and Alexis Wangmene. Foul trouble or injuries could spell absolute disaster.

Fortunately, Hill and Wangmene proved themselves adequate reserves for the Horns. Granted, their performances came against a service academy, a far cry from the frontcourts Texas will see in conference play. But both men had far fewer mistakes than we’ve seen in previous seasons, and Wangmene even contributed offensively. Alexis’ eight points were a welcome sight after two seasons in which he averaged only two per game.

Thompson, meanwhile, warmed up quite nicely after some early-game hiccups. He couldn’t seem to handle a pass or dribble the ball in his first few minutes, but he finished the night with twelve points and seven boards. He ran the floor nicely, which is going to be huge for a team that demonstrated just how good they can be when the tempo is pushed.

Yes, the Texas bigs had some defensive lapses. And yes, all of them seemed completely befuddled by the idea of a double-team. But compared to some of the nightmare scenarios Texas fans have been dreaming up for this Longhorn frontcourt, last night’s slightly-above-average performance was oddly reassuring.

3) How deep is the bench? – Coach Barnes used every scholarship player at his disposal, except for the possibly-redshirting Chapman. Hill and Wangmene combined for 27 minutes, while each of the other seven Longhorns saw the floor for at least 22 minutes. Barnes experimented with quite a few lineups, resulting in a few eyebrow-raising combinations that lacked offensive punch.

Minutes in the backcourt will be interesting to track this season. Last night, the four guards played nearly identical minutes — Jai Lucas had 24, while Cory Joseph played 25, and Brown and Dogus Balbay posted 23 and 22, respectively. While beating a team soundly, it’s easy to spread the PT and give everybody their orange slices at halftime. But when things get tough later in the season, how will Barnes tweak the rotation? In the past, he’s been seemingly unwilling to give Brown much of a rope. Fans can only hope that this year the sophomore guard gets more time to shine.

A few other things worth nothing:

Transition defense was sorely lacking at times against the Midshipmen. On a Rick Barnes team, that simply won’t fly, and it was clear that the head coach was not at all pleased by the lax effort. With seven minutes to go in the second half, Navy had one fast break bucket where not a single Longhorn made an effort to stop the ball. Barnes immediately called a timeout and replaced Brown and Wangmene with Hill and Hamilton. There were other instances which weren’t quite as glaring, but it was clear that Texas had some issues picking up assignments in transition.

For the second year in a row, Texas is pushing the pace. And that is a very, very good thing. This team has far too much talent and athleticism to be bogged down by an anemic half-court offense. Last season, the Longhorns averaged 72.6 possessions per game after averaging between 64 and 68 per game over the previous six years.

Last night, the Longhorns ran an up-tempo game even more in the second half, and the results were fantastic. Texas outscored Navy 54-32 in the final 20 minutes, shooting over 57% in the half. In a much slower first half, Texas was stifled by the Navy zone, hitting only hit 41.7% of their shots from the field, including a frustrating 1-of-9 from behind the arc.

Finally, it must be mentioned that once again the Longhorns struggled from the free throw line. They hit just 56% of their free throws, including a 2-for-4 night from the typically-steady Brown. The upside, however, is that Texas’ free-throw rate improved dramatically. Measured as free-throw attempts per field goal attempts, the Horns’ FTR was 57.6%, a shocking increase from the 40% rate they had last season.

As a point of comparison, consider last year’s Kansas State team. The Wildcats were runners-up in the Big 12 Championship and advanced to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament while making just 67% of their free throws. What kept KSU afloat, however, was a free throw rate north of 50%. While the Wildcats missed a lot of free throws, they were at the line far more often than their opponents. With this year’s Texas team, it appears there is a dedication to getting to the rim, which often leads to the charity stripe. That’s one good way for the Horns to overcome these pathetic free throw percentages.

The Longhorns will be back in action again tomorrow night, wrapping up the opening round of the 2KSports Classic with an 8 P.M. home game against Louisiana Tech.

After a season in which Texas fell from No. 1 in the nation to the depths of the unranked and suffered a first-round exit in the NCAA tournament, questions surrounded the team’s future. Just eight months later, most remain unanswered as we rapidly approach the tip-off of the 2010-11 season.

The graduation of seniors Damion James, Dexter Pittman, and Justin Mason left the team without experienced leadership and opened a gaping hole in the frontcourt. Avery Bradley‘s decision to enter the NBA Draft after his freshman year, coupled with the transfer of guard Varez Ward, means this Texas team could see a drop-off in its perimeter D. And with today’s stunning transfer announcement from redshirt freshman swingman Shawn Williams, the picture becomes even murkier.

We’ll get to an in-depth look at the team during the off-day tomorrow, but tonight we pose three questions as the season approaches. All deal with identity, as the 2010-11 Longhorn basketball team is as enigmatic as any Texas squad in recent memory.

1) Who will be the leader? – If Texas is looking for senior leadership this season, there’s very little experience to draw on. Only Gary Johnson and Dogus Balbay have seen significant playing time, and with the addition of freshman star Cory Joseph to the mix, Balbay may see a decline in minutes this year. It’s rare to find a vocal team leader who isn’t a key player.

Johnson may be the most-likely candidate, but there’s also hope that Jordan Hamilton or J’Covan Brown can mature into team leaders in their sophomore seasons. Hamilton starts the year on the Wooden Award’s Preseason Top 50 list, and certainly showed flashes of brilliance last season, such as his 27 and 24-point performances on the road against Oklahoma State and Missouri. Brown also had some standout moments in 2009-10, but has a reputation for losing his cool and for frustrating his head coach. Both players could definitely take the reins this year, but will have to overcome their proclivity for taking ill-advised shots.

Then, of course, there are the two star freshman. Both point guard Corey Joseph and forward Tristan Thompson were McDonald’s All-Americans, and both come to the 40 Acres with mountains of hype behind them. The transcendent freshman who can instantly lead his team is a rare thing, however — although each year there seems to be one or two in the nation with the NBA’s new age requirements. It’s believable that Joseph or Thompson could be the calm, confident leader of the Longhorns come March. But for the next few months, we expect a few growing pains.

2) How will the frontcourt come together? – Without James and Pittman, the Texas frontcourt is still a mystery. Thompson arrived in Austin with a reputation as a steady post defender who was developing his offensive game nicely during his senior year. In the tough Big 12, however, it’s difficult for a freshman big man to instantly make an impact, so it’s likely we see Thompson stay at his natural power forward position.

The result of that decision, though, is that Matt Hill, Alexis Wangmene, and Clint Chapman will have to pick up the slack at center. Combined, those three players averaged just 4.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game last season. Departed seniors James and Pittman, on the other hand, combined to average 28.4 points and 16.2 boards in 49.4 minutes. While Hill has impressed during summer workouts, to say these big men have their hands full could be the understatement of the year.

3) How deep is the bench? – At the start of last season, it was a commonly accepted fact that Texas’ biggest problem was finding minutes for all of their talented. Thanks to injuries and an inexplicable meltdown, that problem quickly disappeared. This season, it’s still unclear just how many Longhorns will be key contributors. Thompson, Brown, Hamilton, and Johnson will unquestionably be called upon for most of the minutes. And while it’s not yet known how Joseph and Balbay will split time at the point, both will certainly be key contributors.

The real mystery surrounds the role of bench players like guard Jai Lucas and big men Chapman, Hill, and Wangmene. Based on what we’ve seen in the past, none of those four players is ready for the spotlight. But at the same time, there’s no way Texas will survive with just a six-man rotation. Tonight we’ll be looking to see just how far down the bench Rick Barnes is willing to go, and just how often he calls on those reserves.

If you’re in the Austin area, come down to the Drum for the season opener tonight. There are still many tickets available, and packages for this game and Wednesday night’s contest against Louisiana Tech are available for as little as $10. For the out-of-town folks, ESPNU will be carrying the tip at 8 P.M., or as soon as Pitt and Rhode Island wrap up their season opener.

It may be the middle of football season, but we received an email this morning that was far too hilarious to pass up.

Seton Hall is offering lower-level season tickets in a Buy One, Get One Free promotion. That’s right, folks! If you know how to fire a handgun and navigate NJ Transit, you and a friend can enjoy high-flying Pirate basketball at Newark’s Prudential Center for only half-price!

However, if you were dumb enough to already be a SHU season ticket holder, you unfortunately are not eligible to double your displeasure. Only “new” season ticket holders (read: those who missed the Bobby Gonzalez debacle) are eligible for this promotion, and anyone creating new accounts to skirt the rules will LOSE ALL PRIORITY POINTS. That’s a pretty big deterrent against shenanigans, if you ask us. How can you ever expect to reclaim priority over the six other season ticket holders?

For those of you who just can’t contain your excitement, click right here to waste your money make the best $550 investment of your life.

The University of Texas released the non-conference schedule for the men’s basketball team yesterday, and the Longhorns once again have a top-flight list of opponents before Big 12 play. Use the drop-down menu at the top of the page to check out the full season schedule, or simply click this handy-dandy hyperlink.

Texas opens the season with the Coaches vs. Cancer tournament, which culminates in a pair of games at Madison Square Garden against two of the tournament’s other three regional hosts — Illinois, Maryland, and Pittsburgh. The Terrapins and Panthers were both NCAA tournament teams in 2010, and both advanced out of the first round. While the Illini did not make it into the Big Dance, hopes are high for their 2010-11 campaign, and ESPN’s Andy Katz even ranked them 15th in his first preseason poll.

The Longhorns also face a trio of perennial powers in this season’s non-conference slate. Texas first travels to Greensboro, North Carolina to tangle with the Tar Heels on December 18th. As we reported on Twitter last week, the two schools were in talks to move this year’s game to the Bahamas. With this year’s contest staying Stateside, it fulfills North Carolina’s “semi-home” game in the current contract and now leaves the two schools free to revisit the Nassau option in future seasons.

While the Tar Heels were sent reeling following their loss to the Longhorns last December, they seemed to put the pieces together in the post-season and surged to the NIT finals, where they lost to Dayton. With another year under the belts of the young and talented Carolina team — plus the addition of freshman stud Harrison Barnes — the Tar Heels are set for a solid 2010-11 campaign.

Just four days later, Texas heads to East Lansing for an on-campus match-up with Michigan State. The Spartans are coming off their second-straight Final Four, and return all of their key players outside of Raymar Morgan. Although the Longhorns escaped with a victory against MSU in Austin last December, they have historically had trouble with Tom Izzo‘s teams. A true road game against a preseason-Top 5 squad will certainly be a challenge for the Horns.

In early January, Texas hosts Connecticut at the Frank Erwin Center. Like the Tar Heels, the Huskies had an abnormally mediocre season last year. Unlike North Carolina, however, Connecticut managed to knock off the Horns in the midst of their struggles. The Huskies are bringing in a pair of 4-star guards and return Kemba Walker, so expect coach Jim Calhoun to have his team ready for another exciting match-up.

The Longhorns will also face two more major conference opponents in Southern Cal and Arkansas. Texas knocked off both of those teams in 2009-10, and are looking for another clean sweep this year. The Trojans are still embroiled in NCAA drama, as their school’s lawyers are fighting sanctions that were handed down earlier this month. Coach Kevin O’Neill certainly has his hands full rebuilding the program, but his squad matured nicely at the end of last season.

The Razorbacks, meanwhile, will be without star guard Courtney Fortson, who declared for the NBA draft and signed with an agent in April. Arkansas fans are lamenting the decision, as Fortson went unselected in Thursday night’s draft. They can take solace in the fact that sharpshooter Rotnei Clarke will still be on the court for Coach John Pelphrey, though.

In addition to the major names, the Longhorns filled the remainder of their non-conference slate with a slew of mid-major opponents. Navy and Louisiana Tech are Texas’ opening round opponents in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, while in-state foes Lamar, Rice, and Sam Houston State are all making trips to the Frank Erwin Center. North Florida and Coppin State round out the non-conference sked for the Horns with match-ups in December.