In last year’s inaugural round of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series, the Texas Longhorns scored a momentous victory on a Damion James dunk with only eight seconds to play. The throwdown capped a hard-fought, tense battle between two top ten teams, and the 63-61 victory over the homestanding Bruins gave Texas their first road win over a #1-ranked team in school history.

You can be sure that will be on the minds of the eight returning upperclassmen on Ben Howland‘s team when they make the return trip to Austin tonight. Although the Bruins have lost 39 points and 20 rebounds per game to the NBA with the departures of Kevin Love, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, and Russell Westbrook, UCLA is anything but rebuilding.

The offseason saw Howland ink a recruiting class that was ranked #1 in the country by Scout, a group of freshmen so talented that it warranted the re-issue of Michigan’s famous “Fab Five” nickname. Led by freshman starter Jrue Holiday, the newest quintet of Bruins all but insures that UCLA is the easy favorite in the Pac-10 this season.

By the numbers

The most glaring problem with the new-look Bruins is their lack of an inside presence. Without Love and Mbah a Moute, UCLA’s top returning rebounder is wingman Josh Shipp, who grabbed only 3.2 boards a game last season. Despite missing a true bruiser in the paint, the Bruins still boast a +9.2 rebounding margin so far this season, actually a +0.8 shift from last year. Granted, the sample size is small and includes a bevy of easy opponents so far this season, but the numbers are something of a relief for UCLA fans who expected disastrous results on the glass this year.

Coach Howland has expressed an interest in opening up the floor a little more this season, and with a senior point guard like Darren Collison, why wouldn’t he? Long famous for a patient offense and an even more patient defense, Ben’s Bruins have always relied on low-scoring affairs with a lack of possessions that serve to highlight their efficiency. Despite their coach’s professed interest in a more up-tempo game this year, it seems so far that the 2008-09 UCLA team is more of the same. Tempo numbers from Ken Pomeroy reveal that the Bruins are actually playing at a slightly slower tempo this year, with only 64.3 possessions per game.

One notable issue so far this year for UCLA has been issues with ball control, something that the Longhorns exploited in last year’s road victory. Texas built its first-half lead last year on the strength of ten fast-break points, and the statistics say there’s a good chance that Rick Barnes could have his team do the same tonight. In the season opener against Prairie View A&M, the Bruins had a ridiculous 24 turnovers, including six each from point guards Collison and Jerime Anderson. In a loss to Michigan just a week later, UCLA coughed it up 17 times.

The starting five

The big name for the Bruins is obviously the aforementioned Collison. Practically a guaranteed lottery pick in last year’s NBA draft, the point guard returned to school in hopes that he could finally lead UCLA from being just a Final Four team to being National Champions. The son of world-class sprinters from Guyana, Collison can push the ball with the best of them and easily zip past defenders to get the rack. But defenses cannot simply sag off of him, as his three-point shooting is deadly. Last season, he set a UCLA record with a 52.5% conversion rate from behind the arc, and has hit 7-of-10 to start the current year. Against a Texas team that has difficulty shutting down long-range threats, Collison could have a field day.

Freshman combo guard Holiday is not just a heck of an athlete, but also a surprising source of help for the rebounding worries surrounding UCLA. At 6’3″, Jrue isn’t the biggest man on the floor, but he has been dubbed by Coach Howland the best pound-for-pound rebounder on the team. Holiday also has quality handles and can take over at the point for Collison, giving Howland a bit more flexibility if the senior guard gets into foul trouble or needs a rest.

At the wing, Shipp is providing a much-needed offensive boost for the Bruins. He is the second-leading scorer that returns from last year’s team, and although he has recently struggled from long range, Josh is still always a threat to drop a three. His ability to create and also hit the outside shot really helps to open up the floor for Collison and the Bruins, something that was all too evident when he had an off day against Michigan. In the loss to the Wolverines, Shipp was held to only five points, and his struggles against the Michigan 1-3-1 zone allowed the defense to sag even further off. If Texas can limit the damage from Shipp tonight, it will make things easier elsewhere on the defensive end.

Inside, Cameroonian center Alfred Aboya provides senior leadership. Never a huge scoring threat, Aboya is going to need to eat up a lot more minutes for the Bruins and provide quality defense and rebounding. He showed some problems controlling his fouls against Michigan, so perhaps that is something that Damion James and Gary Johnson can try to exploit.

The Bruins are also looking for increased contribution from forward James Keefe, who missed most of last year with a foot injury and didn’t start to shine until late in conference play. His breakout game was a double-double performance in the Sweet 16 against Western Kentucky, but that post-season performance hasn’t quite carried over to the 2008-09 campaign. Keefe definitely has a dangerous mid-range shot and his hustle inside leads to the occasional putbacks, but his averages this year are a paltry 3.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest.

Off the bench

With Holiday the only member of that recruiting class in the starting lineup, there is a ton of young talent on Ben Howland’s bench. But the biggest X-factor for UCLA could actually be the play of wingman Michael Roll, a junior who has struggled with injury throughout his career. A scrappy 6’5″ player, Roll can spread out the floor just as well as Shipp can, and hits at a steadier rate from behind the arc. He’s currently 50% from long range this season, and he’s showcased a nice mid-range touch in non-conference play.

The freshmen class provides some added depth in the post, with former LSU commit J’Mison Morgan playing really solid defense for a first-year guy. His five blocks lead the team despite the fact he only plays eight minutes a game, and the kid really grasps the concept of verticality.

Drew Gordon is another big body down low, although he’s a bit smaller than Morgan. Gordon is a lengthy guy who isn’t afraid to throw his weight around, but early on he’s shown some incredible athleticism for a guy his size. He’s certainly not a one-and-done guy for Howland, so UCLA fans will get a chance to see this talented player develop over the next few seasons.

In the backcourt, Anderson is being groomed to be the point guard of the future, while Malcolm Lee is a talented two guard who played for the USA under-18 team this summer. Ben Howland loves Lee’s defense, but he could stand to spend some time in the weight room with college strength coaches. When he adds some more muscle to his frame, opposing guards are going to be even more frustrated on offense.

Suspended for the first game of the year, Nikolas Dragovic is eating up a bunch of minutes off the bench for the Bruins. He’s not a huge scoring threat, although he has certainly taken his share of three pointers so far this year. His sixteen attempts from behind the arc is second on the team to only Shipp, and his scant 25% success rate is second-worst on the squad. In his freshman campaigmn, Dragovic was just as bad from long range, making less than 24% of his attempts.

Keys to the game

Win the turnover battle – The Longhorns have been careless with the ball quite often this season, and against a UCLA team that limits the number of possessions, Texas cannot afford to throw away scoring opportunities. In addition, the Bruins have displayed their own difficulties with ball control, so the Longhorns must continue their early-season success in forcing points off of turnovers.

Crash the glass – Part of the reason the Bruins are so efficient is their dedication to keeping opponents off the offensive glass and limiting them to one-and-done possessions. Texas has had an uncharacteristically stagnant offense so far this year, so they will likely need second and third chances in the half court. James, Johnson, and Dexter Pittman will need to be vacuums on both ends of the court today.

Searching for Connor Atchley – Atchley provided some key plays in last year’s game and helped to stifle Kevin Love on the defensive end. When Atchley was missing due to foul trouble, the Texas offense paid the price — particularly A.J. Abrams — who found it more difficult to get open on the perimeter. Connor will need to put aside the timid play he has shown so far this season and step up in tonight’s contest.

Mason must lead the way – If you’re close enough to the court to hear the players, it’s amazing just how much Justin Mason is coaching the team. And while he’s stepped up as a vocal leader, lately he has become a scoring leader as well. Against a very well-schooled, patient defense, Mase will need to create points and shepherd the offense. And on the other end of the ball, he will have to continue his lockdown defense against an excellent backcourt.

Just a quick blurb to let you know that while we did not die while surfing, my computer did kick the bucket yesterday morning. For those of you looking for info on today’s game, the Longhorns face the Ducks at 3:30 P.M. CST on ESPN2.

I hope to have a loaner computer when we get back to the mainland, so things should be back to normal within a few days. Enjoy the game this afternoon.

Through two games against lesser opponents, the two most notable things about the 2008-09 Longhorns were their sloppy ball control and an impenetrable defense. The big question was whether or not either of these trends would change against real competition. They didn’t.

Texas defeated St. Joe’s 68-50 in the opening round of the Maui Invitational yesterday, but turned the ball over 16 times in the process. That stingy defense remained, however, holding the Hawks to only 29% shooting, including just 4-of-21 from long range. Through three games, Longhorn opponents have been limited to 28.9% shooting from the field and 21.9% shooting from behind the arc. According to Ken Pomeroy’s metrics, Texas has the fifth-toughest defense in the country to date.

The downside, though, was the continued problems controlling the basketball. Texas had turned it over a nauseating 34 times in the first two games against Stetson and Tulane, and Coach Rick Barnes saw his team cough it up another 16 times against the Hawks. Many of the turnovers were unforced errors, with entry passes to the post being lobbed out of reach, or fast breaks being stifled by trying to squeeze the ball through three defenders.

The Longhorns are an incredibly athletic team, and it seems at times that they are too busy trying to run the other team out of the gym to actually slow down and play efficient basketball. With time, Barnes will certainly get this worked out; after all, he did say at the tournament’s Tip Off Banquet that “this team can be really good in a month.”

Bench play was a very bright spot in this game, with Alexis Wangmene, Gary Johnson, and Varez Ward looking great off the pine. Johnson was an absolute beast on the glass, logging a double-double with a 14/10 line. Gary oftentimes wasn’t even in the “right” position to grab a rebound, but used his athleticism and unbridled aggressiveness to get to the ball. If Johnson is providing these kind of 20-plus minute performances night after night, the Texas depth is going to keep opposing coaches up at night.

Wangmene stepped out in this one after seeing very little action in the first two games. Much like Johnson, Wangmene did most of his work by simply fighting down low. His 8/7 line doesn’t tell the whole story, either, as he added a block and helped Texas corral a few extra rebounds by just tipping the loose ball to teammates.

In the backcourt, Ward looked much more comfortable in the flow of the offense. He found the open man, providing four assists in only twelve minutes on the court. And perhaps most importantly for the young man, he made his first two free throws of the day to erase the bitter taste of his 0-for-6 season numbers from the line. Ward did miss his other two attempts, but it’s a nice psychological lift to get that monkey off his back.

As always, Damion James and A.J. Abrams led the way for the Longhorns, quietly putting up their typical double-digit scoring numbers. Abrams continued his hot start from long range, knocking down 4-of-7 behind the arc, many of which came with the tiniest bit of separation from the defender. A.J. still is looking to take runners off the dribble, a kind of shot that he had trouble making during his sophomore campaign. Last season, Abrams improved and was able to knock those down with regularity, but this seasons those runners are looking a bit more like the A.J. of old. Once he gets those to start falling again, defenses will really have their hands full.

DaMo didn’t grab quite as many rebounds as usual, but was quite impressive on the defensive end. He was often guarding smaller, faster players past the perimeter, but showcased enough lateral quickness to stick with his man. James had two steals and a block against the Hawks, but gave it back three times with those unforced errors mentioned above.

Sophomore guard Dogus Balbay is still a bit of an enigma at this point, just two games into his college career. Offensively, the speed we saw at times against Tulane doesn’t seem to translate to taking defenders off the dribble. He has a knack for finding the open man when he actually does get the D to collapse, but it appears that he can’t blow past the guards and into the paint to make that happen with any regularity.

On the other side of the ball, he is certainly showing that his reputation as a lockdown defender was well-founded, but at times looks like he may be pushing too hard to live up to that hype. When he stayed in position and played sound ball, St. Joe’s had no answer. But when Dogus over-extended himself to make a big play, that’s when the Hawks were able to squirt by and force the Texas D to rotate.

With the victory, Texas moves on to today’s semifinal against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. While St. Joe’s was definitely the bet team the Horns have faced to date, today’s match-up will be an incredible test. The preview of that one will be headed your way in the late afternoon. For now, it’s time to try out this whole surfing thing.

This morning the Longhorns kick off three days of high-caliber basketball on the island of Maui, taking on St. Jospeh’s in an opening-round clash. The weekend here has been much more packed with activities than anticipated, and the 10 A.M. tip time here on Hawaii’s second-largest island has created a bit of a time crunch. So, today’s game preview won’t be quite as in-depth as usual, but we’ll cover the necessities. Call it a game preview, Maui style.

About the Hawks

This isn’t the St. Joseph’s of 2004, which finished the regular season with only a single loss and fell just one win short of the Final Four. But the Hawks are still a dangerous team, led by their indomitable big man Ahmad Nivins. The senior forward was all-conference last year in the Atlantic-10+4, playing over 30 minutes a game for Coach Phil Martelli while averaging 14.4 points and 5.8 boards. In the first two games for St. Joe’s this year, Nivins is averaging a double-double, with 21 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.

Nivins will be relied on to help steady a team which lost its two leading scorers in forwards Pat Calathes and Rob Ferguson. But the Hawks also have a senior leader in the backcourt, point guard Tasheed Carr. The upperclassman is in only his second season with the team after transferring from Iowa State, but is the only player besides Nivins who averaged more than 30 minutes a game in 2007-08.

The biggest question for St. Joseph’s is which other big man will step up today. Nivins is without a doubt an incredible force down low, but the Longhorns are deeper in the frontcourt than they have been in years. If Texas sells out to defend Nivins, the other Hawks will have to provide enough offense to force the Longhorns to reconsider their gameplan. That means a lot of pressure falls on the shoulders of sophomore forward Idris Hilliard, a 6’7″ kid from New Jersey who has seen his playing time jump from just six minutes a game last year to almost 34 in the first two games this season.

Garrett Williamson is a guard off of Martelli’s bench that could create some match-up problems for Texas thanks to his height. The junior guard is listed at 6’5″, and the Longhorn backcourt has shown weakness against taller guards and wings in the past. Although significantly shorter than Williamson and Carr, Justin Mason will be asked to step up on the defensive end today. Varez Ward may also see an increase in minutes thanks to his lockdown D, provided his sprained ankle is completely healed.

There’s also a slight Texas connection on the bench for the Hawks today, as little-used Nigerian center Temi Adebayo played at Montrose Christian last year, the same school that produced phenom Kevin Durant.

For the Longhorns

So far this season, the big story for Texas has been their defense. Against Tulane, the Longhorns showed full-court pressure, guarded the Green Wave well past the perimeter, and constantly put hands in the passing lanes. Texas has forced 44 turnovers in their first two ballgames, stifling the opposing offenses before they can get started. But even when Stetson and Tulane managed to work the ball around, the Longhorns’ strong D has resulted in tough looks. Through two games, Texas opponents are shooting a paltry 28.7% from the field.

The problem spots so far for the Longhorns are turnovers and free throw shooting. Although Texas has forced a ton of miscues by their opponents, sloppy ball handling has given fans cause for concern. The Longhorns have coughed it up 34 times in their first two games against decidedly over-matched opponents, a number that will certainly never fly against top-level competition.

From the free throw line, Texas is shooting an abysmal 51% so far this season. The biggest criminals from the charity stripe have been Mason (3-of-7), Damion James (3-of-6), Clint Chapman (1-of-4), and Varez Ward (0-of-6). While there’s really no excuse for poor free throw shooting, at this point in the year we’re choosing to give Chapman and Ward a pass based on their youth. But James and Mason must be leaders for the team, and it’s tough to have confidence late in games if your go-to guys can’t knock down the freebies.

This is a game that Texas should win, but St. Joseph’s is definitely a team talented enough to spring the upset. Good teams are most often undermined by a sudden failure to execute the most basic fundamentals, so the Longhorns must control the ball and hit their free throws. Nivins will definitely score in today’s contest and likely wreak havoc on the glass, but if the Longhorns can do the simple things, they should advance to the winner’s bracket for a semifinal tomorrow.

We leave Austin Bergstrom International Airport in a little more than three hours, the first step in a very long day filled with tarmacs, cramped legs, and fattening airport fast food. But it all leads up to an incredible week in Hawaii that includes luaus, snorkeling, hiking, and three Longhorn basketball games. I suppose that’s a fair trade.

Sometime this weekend we’ll take a look back at Tulane and a look ahead to St. Joe’s, although we’re sure that all Texas eyes will be focused on the football game in Norman. But in between the beers and the Corn Nuts, swing on by Longhorn Road Trip to see what’s new. Hopefully there will be some Hawaii pictures and trip logs mixed in with fresh basketball coverage.

Happy Friday, y’all. I’m off to Maui!