The subject says it all, sports fans. The photo above and many more from our trip to Kansas City are now available. This was quite a time-consuming project, so notes from the trip will have to be delayed until after our weekend sojourn to JerryWorld for the Carolina game. In the meantime, click the photo above or the link below to peruse over 60 pictures from our two days in Kansas City.

Click here for photos from KC!

For the sports fans sitting at home watching ESPN last night, seeing the score of the Texas game crawl across the bottom of the screen might have raised a few eyebrows. It may have even induced a few grumblings about the “Burnt Orange Media Conspiracy” from our friends northeast of us on the Brazos River. But as good as the Longhorns looked last night, and no matter how many points they ultimately defeated their opponents by, excitement must be tempered. The Texas-Pan American Broncs might have been the worst team we’ve seen in the Frank Erwin Center for at least three years.

The loss was the tenth in eleven games for UTPA, while the 42-point output was the fourth showing in which they mustered 50 points or less. The 62-point margin also surpassed the Broncs’ 56-point loss to Missouri in the category of Most Embarrassing, Demoralizing Loss. I think it’s an ESPY Award, actually.

Suffice it to say, this was simply an overmatched team that Texas toyed with for forty minutes. When walk-on Dean Melchionni sees playing time with more than eleven minutes left in the game, you can be sure things are out of hand. So with all that in mind, what can Texas fans actually take from this one-sided affair?

What looked good

For this game, the subhead title above might be misleading. There was very little that didn’t look good in the midst of a methodical dismantling of the UTPA Lollipop Guild. But there were specific things that will hopefully carry forward and play a part in games against good competition. And from our perspective, the most important development of the night was seeing Avery Bradley adequately handle point guard responsibilities.

Bradley didn’t run the show the entire night, as Dogus Balbay was having yet another spectacular night at the one. But Avery did manage to dish out five assists on the night, and didn’t seem even slightly uncomfortable while shouldering the load of floor general. He’ll certainly have his challenges trying to play the point against tougher defenses, but a game like this is a huge confidence boost for a kid that has been a consistent two-guard all season long.

Off the ball, Bradley continued to impress with his silky-smooth shot. He chipped in 18 points, giving him 50 over his last three games, and seemed nearly unstoppable in the mid-range. He elevates so quickly and has such a smooth release, that he’s able to stop-and-pop over defenders, or immediately take a well-timed pass from Balbay or the blocks that results in a swished jumper. Coming into the season, we all knew that Bradley was considered the top freshman in the nation by some outlets, but his play over the last two weeks has Texas fans giddy over what could be in store the rest of the way.

As mentioned, Balbay again had a masterful performance running the show. He hustled all over the floor, forcing UTPA miscues on defense, grabbing three steals, and even secured five rebounds. He had nine more assists to add to his gaudy numbers for the year, while coughing the ball up just one time. On the season, that gives Dogus a sick 3.92 assist-to-TO ratio.

It wasn’t just defense, rebounding, and facilitating the offense for Balbay last night. He even shocked the crowd by sinking a three-pointer early in the first half, his first successful attempt of the year. For all the statheads out there, here is your Meaningless Number of the Night — the Texas Longhorns are 2-0 in games where Dogus Balbay makes a three-pointer. Who cares that he’s got a lifetime success rate of 15% behind the arc? Clearly opposing coaches must start game-planning for this telling statistic.

It was also reassuring to see that Jordan Hamilton‘s hot start from behind the arc didn’t mean he was going to be anchored to the perimeter all night. He continued his recent trend of attacking off the dribble and crashing the glass when his bank shots weren’t falling. Jordan has been a streaky shooter from outside this season, and early in the year he was content to continue chucking up threes even when he was struggling. Seeing him sink threes and force the issue off the dribble speaks to the fact that his game is already evolving.

While the play of Melchionni and fellow walk-on Andrew Dick isn’t something that will be important in worthwhile games, it was nice to see them both earn significant minutes. Dick scored his first-ever collegiate points on a three-pointer that elicited a roar from the remaining fans and added another bucket later on a nice cut to the rim. Melchionni missed all three of his shots on the night, but did grab his first two career rebounds.

In addition to getting minutes for the walk-ons, Texas also was able to get in a lot of work on their full-court defense, and harassed the Broncs to the tune of 21 turnovers. Had Barnes kept his foot on the gas the entire game, UTPA easily would have had 30-plus miscues, and the Longhorns likely would have won by more than 75 points. Seeing an effective full-court scheme is a great thing heading into Saturday’s match-up with Carolina, as the young Heels have had issues with ball control all season long.

While this final number isn’t that impressive when you consider the opponent, it still must be noted that the Longhorns held an insane 64-31 rebounding advantage in this game. Whether or not Coach Barnes was exploiting the height difference or just responding to his limited backcourt depth, the big lineups that Texas threw out there had an absolute field day against the tiny Bronc roster. UT-Pan Am had just thirteen offensive rebounds in the entire game, even though they missed 48 shots. Giving a team a second chance just once every four possessions is completely dominant basketball.

What needed work

The biggest concern for Texas was that Dexter Pittman once again immediately found himself in foul trouble. It took only two-and-a-half minutes for the big man to be whistled twice in this game. Fouls have limited Pittman’s minutes in a few games in recent weeks, and he will definitely have his hands full on Saturday against North Carolina’s deep and talented frontcourt. If he finds himself in foul trouble again against the Heels, Roy Williams could easily exploit his team’s advantages in the frontcourt.

Beyond that one area of concern, there was not much for Texas fans to nitpick in this game. Coach Barnes mentioned in his post-game interview that the team lost focus a bit, although it seems perfectly normal for a team to do so when rolling to a 60-point victory. Fans can be sure, though, that Barnes will use that observation as a teaching tool the rest of the week leading into Carolina and Michigan State.

The big finish

With perhaps their weakest opponent behind them, the Longhorns now must prepare themselves for one of the two toughest weeks on their schedule. While consecutive road games in January against Kansas State and Connecticut won’t be easy for Texas, the upcoming one-two punch of North Carolina and Michigan State should be the stiffest test the team faces this year. The Longhorns’ performance in these first two mammoth challenges of the season will show fans what they can expect from the team as the season rolls into conference play.

As the team prepares for those two games, we’ll be doing a lot of catch-up work here at LRT. We’ve got a batch of photos to share from Kansas City and ice , along with a few notes to add from those road trips. And of course, an in-depth game preview for Carolina is headed your way at the end of the week.

As the records above would indicate, there’s not much of a challenge facing the Longhorns tonight as they host the independent UT-Pan Am Broncs. The visitors are in the midst of an NCAA investigation, have self-sanctioned their program to the tune of one less scholarship, and have a lineup with seven newcomers including three walk-ons. This one could get very, very messy.

The Broncs have played a bold schedule early this season, having already taken on Missouri, Nebraska, and Mississippi State. Those three games netted losses of 56, 28, and 25 points, respectively. Even when not playing big-conference opponents, UT-Pan Am has struggled. They dropped a 10-point contest at home to Texas State, the school which the Longhorns defeated by 33 points on Saturday. While we all know that the Transitive Property of Scoreboards is highly inaccurate, those numbers add up to a 43 point Texas win tonight. Yeehaw.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Texas, as the Longhorns stumble into this game with quite a bruised lineup. Coach Barnes will be without both J’Covan Brown and Shawn Williams who are recovering from ankle injuries suffered Saturday against Texas State. Sophomore guard Varez Ward is out for the year with a ruptured quadriceps tendon, while Florida transfer Jai Lucas will not actually be eligible to play until Saturday, not tonight as initially expected. That leaves Texas with just Dogus Balbay, Justin Mason, and Avery Bradley in the backcourt.

Fortunately for Texas, their opponents are incredibly undersized and can be abused by a Longhorn lineup that is skewed towards the frontcourt. For that to happen, though, Texas will have to get more than the combined 35.5 minutes that Dexter Pittman and Damion James averaged in the last two games.

UT-Pan American has eleven players who are averaging more than ten minutes per contest, and quite frankly, none of them are worth the time or the words we could spend on previewing them. Walk-on guard Aaron Urbanas earns a cursory note from us, solely due to the fact that he played at Bowie High School in south Austin.

With that same dismissive attitude, we provide our one key to the game for Texas — show up in uniform at tip-off. Texas will easily cruise in this game, so easily in fact that stat guru Ken Pomeroy’s models give the Longhorns a 100% chance to win the game. Interestingly enough, that model also gives the same stone-cold lock status for Texas against Gardner-Webb in two weeks.

If you’re in town and want to catch the game, print this web coupon and enjoy a buy one, get one free offer from Texas Box Office. And since the game will likely be out of reach before halftime, you can even get the kids in bed at a decent hour. If you are located elsewhere in Texas, turn on the TV to Fox Sports Southwest, while those Longhorn fans flung nationwide can get the game as part of ESPN’s Full Court package, or online at ESPN360.com.

The Longhorns are off to a rocking 7-0 start this season, the third time they’ve reached that mark in the last five seasons. While they haven’t played any particularly great teams, their strength of schedule is currently the second-toughest of the nation’s fifteen remaining unbeaten teams. That SOS score will definitely take a hit after this afternoon’s game with the Texas State Bobcats, but the Longhorns can rest assured that they will still be amongst the unblemished.

The Bobcats are returning seven players from last year’s squad, but have only two seniors on the roster. They lost their three best players to graduation, but signed a trio of juco transfers that has fourth-year coach Doug Davalos excited about his team’s prospects this season. Unfortunately for Davalos and the Bobcats, not many others hold those same expectations. Texas State was predicted to finish at or near the bottom of the Southland Conference’s West Division by most media outlets.

By the numbers

So far this season, the numbers haven’t been pretty for the Bobcats. If the 3-6 start isn’t bad enough, their defense and sloppy ballhandling have fans pulling out their hair. Texas State has allowed teams to hit 48.9% of their three-point attempts so far this year, better than only one other team in all of Division I basketball. Against a Texas team that has a bevy of solid outside shooters, the lack of perimeter defense could lead to a nightmare situation for the ‘Cats.

On offense, Texas State can’t seem to hang on to the basketball. They turn it over more than once every four possessions, which led to nauseating performances against Arizona State and Cal State Northridge. In those two games, the Bobcats coughed it up a combined 57 times. That kind of performance would embarrass a Little Dribblers coach.

Texas State runs an up-tempo style of play that is actually fifth-quickest in the country to date. Having so many possessions per game certainly helps the Bobcats make up for the fact that they lose the ball so often, but against efficient offensive teams like Texas, that style can only lead to bigger blowouts. The Longhorns and Bobcats have met all three years that Coach Davalos has been on the sideline, and while last year’s game was respectably close, his up-tempo style has been a boon for Texas. In those three meetings, the Longhorns have averaged 91 points.

Meet the Bobcats

The frenetic pace of Texas State basketball means that Coach Davalos is constantly throwing fresh bodies on the floor. He has eleven different players who average at least thirteen minutes per game, and all of them have earned at least one start. In most years, that could give his team an edge in depth against Texas, but this season the Longhorns have just as many players, and all are more talented.

So far, power forward Cameron Johnson has been the offensive leader for Texas State. He posted a double-double against UT-Pan American last Saturday, and is averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds through the first nine games. Johnson can post up and score, but is still comfortable in the open, transition game that Texas State loves. Against the number one defense in the country, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

J.B. Conley is another forward who has quickly made a mark after transferring from Temple College. While he was a small forward in his two seasons of junior college, Davalos expects him to fill a variety of roles for Texas State. So far, the biggest role he has filled is three-point marksman. Conley has knocked down 52% of his attempts from behind the arc, which has led him to nearly eleven points per game.

Senior forward John Ryback is one of just two returning starters for the Bobcats, and his leadership is desperately needed on this year’s team. He has responded early, starting eight games and averaging 10.6 points per contest. At just 6’7″, he’s going to have a tough time against the bigger Texas frontcourt, but his ability to knock down the three-ball could allow him to draw out bigger defenders and level the playing field. This season, he’s hitting on 40% of his long-range attempts.

Uriel Segura is another juco transfer for Texas State who has also made a quick start. He is a 6’3″ combo guard who Coach Davalos hopes will give him the flexibility to have two point guards on the floor at once. Segura is a pass-first player whose 3.4 assists per game lead the team, but he also knows how to shoot the basketball. He’s averaging just a shade under ten points per game and is practically automatic from the line.

In his sophomore campaign, guard Josh Bowman is bouncing back nicely from an injury-riddled first year. He’s firmly entrenched in the core rotation, and has even started in six games. He’s averaging nine points per game, but has been having trouble shooting so far this season. In fact, his 57% success rate at the free throw stripe might actually make him a candidate to transfer to Texas.

Rounding out that core rotation is junior point guard Ryan White. The Longhorns had a lot of problems with the speed of the Long Beach State guards on Monday night, so White could enjoy a breakout game if he attacks off the dribble and pushes for transition buckets. At just 5’11”, he could be a defensive liability on the perimeter against a taller Texas backcourt, but his quick hands will still be a point of concern for the Longhorns. He had better than a steal per game last season, and is swiping nearly two a game this year.

Dylan Hale and Tony Bishop are both newcomers who grab a solid share of minutes for Texas State. Hale is the team’s lone freshman, hailing from Minnesota. He’s a left-handed defensive specialist who’s already playing 18 minutes per game, but Coach Davalos expects even greater things in his next three seasons. Bishop is a 6’6″ juco transfer from Richland College who boasts a freakish 7-foot wingspan. The lengthy wing player can cause some havoc on defense, but is averaging just eight points per game on the offensive end.

Perhaps the most important bench player for Texas State is Cameroon-born forward Emmanuel Bidias a Moute, who grabs over five rebounds a night despite seeing the court for just fifteen minutes in each game. Against the bigger Texas Longhorns, the Bobcats are going to need that presence on the glass from Bidias a Moute, and he’ll likely see more action than usual.

Junior center Jonathan Sloan and sophomore guard Roshun Jackson are the other two players who see the floor consistently for Texas State, although neither has done anything exceptional this year Last year, Sloan struggled with injury and illness, while Jackson played a bit role from the bench.

What to look for

We know the Bobcats like to run, and from the looks of Monday night’s game against Long Beach State, the Longhorns have no trouble doing that. Texas is significantly bigger than Texas State, so they should have a commanding advantage on the glass. That should lead to a lot of empty possessions for the Bobcats, and tons of second-chance opportunities if Texas happens to be missing its shots.

When not stifling Texas State on the boards, the Longhorns should also be forcing a ton of turnovers. The Bobcats don’t take care of the ball, and on Monday night the Longhorns made hay off their opponent’s miscues. Texas scored 33 points off turnovers against Long Beach State, and should enjoy another gaudy output in that category this afternoon.

The final thing we’ll be watching tonight is whether or not Dogus Balbay continues to shine. This kind of up-and-down game is made for a thoughtful floor general with great court vision, and that’s what Balbay has brought to the table so far this year. If he continues to perform at that high of a level, and can keep defenses honest with any semblance of a short- to mid-range game, Texas will be ridiculously good. We’re crossing our fingers that he has another career day in this shootout.

Final notes

As always, tickets remain for this non-conference patsy, so take a break from the Christmas shopping and come see the Longhorns. You’ll even be treated to a return visit from 90’s Texas star Terrence Rencher, who is one of the assistants on the Texas State sidelines. If things get too ugly, perhaps he’ll even tear off the suit and try to play in one of those hideous grey, orange, and white uniforms that Tom Penders’ Runnin’ Horns wore last decade.

For those staying at home, the game is available on cable in Texas on Fox Sports Southwest, while fans outside of the Lone Star State can catch it as a part of the ESPN Full Court package.

After a pair of games in which the Longhorns shot just 41% from the field — their only outings below the 50% mark — the pressure was on to bounce back against the pre-season favorite in the Big West Conference. But with Texas’ two big post presences limited to just 31 combined minutes, it was up to the freshmen and the role players to carry the Longhorns to victory. To say they responded to the call would be a gross understatement.

Six different Longhorns scored in double figures en route to a dominating 107-74 victory over Long Beach State, the highest offensive output for a Rick Barnes team in four years. Texas moved the ball well, used dribble penetration with great success, and played stifling defense that led to 23 turnovers and 33 points off of their opponents’ miscues.

Statistically, this was by far the best showing by the offense all season. Long Beach State wanted to run, and the 84 possessions in the game was the most the Longhorns have seen this year. Texas took advantage, scoring at an insane rate of 1.3 points per possession. Even with the 49ers shooting over 40% and knocking down 19 free throws, there was no possible way to keep up with the offensive explosion on the other end of the court.

What looked good

It’d be easy to say that everything looked good in this game, but that would be a tad oversimplified and a bit disingenuous. But it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that nearly everything looked good for the Longhorns on Monday night.

Dogus Balbay made just his second start of the year, and his inclusion in the lineup immediately made things flow. In the first four and a half minutes, the Longhorns had eight field goals, and four of them came off of assists from Balbay. For the night, he finished with a career-high eleven dimes, and managed to play his 24 minutes without a single turnover.

In many of the early games this season, the Texas offense would sometimes grind to a halt without Balbay on the floor. Defenses would switch to zone and double- or triple-team Dexter Pittman immediately as he received the entry pass. When the Texas shooters were off from long-range, the team would often go for minutes without making a field goal. No one seemed to want to dribble-drive, and the ball movement around the perimeter was oftentimes not fast enough to get open looks.

Against Long Beach State, though, it was quickly clear how much Texas had worked on their offense in practices. When teams tried to trap Pittman, he kept the ball high and reacted quickly. Jordan Hamilton, Avery Bradley, and J’Covan Brown all made strong moves to the hoop with the basketball and their stat lines reflected the benefits of that aggressive approach.

On defense, the sudden spike in turnovers was huge for Texas. They forced eight LBSU miscues in less than eight minutes, and the frustration was quickly apparent in the body language of the 49ers. While some skeptics might think that the increase in turnovers was a result of the extra possessions, stat guru Ken Pomeroy would beg to differ. He measures turnovers as a percentage of possessions, and Texas’ 28% rate in last night’s game was head-and-shoulders above their performance in any other game this season.

What needed work

The one thing Texas struggled with all night was slowing down the inside-out guard tandem of Casper Ware and Stephan Gilling. The pair combined for 34 points on the night, nearly half of their team’s entire offense. Ware was constantly beating Texas defenders with a lightning-quick first step, and he earned himself seven trips to the charity stripe. When Ware wasn’t scoring at the rack, Gilling was knocking down three-pointer after three-pointer — to the tune of a 6-for-12 night from long range.

While Texas won the game, and quite easily, the defense against these two guards will surely be highlighted by the coaching staff in film session. The Longhorns are going to face a lot of quick guards this year — Sherron Collins of Kansas and Kalin Lucas of Michigan State come to mind — and against a more well-rounded opponent, these kind of defensive lapses could be killer.

The other focal points in this one will seem incredibly repetitive for anyone who has been regularly reading this website. Once again, Texas struggled from the foul line — they were 8-of-15 tonight — and J’Covan Brown compiled a handful of dumb turnovers. The free-throw nightmare is going to be a season-long theme, but I am supremely confident that Barnes and his assistants will settle Brown down as the season goes on. Many of his turnovers last night were a result of his attempt to be overly flashy as Texas coasted with its big lead. In the post-game interviews, Barnes noted that this is simply Brown trying to “make a great pass instead of just a good pass.” If Brown will stop trying to make SportsCenter’s Top Plays, his turnover numbers will certainly improve.

Handing out blue stars

Practically everyone in this game looked excellent. Even though Brown was responsible for six of Texas’ eleven turnovers, he provided thirteen points and five rebounds. As mentioned earlier, Jordan Hamilton was much more willing to drive from the wings, instead of immediately popping a three-pointer. In fact, Hamilton took just 25% of his shots from behind the arc, a far cry from the 60% of his attempts that were coming from long-range prior to this game.

Avery Bradley was finally able to showcase that silky-smooth midrange jumper that Texas fans have been hearing about so often. He added 17 points in the winning effort, and provided two steals and a block on the defensive end. Down low, Gary Johnson was a beast off the bench. He scored fourteen points and grabbed five boards in just 22 minutes on the court, and his ability to get quality looks inside led to a scorching 88% shooting night.

The bench combined for 61 points in this game, a statistic you might likely never see again. Beyond the players listed above, even the role players who see the floor for just a few minutes were able to get into the act. Alexis Wangmene looked good down low, scoring eight points — four of them coming off of beautiful assists from Balbay. His defense also seems to have improved, as he was able to frustrate the opposing big men without picking up his typical rash of fouls.

While Shawn Williams didn’t showcase the three-point stroke that one recruiting expert had trumped up during the off-season, he continued to hustle and play tough inside in his limited minutes. The guy just knows how to get to the ball, and he’s going to be a feisty rebounder when Barnes isn’t getting what he needs from the front line.

The big finish

On a personal note, last night’s game was probably the closest I’ve come to ending the streak of consecutive games attended. Something nasty decided it wanted to infect me on Saturday, and with finals and papers due for most students, there was nobody else going to guilt me into attending. I managed to make it to the game in time but likely looked like a serial killer, slouched in a seat by myself with a hooded sweatshirt pulled tight around my head. Fortunately, the Longhorns looked great so their performance didn’t make me feel any worse.

Next up for Texas is an I-35 battle against Texas State, a team that is predicted to finish at the bottom of the Southland Conference this year. It won’t be a tough test for the Longhorns, but provides another opportunity to tweak the little things they’ll need to work on before the big 1-2 punch of North Carolina and Michigan State. Game preview will be up on Saturday morning, and in the meantime I’ll be working on photo uploads and Notes from the Road.