The Texas Longhorns are back in action tonight as they renew their annual rivalry with nearby Texas State at the Frank Erwin Center. This is the 46th all-time meeting on the hardwood between these two schools, and this marks the eighth-straight year they have squared off. Texas has defeated Texas State a whopping 40 out of 45 times, with their last defeat coming all the way back in the 1937-38 season.

The Longhorns looked good in their last outing, riding the hot hand of freshman Sheldon McClellan to an 18-point win over UT-Arlington. Texas had five players in double-digit scoring and sank more than 48% of their shots from the field in the victory. Fans can look forward to even more offense tonight as the Longhorns squeeze in another tune-up before tougher non-conference tests at the end of the month.

By the numbers

Once again, Texas State is one of the fastest five teams in the country, an honor the team has held in each of Coach Doug Davalos’ first five seasons in San Marcos. The Bobcats actually played at the fastest tempo in all of Division-I basketball during the 2007-08 season, averaging more than 80 possessions per game. Although that number is incredible in its own right, it’s even more ridiculous that the Longhorns and Bobcats have averaged 81.2 possessions in their five match-ups since Davalos took over.

Last year, the Bobcats had a hard time scoring the ball. This year, their offense has improved slightly, but now their defense is one of the absolute worst in the country. Texas State is allowing 1.094 points per possession, a number that only puts them ahead of 16 other D-I schools in that department.

The Bobcats have one of the 25 worst free-throw rates in D-I, allowing their opponents one free throw for every two field goal attempts. Of course, they are also allowing opponents to knock down 40% of their threes and almost 45% of their shots, so perhaps allowing other teams to beat them one point at a time might not seem so bad in comparison.

Texas fans will like the fact that Texas State is one of the worst offensive rebounding teams in the country. The Longhorns have been equally bad on the defensive glass, so the rebounding battle on that end of the floor will be interesting. One would think that the bigger Texas frontcourt would be able to exploit their size advantage, but that hasn’t been the case so far this season against smaller teams.

Those poor offensive rebounding numbers are really killing the Bobcat offense, which is actually shooting at a 47% clip and is making 40% of their threes. Texas State is also controlling the ball very well, turning it over on just 16.6% of their possessions. That number is just outside of the Top 20 nationally, but it is even more remarkable when you remember just how fast they play the game. If Texas State could actually reclaim some of their missed shots, the offense would be incredibly efficient.

Meet the Bobcats

As is the case every year, Coach Davalos has a very deep bench that he uses liberally to keep fresh legs on the court. Nine different Bobcats average more than 14 minutes a game, with another four players on the bench averaging between seven and nine. If this game is played at the breakneck speed of the last five meetings, there is no doubt that the smaller Longhorn rotation is going to be gassed down the stretch.

Although the Bobcats have a true ensemble cast, the one word that best describes the team is young. Texas State lost five of the top six scorers from last year’s team, meaning that just 35.3% of the team’s scoring returned this season. While the Longhorns are certainly in a similar situation, the newcomers on the Texas State sideline are just a tad less heralded than those Rick Barnes has brought on board.

Fortunately for the Bobcats, junior Matt Staff (No. 21) has stepped up in a big way this season. A transfer from the University of New Mexico, Staff didn’t see much playing time in his first year at Texas State, as then-seniors Tony Bishop and Cameron Johnson were the unquestioned leaders. This year, however, he’s playing nearly 20 minutes a game and leads the team with a 12.9 scoring average. Coach Davalos has said that Staff is a good shooter who can work the pick-and-pop, but he’s done most of his work inside so far this season.

Staff is also tops on the team in rebounding by a wide margin. He is averaging 7.6 rebounds, including three per game on the offensive end. Guard Travis Jones has the next-best mark for the Bobcats, and he has only pulled down 4.4 boards per game.

Senior Eddie Rios (No. 11) has also become a leader this season, and is right on the heels of Staff in the scoring race. Averaging 12.8 points per game, the former Miami Hurricane is also averaging just over three assists per game and has made nearly 42% of his three-point attempts. Rios didn’t play when the teams met last season, but he did log 10 minutes and three points when Miami played Texas in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Senior guard John Bowman (No. 5) is the only returning player who started against the Longhorns last season, one of 32 starts he earned during his junior campaign. This year, he is averaging over seven points and roughly 20 minutes of action per game. He is the best on-ball defender for the Bobcats, so it’s very likely that the 6’4″ guard will be tasked with shutting down J’Covan Brown.

On the wing, Brooks Ybarra (No. 2) is having a solid start to his senior year. He is averaging more than 11 points per game and has made almost 47% of his looks from behind the arc. Those are impressive numbers for a guy who is a former walk-on. Ybarra is also bringing the effort on the defensive end, a big reason why he’s started seven of the team’s eight games so far.

Sophomore Reid Koenen (No. 3) has really upped his numbers from his freshman season, raising his scoring average from just one point per game to nearly eight this year. He’s also increased his rebounding numbers exponentially, improving from 0.4 boards per game last year to just a shade under three this year. Koenen actually had one of the best games of his season against the Longhorns last year, scoring five points in eight minutes.

Senior guard Travis Jones (No. 15) also had a good game against Texas last year, knocking down 3-of-5 from behind the arc. This season, he’s had even more success from long range, sinking more than 54% of his three-point attempts. As we mentioned above, Jones has improved his rebounding in his senior year, ascending to the second spot in the team rankings. He’s also a good perimeter defender who will try to make life difficult for the Longhorn guards.

Freshman Nick Hinton (No. 44) has made an immediate impact, even earning a start in his collegiate debut against USC-Upstate. In his second game, Hinton exploded for 12 points and six boards against UT-Pan American, but he has found less playing time over the team’s last three games.

Junior guard Travonn (Vonn) Jones (No. 1) is a JUCO transfer from Lamar State in Pennsylvania, and his experience gives Coach Davalos even more flexibility in the backcourt. Despite being just 5’11”, Jones can play both the one and the two, and leads the team with nearly four assists per game despite coming off the bench all season.

Freshman Wesley Davis (No. 10) is the final member of Texas State’s core rotation, and he’s averaging almost 16 minutes per game. He’s an athletic guard with a great shot who is going to be integral to the success of the Bobcats when they move to the WAC next season. For now, he provides an excellent scoring option off the bench, shooting nearly 53% from the field and 40% from behind the arc.

Keys to the game

1) Defend the three-point line – The Bobcats are an excellent match-up for the Longhorns, but the long-range shot is the great equalizer in most upsets. Texas State has made 40% of its three-pointers on the year, including an impressive 44.6% mark against D-I opponents. While the Bobcats will likely have a very tough time hanging with Texas tonight, a scoring barrage from behind the arc would certainly make things interesting.

2) Win the rebounding battle – For the first few weeks of the season, we’ve simply been hoping that the Longhorns can be competitive on the glass. Tonight, they should finally be able to post some solid rebounding numbers. The main struggle for the Longhorns has been ending defensive possessions by securing the rebound, but fortunately the Bobcats have had their own problems reclaiming the offensive boards. If the Longhorns still can’t grab defensive rebounds against Texas State, it will be a terrible omen for the rest of the season.

3) Keep the ball moving – The Longhorns have looked their best when moving the ball around quickly and when penetrating with the dribble to open up passing lanes. Against a terrible Texas State defense, Texas should get ample opportunity to fine tune their offensive sets. Look for the Horns to pile up the points and the assists in this one.

It’s not just the J’Covan Brown show anymore.

Just a little over two weeks ago, the Longhorns absolutely melted down against N.C. State in East Rutherford with Brown on the bench. After the junior guard picked up a personal foul followed by a technical, he spent the final 8:25 of that game on the bench and watched as the Wolfpack rapidly erased a 13-point Texas lead.

Since then, the Texas offense has turned into more of a family affair. Led by Sheldon McClellan and his career-high 23 points, the Longhorns had five players score in double figures last night en route to an 80-62 win over a solid UT-Arlington squad.

Prior to the N.C. State disaster, Brown was averaging 29.3 points. In the four games since that loss, his scoring average is just 12.5 per game. The Longhorns are spreading the wealth and have enjoyed a 1.19 point-per-possession average over their last three games as a result.

What looked good

If McClellan’s 23 points aren’t enough to raise eyebrows on their own, the multitude of ways that the freshman was scoring should do the trick. In addition to nailing 4-of-6 from behind the arc, he impressed with slashing moves to the hoop and quick turnaround jumpers, including one that came just before the shot-clock buzzer. McClellan also did an excellent job on weak-side rebounding, logging six total on the night.

Julien Lewis also had an impressive game, scoring 13 points on 60% shooting from the field. On two different occasions, he drove the lane and pulled up for floaters in traffic. His body control and soft touch on the shot were very impressive, and make him another perimeter player that opponents cannot crowd on D.

After a rough start, Myck Kabongo really kicked it up a notch. He turned it over on two of the team’s first three possessions and was immediately replaced by Sterling Gibbs. But once the freshman came back in the game, he was on. Kabongo consistently drove the lane and found passing lanes, logging seven assists on the night. He had two great drive and dish plays to open his teammates up for three, plus a nifty no-look job on the fast break and a nice shovel pass to Wangmene for a dunk after driving baseline near the end of the game.

With Kabongo in the game, Texas also did a good job of being patient and dictating the tempo. As mentioned in our game preview, UT-Arlington loves to get out and run, and they often rush opponents into mistakes. After their initial jitters, the Longhorns were methodical on offense, often using more than 25 seconds of the shot clock. Three different times, in fact, the Horns drilled a shot as the buzzer sounded. Their careful ball control also limited UTA’s efficiency, as Texas’ 17.3% turnover mark was the best performance by a Maverick opponent in seven games this year.

The Longhorns also found success stretching the defense with a high-low game, pulling Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman out to the wings and feeding McClellan and Jonathan Holmes on the low block. Although Wangmene was the only one of the bigs to record an assist from these sets, it is great to see it working so early in the season for Texas. Not only will it lead to easy hoops on the block, but it will also pull bigger defenders out of the lane and open up the drive for all of the athletic Longhorn guards and wings.

In addition to the inside bucket, Holmes also showed solid elevation on his pull-up jumpers. He finished with seven points and shot just 3-of-8 from the field, but his form on the made jumpers was beautiful. If he can consistently do that this year, he’ll find even more success against the bigger, tougher, and more experienced frontcourts in the conference.

We should also note that while the Longhorns had another middling performance on the offensive glass, they did an excellent job shutting out the Mavericks on the other side of the rebounding battle. UTA entered the game as one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, but they were only able to reclaim 33.8% of their missed shots. That mark was the second-worst for the Mavs all season, just marginally better than their 33% performance against Baylor.

What needed work

Initially, it looked like the biggest problem for the Longhorns was going to be needless turnovers. But, just like they did against UCLA, the Horns tightened up the reins and held on to the ball. The area that did still cause them problems was inbounding against the full-court press. On two different occasions, Chapman had major difficulty finding an outlet, even resulting in a five-count and turnover in one instance.

It was also concerning how much Brown was forcing it the first half of the game. He limited himself to three-point shots, even taking a couple when the defenders were in his face. Rather than put the ball on the floor and attack to either score or open up his teammates, he restricted himself to a perimeter game that just wasn’t there.

In the second half, J’Covan changed his approach. Although he didn’t score his first field goal until 34 minutes into the game, he worked his way to the line by drawing fouls on the dribble penetration, and utilized the drive-and-dish to add four assists. With Kabongo’s confidence picking up over the last few contests, having both the freshman and Brown willing to attack the defense with the bounce will make Texas much harder to defend.

Next up: vs. Texas State (6-2); Saturday, 7 P.M. CT

The Texas Longhorns braved the Santa Ana winds and a delay caused by light failure to escape Los Angeles with an important road win against UCLA this weekend. Now, they return to the Frank Erwin Center for a four-game homestand before facing a daunting UNC team in Chapel Hill.

Although Temple provides a solid test at the end of the homestand, tonight’s opponent is one of the most dangerous mid-major teams in this part of the country. UT-Arlington returns four starters this year, and that experience kept them within arm’s reach of Baylor two weeks ago, ultimately ending in a 75-65 loss in Waco.

The Texas schedule approach usually involves a handful of big-time opponents and a slew of low-major cupcakes to fill in the home dates. This year’s slate is no different, but the Mavericks provide the Longhorns a chance to knock off a team that could find its way into the NCAA field as Southland Conference champs.

By the numbers

These Mavericks love to run up and down the floor. They are currently averaging an adjusted tempo of 71.3 possessions per game, a pace that is 23rd-fastest in D-I hoops. In their first six games, only one team — Samford — was able to keep the game under 74 possessions, allowing the Bulldogs to pull out a win. The Longhorns have certainly proved that they can run with other up-tempo teams, but they may want to ensure that the Mavericks aren’t the ones dictating the pace.

That up-tempo style of Maverick basketball often comes out looking sloppy. UTA turns it over quite often, coughing it up on 24.1% of their possessions, one of the 65 worst marks in D-I hoops. Of course, they also force a ton of mistakes by their opponents, too. The Mavs have a defensive turnover percentage of 28.4%, which is sixth-best in the nation. Against Baylor, the Mavs took advantage of a turnover percentage of more than 30%, although quite a few of the Bear miscues were unforced mental errors.

When the Mavs don’t turn the ball over, they also are able to utilize great offensive rebounding numbers to extend possessions. UTA has reclaimed nearly 41% of their missed shots, a mark that puts them in the Top 20 nationally, although those numbers are buffeted a bit by the 51.5% mark they posted against UNT. Of course, Texas fans will recall that the Longhorns could only grab 26.8% of their offensive rebounding chances when they played the Mean Green.

The Mavs also work their way to the line fairly frequently, posting a free-throw rate of 47% in their five Division I games. The Longhorns had problems in their first few games defending teams without sending them to the charity stripe, although they have certainly turned that trend around in their last three games. The Horns will still have to be careful against a UTA team that loves to put the ball on the floor and attack the paint.

Meet the Mavericks

With the up-tempo approach of coach Scott Cross, the team spreads out their minutes across a core rotation of nine guys. With the exception of senior star LaMarcus Reed III (No. 31), no one even plays 22 minutes per game, and everyone in that core rotation sees the floor for at least 17 per night.

Reed will prove to be quite a handful for the Longhorns tonight. Although he’s just 6’5″, he’s incredibly strong and athletic and can easily finish inside on his frequent drives to the paint. He made 40% of his three-point shots last season and is off to a 37% start this year. Even if defenders play him tight and have the help inside in case he blows by the perimeter D, Reed has shown the ability to knock down fadeaway Js from 17 feet out once he gets the defender backpedaling.

The team’s second-leading scorer is TCU transfer Kevin Butler (No. 24), who is chipping in 12.5 points per game for the Mavs. He’s an inside-out threat who will post up against bigger defenders despite his 6’5″ frame. He can also stretch the defense, as Butler has connected on 6-of-10 from behind the arc so far this season. Perhaps the biggest knock on his game right now is that Butler is often too aggressive on defense, leaving his teammates out to dry on the block when he overpursues for steals.

Senior forward Bo Ingram (No. 1) is another 6’5″ guy who poses a three-point threat, but also loves to be aggressive with the dribble and attack the paint. He’s one of many strong, athletic guys on the Maverick roster who know how to finish through contact once they get inside.

The big man in the middle is junior Jordan Reves (No. 55). He leads the team with nearly seven boards a night and is also tops on the team with eight blocks. Reves looked a little tentative early against the intimidating Baylor frontline, but he has proven himself to be a smart defender who understands positioning and rotation. Unfortunately, that also means that he often picks up unnecessary fouls when other players overextend or are out of position. Those cheap fouls on the lone big man really hurts an undersized team like UTA.

After Reves, the team’s second-best board man is sophomore Brandon Edwards (No. 35). He’s averaging just over six rebounds per game to go with nearly seven points, and is second on the team in blocked shots with four. While Edwards does solid work on the glass and scoring inside, he is often stuck in defensive mismatches in the post when Reves finds himself in foul trouble. Although Texas doesn’t have an imposing front line, this is something worth watching if Reves starts to pile up the whistles tonight.

In the backcourt, sophomore Shaquille White-Miller (No. 12) provides tough-nosed defense while also facilitating the offense. As a freshman, Shaq had just a 1.04-to-1 assist-to-TO ratio and was criticized for sometimes playing out of control. So far this season, he’s cut back on the turnovers and has upped that ratio to 1.53-to-1. In addition to his growth as a sophomore, television viewers will likely also hear about White-Miller’s connection to Texas’ J’Covan Brown, as the pair played high school ball together at Port Arthur Memorial.

Junior guard Cameron Catlett (No. 25) is a 6’3″ point guard who also gives the Mavs flexibility by being able to play the wing or a shooting guard role. Although he only attempted 12 three-pointers last year, Catlett knocked down half of them. He’s 0-for-3 to start this season, so it would seem like the junior is due to make some threes tonight.

In addition to White-Miller and Catlett, the only other real option at point is tiny Jorge Redmon (No. 4). He has a 40% mark from long range, and is certainly not shy about pulling the trigger. More than two-thirds of his shots have come from behind the arc, and quite a few of those have come very early in the shot clock. You wouldn’t expect a player on an up-tempo team to milk the clock, but you would also expect a guard to be a little more selective than Redmon is with his shots.

Senior guard Bradley Gay (No. 10) is the type of player that won’t stuff a stat sheet, but does all the little things, earning him Coach Cross’ title of “glue guy.”

The Mavs also have a bit of height on the bench in the form of sophomore center Stuart Lagerson (No. 5), a seven-footer who averages 13 minutes a game. He’s still extremely thin and is easily pushed around down low, but he’ll likely add some strength and playing time as the season progresses.

The only other Maverick to play more than five minutes a game is Polish product Karol Gruszecki (No. 33). Like Lagerson, he needs to add some weight to hold his position, but he does possess the face-up game and outside shot to mitigate that strength disadvantage against other forwards. Unless things go horribly wrong, Gruszecki won’t see much playing time tonight.

Keys to the game

1) Control the basketball – Against the up-tempo attack of UTA, many teams have found it difficult to hang on to the ball and run their offense. Fortunately, the Longhorns have not had many problems with turnovers this season. The young Horns did play a little sloppy in the early minutes of the UCLA game, but managed to control things as they came from behind in the second half. Texas must avoid those early-game jitters tonight and avoid giving UTA extra possessions with careless mistakes.

2) Convert turnovers into easy points – While the Longhorns need to avoid their own mistakes, they can probably count on quite a few from UTA. The Mavericks typically play fast and loose with the ball, so the Longhorns need to capitalize upon those mistakes. When UTA turnovers stay in play, Texas needs to beat the Mavs in transition and convert those mistakes into uncontested buckets.

3) Clean up the defensive glass – Texas is one of the worst 15 teams in D-I hoops when it comes to securing defensive boards, while the Mavericks are one of the nation’s best at reclaiming their missed shots and extending possessions. That could be a recipe for disaster for the Longhorns tonight, so they must do better work boxing out once UTA puts their shots up. If not, the Horns could find themselves in danger of an upset against a solid Maverick squad.

It looked like more of the same early Saturday afternoon for the Longhorns. UCLA beat them handily on the offensive glass, while Texas coughed it up at inopportune times. The Bruins even managed to get hot from long range, where they had been struggling all year long. Then, the lights went out.

A power outage extended the under-four media timeout to roughly a fifteen minute intermission, a break that Rick Barnes and the Longhorns used to make adjustments and charge back from an 11-point deficit. Texas went on a 9-4 run to close out the half and then opened the second stanza with a 17-7 spurt to build a lead they would never relinquish.

The tale of two games renders moot our usual post-game structure of “What looked good” and “What needed work,” because everything that needed work in the first half was adjusted in the second. Fans can only hope that this game is a microcosm of the season as a whole, with the young team learning and adapting for a stretch run in conference play.

The most glaring issue for Texas in the opening twenty minutes was a tendency to give away possessions. Whether it was turnovers or an inability to secure defensive rebounds, the Longhorns constantly gave UCLA extra opportunities with the ball. Texas allowed eight second chance points on eight offensive rebounds, including one possession where the Bruins grabbed their miss three times and only gave the ball back when a shot bounced over the backboard.

The Longhorns also coughed it up seven times in the first twenty minutes, which fortunately only led to six UCLA points. But in a game that finished with only 56 possessions, that many self-inflicted wounds were huge. Many of the turnovers could have been easily avoided, as Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman were each stripped while holding the ball near the free throw line, and a handful of Texas passes were thrown off the mark.

Both of these issues were practically erased in the second half. While the Longhorns still gave up another nine offensive boards, they only allowed one second-chance point. UCLA players who grabbed the missed shots typically found themselves amidst a cadre of Longhorn defenders standing tall and altering shots. In the first half, UCLA made 46% of their shots from inside the arc, with most of them coming in the paint. In the second, Texas limited the Bruins to just 24% on their two-point shots.

The Horns also limited their miscues in the second half, turning it over just four times. In fact, two of those came in the game’s final minutes, with the result already well in hand. As Texas came from behind and took charge in the second half, the team went nearly 16 minutes with only one turnover.

While we’ve spent much of the season’s first month talking about the problems facing Texas on the glass, that storyline has evolved. The Longhorns are still one of the worst defensive rebounding teams in the country, and gave up more than 44% of their chances against UCLA. But at times this season, Texas has done excellent work on the offensive glass, as was the case again yesterday. The Longhorns posted their best offensive rebounding percentage of the year, reclaiming 49% of their missed shots. Against a formidable frontline like UCLA’s, that was a huge accomplishment.

Texas also impressed with their ability to find easy looks in the second half. The Longhorns scored 22 points in the paint, with a majority of the buckets coming on the fast break or excellent passes to the interior. Dribble penetration and great passing also opened up good looks from the perimeter, where the Horns knocked down 5-of-11 to fuel the scoring run. All told, the ball movement led to 13 Texas dimes, for an assist percentage of nearly 45%.

Individually, Myck Kabongo really stood out. He logged eight of the 13 Texas assists, and added 13 points on 55% shooting. His success from the field came as a result of being patient, a point best illustrated on the one three-pointer he knocked down. Kabongo received a ball screen, but the defense reacted. He simply waited for the screen to be set a second time, then took advantage of the brief space and drilled the triple.

From a statistical standpoint, it’s interesting to note that Kabongo’s best game to-date came on a day where he didn’t attempt a single free throw. Coming into the UCLA game, the freshman guard had the highest individual free-throw rate in the country. Kabongo’s sky-high FTR of 128.6 meant that he had taken even more free throws than field goals.

After a couple of quiet games where J’Covan Brown was deferring to teammates, there was no question who was the go-to guy when the team kicked it up a notch. Brown was absolutely nails from long range, making 4-of-8 en route to a 22-point performance. Three of those triples came in a 3:29 stretch that sandwiched the half, a time span that saw Texas outscore the Bruins 13-4 and tie the game.

Clint Chapman also had a solid performance in front of friends and family who had made the trip from Oregon. Although his mid-range jumper was cold and he refused to follow his shot, he came up with a ton of clutch rebounds in the second half to keep UCLA at bay. He also had two big blocks, including one on Reeves Nelson just before the half that helped to maintain the Texas momentum heading into the locker room. While Clint still needs softer hands at times, he answered the bell when it mattered against a good group of UCLA forwards.

With UCLA sputtering to a 2-5 start to the season — and with one of those wins coming against Division II Chaminade — the Bruins are dangerously close to spiraling out of control. Nelson sat for the entire second half of the game, which coach Ben Howland said was due to a missed defensive assignment at the end of the first half. While that might be the case, Nelson’s recent history suggests that he may have said or done something in the locker room to warrant the punishment.

If Nelson’s attitude issues bring this team down, Texas will be deprived of a quality win when it comes time to build the brackets in March. The Longhorns will certainly get credit for winning on the road, but Texas fans have to hope that UCLA can get things figured out and put together a respectable conference record.

Texas meanwhile, has a trio of winnable home games next on the docket. If they can take care of business in those games, the Longhorns will be sitting at 8-2 as they head into a tough pair of tests against Temple and North Carolina.

Up next: UT-Arlington (4-2); Tuesday, 7 P.M. CT

The Texas Longhorns have made things interesting for their fans so far this season. In New Jersey, the team gave up an eight-point lead before finally losing in overtime to Oregon State. Two nights later, an 18-point second-half lead disappeared in a loss to N.C. State. Less than a week after that, Sam Houston State made things dicey in a tight, low-scoring Texas win at the Erwin Center. If history is any indication, this afternoon should be just as nerve-wracking for Longhorn fans.

Texas and UCLA have a limited history, playing just four times prior to this afternoon’s matchup. The Bruins won the first two, with their most recent victory coming all the way back in 1971. But thanks to a short-lived series of games between the Pac-10 and Big 12, the rivalry was renewed earlier this decade. Texas won both contests against UCLA, but managed to do so by a combined margin of just six points. Number-cruncher Ken Pomeroy thinks that today will be much of the same, as he predicts a narrow, two-point win for Texas.

By the numbers

During UCLA’s three-year streak of Final Four appearances, Coach Ben Howland had an absolutely suffocating defense, finishing in the top three nationally in adjusted efficiency each of those seasons. This year, the team’s performance on D has been decidedly un-Bruinlike.

While UCLA showed some improvements against Pepperdine on Monday night, they have been almost incapable of stopping dribble penetration. The team’s poor rotation and bigs who refused to challenge at the rim made things even worse. On the occasions that the scrambling defense has actually been able to head off the ballhandler, wide open shooters are waiting behind the arc.

All told, these defensive weaknesses add up to the sixth-worst effective field-goal percentage and worst three-point defense in all of D-I hoops. UCLA opponents have knocked down 56.9% of their long-range attempts this year while posting an eFG of 59.4%.

While they’ve always been a team that will lock you down on D and then win the rebounding battle, this year’s questionable defense makes it seem like some extra offense will need to be added to the equation. Unfortunately, the Bruins are struggling in that area, as well. UCLA’s own eFG of 43.8% is in the bottom 60 of Division I, while their offensive rebounding mark of just 30% is incredibly low for a team with such a deep frontcourt.

A big part of the problem has been UCLA’s tendency to settle for three-point shots instead of working the ball inside. Often, this happens when big man Josh Smith is in the game, as he usually camps out on one block and makes little effort to work across the lane. As a result, opposing defenses can pack in to prevent the entry pass, and UCLA’s guards settle for long jumpers and threes. On the year, the Bruins have made just 27.5% of their three-point shots.

The one thing keeping UCLA in a lot of games is their ability to steal the ball and possessions from their opponents. Their steal percentage is sixth in the nation, while their defensive turnover percentage ranks just inside the top seventy. In their most recent game, the Bruins forced 15 Pepperdine turnovers, including six steals by Lazeric Jones.

These below-average numbers have led UCLA to a disappointing 2-4 start this season. After home losses to both Loyola Marymount and Middle Tennessee State, the Bruins have been looking for a shot of confidence before conference play starts. They whiffed on a big opportunity in Maui, losing to both Kansas and Michigan. Outside of a home game against the Richmond Spiders in late December, this afternoon’s contest with Texas provides the only remaining chance for UCLA to get a signature win before tackling the Pac-12 schedule.

Meet the Bruins

Also known as Zeek, Lazeric Jones has been giving opposing guards trouble all season long, leading the Bruins with 16 steals. Unfortunately, the senior point guard is having less success on the other side of the ball. Although his 9.8 scoring average is third on the team, he’s posted nearly as many turnovers (16) as assists (21) so far this season and is struggling with his shot. Jones has made just 28% of his attempts from the field and less than 24% of his three-point tries. Fortunately, Zeek has been able to draw fouls when he puts the ball on the floor, taking a team-high 25 trips to the stripe, where he’s made 88% of them.

Joining Jones in the backcourt is sophomore Tyler Lamb, who is seeing an increased role following Malcolm Lee‘s early entry into the NBA Draft. He’s a crafty guard who can create his own looks with hesitation dribbles and drives to the paint, but defenses can sag off of him thanks to his abysmal mark behind the arc. After shooting just 20.5% from long range as a freshman, Lamb has made just 25% of his attempts so far this season.

Lamb is also having problems on defense. As mentioned previously, the Bruins have given up quite a bit of dribble penetration this season, and quite often it comes from the man Lamb is guarding. He consistently lets the ballhandler get him on their hip, and without the rotation from the rest of his team, that often leaves Lamb out to dry. The Longhorn guard that gets matched up with Lamb in the halfcourt needs to be aware of this and attack the sophomore early and often.

Coach Howland may have a very deep frontcourt, but he has also had some personnel issues early this season. That’s led him to frequently run a three-guard look, giving Jerime Anderson four starts in that third guard role. After serving a two-game suspension for stealing a laptop in the offseason, Anderson has emerged as the team’s go-to scorer. The senior guard leads the team with more than 11 points per game, and has even added six steals and a block on the defensive end. Supremely athletic and quick with the ball, Anderson is a guy the Longhorns must keep in check this afternoon.

In the frontcourt, twin brothers David and Travis Wear give the Bruins a pair of sweet-shooting forwards who can stretch out the defense and still provide quality work on the glass. They both cause matchup issues for opponents, as they have a good face-up game to go with those jump shots, and can easily put the ball on the floor to get near the lane for a short jumper or hook shot.

On a team that has lacked fire and energy this season, the Wear twins have been one of the few bright spots. Against Pepperdine, Travis played with stitches in his foot after suffering a snorkeling accident in Maui. Despite that, he almost logged a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds, and even came back into the game after getting his two front teeth knocked out by Pepperdine’s 7-foot center.

In the middle, big man Josh Smith is the team’s mercurial star. When he’s in the game, there is little that defenses can do to keep him off of the blocks or away from the offensive glass. But Smith has a motivation issue, and can often be seen giving partial effort or just walking down the floor when the team is trying to defend a fast break. Although the big man is averaging 5.5 rebounds and more than eight points per game, the UCLA offense has actually looked much more fluid and productive when he hasn’t been on the floor.

The other talented big man who is giving Coach Howland headaches is Reeves Nelson, the heavily-tattooed junior whose early-season issues would make Dennis Rodman raise his eyebrows. After getting into a verbal altercation with the head coach during a film session, Nelson was suspended for the team’s loss to Middle Tennessee State. Then, he missed the team’s flight to Maui and was benched for the first half of their opening game against Chaminade.

Since then, Nelson has made an immediate impact. He drained a trio of three-pointers in the Maui Invitational semifinal against Kansas, nearly matching the four he made all of last season. He crashed the glass against the Jayhawks and the Wolverines, grabbing nine rebounds in his 51 minutes of action. Most importantly, he attacked the rim inside and made excellent passes to open teammates, something the Bruins will need if their inside-out approach is going to work.

The Bruins do have a pair of frontcourt reserves in Brendan Lane and Anthony Stover, but the pair has combined to average less than 11 minutes per game, even with all of the discord during the first few weeks. Stover isn’t much of an offensive threat, but is a skilled shot blocker and tenacious rebounder who provides a spark off the bench. Lane is a versatile guy who can play power forward or center and averaged 15 minutes per game last season, but the arrival of the Wear twins has eaten into his playing time.

Freshman Norman Powell is the only other option off the bench for Coach Howland, and he’s managed to find PT in each of the team’s first six games. Although he isn’t a great shooter, he is still incredibly quick with the ball and can get inside for easier looks. Powell has made just 5-of-18 from long range so far this year, so Texas needs to give him space when he’s in the game and make him beat them from outside.

The Bruins also had a promising start this season from JUCO transfer De’End Parker, but he has not played since November 15th due to an injury to his right knee.

Keys to the game

1) Be competitive on the glass – Although the Bruins are a bigger team with a deep frontcourt, they have not been as dominant in the rebounding department as would be expected. For a Texas team that has struggled on the glass all season long, that is a very welcome development. The Longhorns must grab a fair share of their missed shots, but also must keep UCLA from extending their own possessions. This game is going to be an excellent litmus test for Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman before they face the likes of KU’s Thomas Robinson and Baylor’s All-World frontcourt.

2) Force UCLA to win with the jumper – The Bruins have struggled to knock down shots this season, especially from beyond the arc. Texas would be wise to play a packed-in zone against this poor-shooting team, making it more difficult for Smith to get established inside. Even with this approach, the Longhorns will need to keep a close tab on the Wear twins, as that pair can certainly knock down their jumpers.

3) Push the tempo – The Bruins have had a very tough time defending the transition game, often giving up easy fast-break points or scrambling and allowing the secondary break to find success. Texas has looked very good playing up-tempo earlier this year, so it stands to reason that the Longhorns can pile up some easy points against the Bruins by looking for the quick outlet.

4) Take care of the ball – Texas has been very careful with the basketball so far this season, coughing it up on just 17.6% of their possessions. But UCLA has done an excellent job forcing mistakes by their opposition, not just against the mid-majors, but also against the big boys. The Bruins caused 18 Jayhawk turnovers during their matchup in Maui, and could easily disrupt the Texas offense in the same fashion this afternoon.