The Texas Longhorns are off to a 5-0 start for the first time since the 2009-10 season, when the team reeled off 17 straight wins to start the year and ascended to the nation’s No. 1 ranking. To match that feat, this year’s squad would have to navigate a non-conference minefield, beginning with this morning’s game at the defending national champions, and also including next weekend’s road trip to last year’s national runner-up. Oh, and did I mention that they’ll have to do that without their starting point guard, and with his backup nursing a sore foot?

While the odds of another 17-0 start are slim, the Longhorns still have a good chance to leave Storrs with a win today. Texas is a slight underdog according to Vegas, but their size and experience match up well against a UConn team that is thin in the frontcourt and lost quite a bit from last year’s title team. If the Longhorns can emerge victorious on the road, they will also end an impressive streak of 44 consecutive non-conference wins for UConn at Gampel, dating back to 2001.

By the numbers

The Huskies are ranked in the top 40 in both adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, according to Ken Pomeroy, although they’ve achieved those marks without any dominant numbers in specific categories. Their tempo trends towards the slower half of Division I, with the team playing an adjusted 66.4 possessions per game.

Mix all of those numbers together, and you can see why UConn’s three wins have come by an average of ten points, even though all three were still battles into the second half. The Huskies don’t wow you with any particular aspect of their game, but they are good enough to grind out a win in crunch time.

Where UConn does stand out somewhat in statistical categories is on the interior of the defensive end. Thanks to a stout rim protector — we’ll have more on him later — UConn has the nation’s 56th-best block rate at 13.3%, and they boast the nation’s 45th-best defensive rebounding mark, as they limit opponents to winning back just 26.2% of their misses.

On offense, two numbers tell the statistical tale. UConn’s best ranking is their two-point field-goal percentage of 51.7%, which is 78th out of 351 Division I teams. The other half of the story is told by their 42.4% team assist rate, which is ranked 317th out of the 351 teams. UConn has an incredible playmaker in the backcourt — another guy we’ll cover in just a moment — but no one else that can consistently beat the defense and set up teammates.

Meet the Huskies

That playmaker for the Huskies is Ryan Boatright (No. 11), a senior guard who is the unquestioned team leader, and the best returning piece from last year’s national championship team. Boatright is the one player who can consistently create his own shot with the bounce, and also the only one who can use the dribble to create looks for his teammates. Boatright’s personal assist ratio of 27.8% is more than double that of the second-best UConn assist rate.

Boatright has a bit of playground flair to his game, which you can see when he gets locked in on a defender and decides to beat him one-on-one. With a mix of crossovers, spin moves, behind-the-back and between-the-leg dribbles, Boatright can quickly break down a defender and bring the crowd to life in the blink of an eye.

On the other end, Boatright is a fantastic on-ball defender, and his quick hands often lead to steals and fast break buckets on the other end. With Isaiah Taylor out of action today, Javan Felix and the other Texas guards will have to be very careful against Boatright in the half-court sets.

Joining Boatright in the backcourt is N.C. State transfer Rodney Purvis (No. 44). The sophomore is a stout 6’4″ guard who can get to the rim, but has yet to make a major impact at UConn. After missing the first game of the season due to a minor NCAA infraction, Purvis has made just 37% of his shots, and connected on only 30.8% of his attempts from long range.

The team’s most exciting new addition comes in the form of lanky wingman Daniel Hamilton (No. 5). The younger brother of former Longhorn Jordan Hamilton, Daniel has turned out to be the team’s best three-point shooter, and has also frequently used that long-range threat to beat defenders with strong head fakes behind the arc.

While Hamilton has proven to be an explosive scorer that can heat up in a hurry, his decision-making has been questionable through his first four collegiate games. He often jumps before passing the ball, even though he’s a very long 6’7″, which leads to unnecessary turnovers. On the year, Hamilton has the team’s highest turnover rate, with a 31.2% mark.

Down low, the Huskies have a formidable big man in Amida Brimah (No. 35), the rim protector we mentioned earlier. Brimah’s block percentage of 13.3% is the 17th-highest in Division I, and it allows Boatright and the Huskies to extend their pressure beyond the perimeter, since he’s always lurking in the middle to clean up any penetration.

On the other end, Brimah has improved his game and worked on the short jumpers and a back-to-the-basket game. Although those skills are still works in progress, the big man still consistently scores in the pick-and-roll, with Boatright and Hamilton often the trigger men.

Joining Brimah in the frontcourt is sophomore Kentan Facey (No. 12), a Jamaican kid who didn’t really start playing basketball until he was 15, instead focusing on soccer and cricket. Even with the late start, Facey has developed excellent rebounding skills and makes good cuts without the ball. The big man can track down boards that are not in his area, and he leads the team in rebounding percentage as a result.

The Huskies are rather thin in the frontcourt, with Phillip Nolan (No. 1) the only real option behind Brimah and Facey. He actually has some nice post moves, but has struggled with foul trouble that limits his effectiveness. The 6’10” junior is playing less than nine minutes a game, while getting called for fouls at a rate of nearly 13 per 40 minutes.

In addition to Nolan, the Huskies also have a stout 6’8″ freshman named Rakim “Rock” Lubin (No. 14). Lubin was suspended while the team was in Puerto Rico and was reinstated late this week, so his minutes may be limited today.

In the backcourt, both Terrence Samuel (No. 3) and Sam Cassell, Jr. (No. 10) provide some depth. Both can create their own shot, although Samuel has struggled at times this year to finish at the rim. While Cassell was looked to as a potential three-point threat at the beginning of the year, he’s yet to deliver, making just 22% of his 18 attempts this season.

Keys to the Game

1. Don’t give Boatright easy buckets – Boatright can get his own looks off the bounce, and will drill a pull-up jumper right in a defender’s eye. With his ability to score in an instant and take over a basketball game, the Longhorns cannot afford to give him any easy buckets. The Texas guards must take care of the ball at the top of the key to limit turnovers and fast break buckets, and the Longhorns must stop Boatright and the ball in transition.

2. Attack Brimah early and often – Without much behind Brimah on the depth chart, the Longhorns need to focus on putting the big man in foul trouble early. If Texas can put him on the bench, it completely changes the UConn defensive scheme, as their pressure defense would be more susceptible to finishes at the rim, and it would take away one of their big offensive weapons on the pick and roll.

3. Look for transition opportunities – When the UConn defense gets set, their pressure can be hard to handle. But, as opponents have proven this year, the Huskies can be beaten in the transition game, as they often fall asleep and forget to stop the ball. The Longhorns need to look upcourt after both makes and misses from UConn, and attempt to log as many fast break points as they can.

4. Force UConn to win with jumpers – Although Boatright has a great midrange game and Hamilton has proven to be a long-range marksman, the UConn offense struggles when it’s kept away from the rim. The Huskies missed nine straight shots and 14-of-18 against the Bryant zone in their season opener, and Bryant is a team that typically plays man-to-man defense! With the length that the Longhorns have inside, they need to pack in the defense and force a poor-shooting UConn team to beat them with the J.

Myles Turner made a quick splash when he debuted for the Texas Longhorns on November 14th. Within 30 seconds of entering the game, he made his first collegiate bucket, and scored in a variety of ways en route to a 15-point night. He added another 10 just a few days later against Alcorn State, but managed to score only five points in each game against Cal and Iowa in New York City.

Although he was still active defensively and on the glass in those two games, it looked like Turner was out of his usual zone on the offensive end. That changed in a big way in last night’s 78-46 win over St. Francis, as Turner dropped 25 points and tied a 52-year-old school record for field-goal percentage (91.7%) in a single game.

The win, which was never in doubt, moved the Longhorns to 5-0 on the season ahead of their Top 25 showdown with UConn in Storrs on Sunday. Although it’s always hard to glean too much insight from early-season games as mismatched as this one was, we still have seven post-game thoughts to share:

1. The Texas trainers are staying busy

With Isaiah Taylor already in a sling on the bench, the Longhorns had a few more injuries wreak havoc on the rotation last night. Javan Felix did not play — although Texas said he was available, if necessary — as he nursed a sore foot that he played through in New York City.

Prince Ibeh also joined the triage unit after just two minutes on the floor, when he appeared to injure himself while blocking a shot. He grabbed at his hip and shuffled slowly down the court the other way before Texas reclaimed the ball and play was ultimately stopped. Ibeh headed to the locker room during the first half and did return to the bench, but did not see any additional action.

Taylor’s injury will keep him out of action indefinitely, although some reports have predicted he’ll miss four to six weeks. Felix is expected to be back in action on Sunday against UConn, while there are no reports yet on Ibeh’s condition. This is certainly a Texas team with enough depth to absorb that many injuries, and the schedule worked out nicely for Felix to be able to rest up before a much more important game this weekend.

2. The Longhorns fell into the letdown trap early

After a few nice possessions with Demarcus Holland running the point, the Longhorns quickly lost focus in the first half. It was easy to see why, but no less frustrating. Sandwiched between games against Iowa and Cal in New York and big road games against UConn and Kentucky, a mid-week game just before the holidays against a tiny St. Francis team was the type that the Longhorns knew they could easily win.

Unfortunately, they played with that mindset for a lengthy first-half stretch. The Longhorns did not protect the basketball, and an active, hungry St. Francis defense repeatedly made them pay. In the first half, Texas coughed it up on nearly 22% of their possessions, with many of the turnovers coming when the Longhorns didn’t make strong passes or held the ball down low where the quick hands of the Red Flash could swipe at it.

Although Cameron Ridley scored 13 first-half points thanks to his epic mismatch against the St. Francis “bigs,” he was tagged with two early turnovers and finished with four on the night. Ridley had no problem when he caught the ball down low, but looked completely out of sorts handling it anywhere else.

3. Holmes found additional ways to contribute

It was a rough night for Jonathan Holmes from the floor, which started when he had a nice take from the perimeter that ultimately resulted in a shot that rimmed out. The senior finished just 1-of-5 from the field, with the lone make coming on a three. He also was not immune to the turnover problems that plagued Ridley and the team, as he was charged with three of his own in the first half.

However, Holmes logged five assists on the night, with most of them coming early. Thanks to his outside shot, he was able to spread a St. Francis defense that would much rather pack the lane. Holmes repeatedly put the ball right on the money when feeding from the perimeter, setting Ridley up in perfect position down low for an easy bucket. With a Texas team that has quite a few offensive threats, it’s reassuring to see Holmes helping out those other scorers on a night when his shot wasn’t falling.

4. Turner took over the game

As mentioned earlier, Turner tied a team record that dated back to the 1950’s, making 11-of-12 from the field. He scored in a variety of ways, from utilizing the face up game just outside the lane to showing soft touch on a baby hook. Turner also made all three long-range attempts he took, and later used that three-point threat on an impressive play in which the freshman faked the defender from the arc, took one dribble, and drilled a 19-footer before his man could recover.

Turner finished the night with his first collegiate double-double, adding 10 boards to go with his 25-point performance. Even better, he managed to post that line in just 25 minutes of action, giving him an offensive rating of 211 for the night. Sources tell us that’s pretty good.

5. Holland and Yancy held it down

With Felix out of action, Holland was asked to add point-guard duties to his usual defensive-stopper role. The junior guard handled it well, logging four assists while keeping the offense focused on exploiting the team’s size advantage during his 32 minutes of action. As usual, Holland stayed in the shirt of his man on the defensive end, and also added a pair of nice layups on quick, aggressive moves to the basket.

Thanks to the Felix injury, Kendal Yancy made his first start of the season after notching 10 last year. In the second half, he made the most of the opportunity, making confident moves with the ball en route to a 12-point night. Yancy knocked down 2-of-3 from behind the arc, and utilized that three-point threat in making St. Francis pay for late, quick closeouts. He also performed well on the defensive end, making the combination of Holland and Yancy look like a nice future option against quick backcourts.

6. The Horns still hustled in a blowout

Although Texas had some ball control issues that indicated a lack of focus, there were still quite a few nice hustle plays for the Longhorns last night. As usual, Connor Lammert repeatedly made the extra effort to track down errant bounces, and his work cleaning up misses inside helped him to an 11-point performance. Holland also found extra bursts of speed to beat St. Francis to a few long rebounds that had bounced into space.

The most impressive hustle play of the night, however, belonged to Ridley. Late in the first half, he found himself isolated against St. Francis star Earl Brown in the midrange. The big man took a good stance and used his length to back Brown up, then sprung off the floor to block Brown’s stepback attempt. Ridley then showed off the nimble footwork of a ballerina, snatching the ball out of the air, while planting one foot just inside the basline, and then swiveling to save the ball back to Turner.

Even though Texas had some lapses in concentration during the first half, the strong effort throughout the game to win extra possessions was a welcome sight. Those possessions obviously didn’t matter in a blowout win against St. Francis, but they could be the difference in a tight game against tougher compeition later in the year.

7. Texas posted some impressive numbers

While the stats in a game like this are not indicative of much in the grand scheme of things, they are still a lot of fun to look at. The Longhorns once again dominated on the defensive end, holding the Red Flash to 31% shooting and just 0.726 points per possession. It was the third time this season that the Horns have held an opponent to less than 0.8 PPP, and it pulled the team’s adjusted defensive efficiency mark down to 0.877 PPP, currently the fourth-best in the nation.

The Longhorns also managed to do that without fouling, as they played nearly 18 minutes before being whistled for their first foul. On the night, Texas only gave St. Francis five trips to the line, resulting in an incredible free-throw rate of just 8.6%. In simpler terms, that means that the Longhorns gave the Red Flash less than one free throw for every 11 shots attempted.

Texas also owned the glass on both ends of the court, which was to be expected against a team that topped out at 6’7″. The Longhorns reclaimed 44% of their own missed shots, and turned that into 15 second-chance points. On the other end, Texas limited St. Francis to winning just 17.9% of their offensive-rebounding opportunities.

Up next: at Connecticut (3-1); Sunday, 11 A.M. CT (ESPN2)

Fresh off a championship in the 2K Classic, the Texas Longhorns return to action tonight at the Frank Erwin Center, having climbed three spots in this week’s AP poll. With tough road games coming in the next two weekends against UConn and Kentucky, the two teams who played in last year’s national championship game, Texas will be taking it easy against some lighter competition tonight when they square off with St. Francis.

The Longhorns will be without point guard Isaiah Taylor for a second consecutive game, with the most recent reports now labeling his timetable for return as “indefinite.” On Friday, ESPN’s Jeff Goodman quoted sources that projected Taylor’s absence to be four to six weeks. Either way, it’s clear that Taylor will be unavailable for the team’s biggest non-conference games in Storrs and Lexington, and the sophomore could see his rehab stretch into the beginning of conference play.

Javan Felix will be the man tasked with filling Taylor’s sneakers, and although he has more than enough experience as the starting point guard from the 2012-13 campaign, it will be a change of roles for Felix. The New Orleans native played more of a combo guard role on last year’s team, and was asked to take open shots any time he saw them. Felix complied, taking more than 29% of his team’s shots when he was on the floor, by far the highest percentage on the team, and one that ranked him 138th nationally.

With this year’s team having such a dominant presence inside, Felix will have to serve as much more of a facilitator in Taylor’s absence. He will also need to ensure that his shot selection is judicious enough to make opponents think twice about packing the lane. Last year, Felix shot just 35.8% from the floor, so indiscriminate shooting at that same rate will only serve to encourage opponents to sag off and neutralize the Texas advantage down low.

By the numbers

St. Francis University — not to be confused with St. Francis College, which aso plays in the Northeast Conference — comes into tonight’s game with a 2-2 mark, having notched one of those wins against Division III Keystone College.

The Red Flash have one of the most experienced teams in the country, having returned all five starters from last year’s team. Ken Pomeroy shows the Red Flash as having a team average of 2.07 years of experience, the 58th-highest average in the country. This is a group that has played together for a long time and is very familiar with each other, but they’re also very familiar with losing. Last year’s team logged a 10-21 mark, and the program has won just 30 total games in the last four seasons.

This year, the numbers are not pretty for the Red Flash. Offensively, their adjusted efficiency ranks as 44th-worst in Division I. That low number is driven by an inability to control the basketball and to win second chances with their very small roster. St. Francis has turned it over on 28% of their possessions, and have only reclaimed 19.8% of their missed shots. Those percentages are ranked 10th-worst and 11th-worst in Division I this season.

With the offense struggling so mightly, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the Red Flash like to slow things down. The team is averaging an adjusted 63.8 possessions per game, one of the 50 slowest paces in D-I.

Despite being severely undersized, St. Francis has managed to perform admirably on the defensive end. The Red Flash are allowing an adjusted 0.990 points per possession, just slightly worse than the national average. They are actually forcing a turnover on roughly one out of every four possessions, keeping opponents off the glass with the 28th-best defensive rebounding rate in the country, and are not sending opponents to the line. The team’s defensive free-throw rate of 23.1% is currently ranked 21st nationally.

Meet the Red Flash

Although Texas has a handful of games against low majors that will likely be severe mismatches, this will probably be the one with the biggest disparity in size. The Red Flash have just one player listed at 6’7″ who plays significant minutes, and a trio of 6’6″ guys have seen time so far this year. Beyond that, there’s a sudden drop-off in size, with two members of the core rotation checking in under six-foot.

One of those diminutive starters is 5’11” sophomore point guard Malik Harmon (No. 1), who was the Rookie of the Year in the NEC last year. Although he has assisted on more than 15% of his team’s baskets when he’s been on the floor in their three D-I games, he has also posted an ugly 27.2% turnover rate.

Joining Harmon in the backcourt is junior guard Greg Brown (No. 12), who coach Rob Krimmel says is one of the NEC’s best defenders. Despite starting all four games, Brown is averaging just under 26 minutes per game, but has been the team’s best facilitator when he’s on the court, dishing dimes on more than a quarter of the team’s buckets.

To keep announcers and fans confused, the best player for the Red Flash is also named Brown — Earl Brown (No. 15). The 6’6″ wing has a quick first step and is a very good passer, but has a hard time carrying a very bad offense, with opponents able to focus most of their energy on him. Despite the added attention, Earl does a good job creating his own looks and getting to the line, but he does not convert those opportunities, having made just 50% of his free-throw attempts so far this season.

Senior Ollie Jackson (No. 22) is a 6’3″ guard who has also started every game, yet plays less than half of the team’s minutes. Although he played at the four against NEC opponents last season, Jackson stayed in his more natural role on the perimeter in the team’s season-opening loss at Cincinnati. He is just 1-for-10 from the field so far this season, and has a turnover rate just shy of 30%.

Rounding out the starting five is Ronnie Drinnon (No. 40), the team’s big man at 6’7″. Against a much bigger Cincinnati team, Drinnon actually did a respectable job in the post, showing nice touch on his hook shot, while also adding a turnaround jumper in the midrange. His rebounding numbers are ranked in the Top 500 on both ends of the court, so the Red Flash will need him to avoid foul trouble and stay on the court against Texas tonight.

The Red Flash have a very small rotation, with just two reserves seeing significant minutes. Junior Ben Millaud-Meunier (No. 11) is known as the team’s sharpshooter, although his 37.5% mark from long range is currently second on the team, behind Harmon’s 43.8%. Cincinnati chased Millaud-Meunier off the arc a few times, and he struggled to make them pay with his midrange game.

Senior Dominique Major rounds out the rotation, providing quality on-ball defense. He was aggressive with the bounce against Cincinnati, but preferred to look for teammates once he found a crack. Most of Major’s shots come from outside, but he’s yet to find much success this season, having connected on just 28.6% of his looks.

Keys to the Game

This is one of those match-ups where our “Keys to the Game” section is something of a misnomer. Although St. Francis will likely slow the pace enough to keep tonight’s score from getting too ugly, there’s no reason why Texas should have any problems at all in this game. The Longhorns could likely win this one with a walk-on or two playing significant minutes, so these “keys” are simply ways that Texas can make the final margin even bigger.

1. Exploit the size advantage – With St. Francis having just one player at 6’7″, the Longhorns could easily go inside on each and every play. Cincinnati was able to abuse the Red Flash in the high-low game, simply dropping entry passes right over the top of the undersized defenders. Texas should focus on good ball movement against a disciplined-but-undersized defense, with an eye towards finding great angles for post entry passes.

2. Turn up the pressure – The Longhorns have posted outstanding defensive numbers this season without forcing very many turnovers. St. Francis, meanwhile, has struggled with controlling the basketball, and looked terrified against backcourt pressure in the loss to Cincinnati. If Texas wants to have some game-speed practice with their traps and pressure looks, this would be a night in which that would result in quite a few extra possessions.

3. Dominate the glass – St. Francis typically doesn’t earn second chances, and that’s even the case against like-sized opponents. However, they have been able to keep opponents from winning back their own missed shots, a statistic that defies conventional logic. The Longhorns should not have a hard time owning the defensive glass tonight, but can also take away one of the few strengths for St. Francis if they are able to win back a good share of their own misses.

The Texas Longhorns received a dose of bad news on Friday afternoon, just hours before taking the court against Cal in the 2K Classic title game. Point guard Isaiah Taylor, a preseason member of the Wooden Award watch list, took a hard fall late in the win over Iowa a night prior, and X-rays indicated he had broken a bone in his wrist. The injury is expected to keep him out of action for 4-6 weeks.

If there were ever a year for a Texas team to absorb an injury to one of its stars, this year would be it. In addition to having a massive frontcourt, the Longhorns have their deepest bench in ages. With Taylor out, Javan Felix was available to slide back into the starting point guard slot, a role he was also suddenly thrust into as a freshman, when Myck Kabongo missed 23 games for lying to NCAA investigators about impermissible benefits.

While there is a distinct difference in style between Taylor and Felix, the absence of the team’s starting point guard wasn’t enough to cause problems against Cal. The Longhorns jumped out to a 14-4 lead by the first media timeout, and their stingy defense preserved a comfortable lead all night. Although the Golden Bears were able to carve the lead to six points on a few occasions, Texas enjoyed a double-digit lead for more than 25 minutes of game time.

The win gave Texas its first championship at the 2K Classic tournament, where they had previously lost in the 2010 title game to Pitt. It also gave the team its second neutral-court win over a major-conference opponent, something that will come in handy as the NCAA Selection Committee debates seeds in March.

With the Longhorns now sitting at 4-0 and looking ahead to a tough road contest against UConn next weekend, here are five takeaways from last night’s win:

1. This could be the best Texas D of the Barnes era

We’re only four games into the season, and there are still more than 30 to play, but the early numbers for this year’s defense are staggering. The Longhorns have allowed an adjusted 0.878 points per possession, the nation’s fifth-best mark, while they have allowed a raw 0.796 points per possession.

Texas is shutting down opponents without forcing turnovers — their turnover percentage is actually the 35th-lowest in the country — and is instead relying on suffocating interior defense and the clean-up abilities of their stable of shot blockers. The Longhorns have a block percentage of 17.1%, 34th-best in Division I, and they added 10 swats to their season tally last night.

The best team of the Rick Barnes era in terms of adjusted defensive efficiency was the 2011 team, which allowed an adjusted 0.907 points per possession. While Barnes’ teams always pride themselves on defense, the next-best performance by a Texas squad was 0.933 adjusted PPP in 2009, which gives you an idea of just how special that 2011 defense was. That team started Big 12 play 11-0, with all but one of those wins coming by double digits, and reached the No. 3 ranking in both major polls before finally losing a conference game.

There’s still a long way to go, but this defense has the right pieces to put together another historic run. Demarcus Holland provides smothering defense on the perimeter, and is usually able to frustrate the opponent’s best guard or wing. Inside, the shot-blocking talents of the deep Texas frontcourt are there to help clean up any penetration that gets by the Longhorn guards. Add in a strong set of rebounders that have limited opponents to just 28.3% of their offensive rebounding chances so far, and Texas opponents will find it tough to score all season long.

2. Jonathan Holmes is no longer under the radar

A night after powering the Longhorn comeback against Iowa, it was again Holmes who carried the team to victory. The team’s lone senior posted his first double-double of the season, a 21-point, 13-rebound performance. With the Cal zone causing some problems for the Texas offense, it was also Holmes who stepped into that key role in the high post, where he delivered one of the game’s biggest highlights, a great feed to Prince Ibeh on the baseline, which led to a thunderous dunk.

Holmes was unsurprisingly named the tournament MVP, after scoring 40 points and snagging 18 boards in 63 minutes on the court. He also hustled for a pair of nice blocks in the win over Cal, and logged three assists. Although Big 12 opponents are already familiar with Holmes, he is not as well known nationally, having been left off the Wooden Award watch list in favor of Taylor and Myles Turner. After his performance the last two nights, it’s clear that the national media is taking notice.

3. Javan Felix had a mixed return at the point

Although Taylor brings a scoring threat that Felix simply cannot match, the New Orleans native has enough previous experience running the point at Texas that fans didn’t need to be overly concerned. Felix validated that confidence in the game’s opening minutes, guiding the offense as they worked to feed the post and elbow, and even adding in a jumper and a three-pointer of his own.

As the game wore on, Felix seemed to shift out of his role as facilitator and floor general, and revert to more of the shooting guard role that he primarily served in last season. Coach Barnes was repeatedly quoted as telling Felix to take the open shots last year, and in last night’s win, he took a few wide open shots early in the shot clock.

With the definitive size advantage that Texas enjoyed against Cal, it would have been better for Felix to exercise some patience and look for post options before firing up early shots from outside. In addition to leading to higher-percentage looks, taking some time on the offensive end would have also taken Cal out of the up-tempo game that it prefers to play.

Taylor is expected to miss four to six weeks due to his injury, bringing him back just in time for conference play. In the meantime, Felix will be running the point in road games against UConn and Kentucky, and a home date with Stanford. While Texas can get by on pure talent against the rest of its non-conference slate, the Longhorns will need him to embrace the facilitator role against those three tough opponents.

4. Demarcus Holland stepped up

With Taylor out of the game, the Longhorns were missing quite a bit of scoring that usually comes from their point guard. Primarily a defensive specialist, Holland took advantage of the opportunity to shine, putting the ball on the floor and earning multiple trips to the line. Demarcus made all seven of his free throws and had quite a few nice cuts to the bucket, finishing with 11 points and an impressive block of a Cal three-pointer. Although Felix will still be needed to shoulder the point guard duties with Taylor sidelined, Holland’s increased offensive output could not have come at a better time.

5. The rotation is already tightening up

With Taylor out due to injury, it would stand to reason that the guys languishing near the bottom of the backcourt rotation would naturally see more minutes. That wasn’t the case for Damarcus Croaker, who didn’t see action for a second straight game. Wingman Jordan Barnett, whose size matched up a little better with the Cal guards and wings, also didn’t see the court.

While Barnett’s lack of PT may have been the result of some shaky minutes against Iowa, Croaker didn’t do anything egregious enough to remember in the team’s first two blowouts. Even though we’re just four games into the season, we may already be seeing that Coach Barnes doesn’t see much room for Croaker in a very crowded Texas backcourt.

Ibeh also saw a decreased role in the two games at Madison Square Garden, playing just 20 total minutes in the two contests. The big man missed some point-blank shots against Iowa, and also limited his effectiveness with poor post defense that led to unnecessary fouls.

While Turner has yet to repeat his breakout performance from his collegiate debut, he is bound to find a rhythm at this level and earn even more minutes than the 18.8 he’s currently averaging. Unless Ibeh can consistently provide an intimidating presence as a rim protector, it looks like he may find himself in a very limited role moving forward.

Up Next: vs. St. Francis (2-2); Tuesday, 7 P.M. (Longhorn Network)

The Texas Longhorns overcame a slow start at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night to knock off Iowa and advance to the title game of the 2K Classic. Cal surprised Syracuse in the other semifinal, cruising to a comfortable win over the nation’s 23rd-ranked team. That sets up tonight’s unexpected championship matchup, as new Cal coach Cuonzo Martin and his underrated Golden Bears set their sights on another ranked foe.

By the numbers

Through the first three games, Cal’s tempo stats have an interesting duality. The pace of their games are relatively quick, with an adjusted average of 70.4 possessions, up from the national average of 67.7 possessions. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that their average offensive possession is the shortest in all of D-I hoops at just 11.2 seconds, according to Ken Pomeroy. However, on the other end of the floor, they average the 14th-slowest possessions, with opponents hanging on to the ball for 21.6 seconds.

The Golden Bears have a bevy of talented three-point shooters, but don’t rely on the long ball to score. Cal’s 45.5% mark behind the arc is 29th-best in the nation, but they take less than 30% of their shots from three-point range, and score less than 30% of their points from there.

Perhaps the main reason Cal doesn’t have to rely on the three is because they have a trio of guards that can all slice up defenses with the bounce, and their entire team moves the ball incredibly well. Their team assist percentage of 67.3% is 33rd in the NCAA, and their ball movement against the zones of Syracuse and Alcorn State looked like something out of a coaching video.

Cal has also limited their mistakes through the first three games, turning it over on just 16.4% of their possessions, well below the national average of 20.1%. On the other end of the floor, they don’t force many mistakes by the opponents, either, causing miscues on just 16.9% of possessions. Instead, the Golden Bears get in your shirt on the perimeter, and help quickly when that tight defense allows dribble penetration by quick opposing guards.

Meet the Bears

When Mike Montgomery retired following the 2013-14 season, he certainly didn’t leave the cupboard bare. Despite losing about 27 points per game with the departures of Justin Cobbs and Richard Solomon, Cal still returned a loaded backcourt with tons of offensive talent. When Cuonzo Martin was dealing with an unappreciative fanbase in Knoxville that was trying to run him out of town, Berkeley provided a perfect landing spot, giving him a team that wouldn’t require rebuilding.

At the point, junior Tyrone Wallace (No. 3) is a true combo guard with excellent slashing abilities. He isn’t just a head-down, drive-at-the-rim kind of guy, as he can wiggle through traffic and hit floaters or pull-up jumpers from all over the court. He takes 26.2% of the team’s shots when he’s on the floor, but still manages to log assists on 31.1% of the buckets. The 6’5″ guard could pose some matchup issues for the smaller Texas backcourt.

Joining Wallace in the backcourt is Jordan Mathews (No. 24), another guard who can create his own shot, but who is also a big-time threat from long range. On the year, Mathews is 5-for-13 from behind the arc, and with the speed that Cal moves the ball, they can often find him for wide open looks.

Sophomore wing Jabari Bird (No. 23) is a 6’6″ guy who can easily find cracks in the defense, and is always looking for teammates who are freed up by his penetration. Like Wallace, Bird plays a key role in a ton of Cal possessions, as he takes 28.4% of the shots when he’s on the floor, while also assisting on more than 32% of the buckets. For a Texas team with a small backcourt and no prototypical wings, Bird will be another interesting matchup.

In the frontcourt, junior Christian Behrens (No. 14) has started all three games, but is averaging just over 20 minutes per game. Behrens has dealt with serious knee injuries dating back to high school, and has yet to be more than a role player for Cal. It looks like Coach Martin is taking it slow with Behrens right now, and utilizing a rotation at the four spot.

Senior David Kravish (No. 45) rounds out the starting five, and will face a tall order against the size of Texas tonight. The 6’10” Kravish is truly an all-around player, as he can block shots, rebound well, stretch the floor with his jumper, and is a great passer. That jumper and passing ability make him a threat out of the high post, and he helps Cal break down opposing zone defenses from that soft spot at the free throw line.

In the backcourt, Sam Singer (No. 2) is the team’s backup point guard, but is not nearly the dual threat that the rest of the Cal guards are. He’s a steady guard who posted a 2.56-to-1 turnover ratio as a freshman, but has unfortunately struggled with ball control through the first three games this year.

Graduate transfer Dwight Tarwater (No. 1) came to Berkeley after finishing his degree at Cornell, and can play on the wing or serve as an undersized stretch four. He’s averaging just under 20 minutes per game, is 6-for-10 from long range, and has a 75% eFG mark.

Facing the size of Texas, Coach Martin may elect to increase the minutes for freshman Kingsley Okorah, a 7’1″ freshman who originally committed to Tennessee, but followed his coach to Berkeley. Roger Moute a Bidias (No. 22) is a 6’6″ sophomore forward who is averaging less than 16 minutes per game, but may also see a little more PT against Texas, thanks to a 7’1″ wingspan.

Keys to the game

1. Dominate the glass – The Golden Bears are rather thin in the frontcourt, and they lack the size of the Longhorns. Through three games, they have posted rebounding numbers on both ends of the court that are only average, and they should find it hard to improve those marks against Texas tonight. If the Longhorns can take advantage of their size and dominate the glass on both ends of the court, they’ll limit extra possessions for a dangerous Cal offense, while giving their own bigs some easy second-chance points.

2. Limit dribble penetration – This will be easier said than done against a talented Cal backcourt that can easily break down opposing defenses off the bounce. The Longhorns fortunately have great shot blockers inside to help clean things up when the perimeter defense breaks down, but the Golden Bears are also really talented passers. Rather than barrel headlong into a stout Texas interior defense, the Cal guards are much more likely to find open teammates when they are able to penetrate, which would mean easy buckets and wide-open threes.

3. Pound it down low – Texas has the clear size advantage in this one, and they need to exploit that early and often. In addition to getting easy points and covering for their own shooting woes, the Longhorns can hopefully tag the thin Cal frontcourt with some foul trouble early, which would only serve to increase the Texas size advantage down low.