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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Submitted for your approval, without commentary, this gem from Maryland blog Testudo Times.

Some of you will enjoy this one. There’s a John Calipari impersonator on Facebook, who sent this (100% fake) message to Marquis Teague, the five star point guard and recent commitment to Kentucky.

Teague’s response, though, is 100% honest and true. Which, to me, is hilarious. As fans of one of the last “honest” coaches in the NCAA, I thought some of you would get a kick out of it.

Source: Testudo Times – Some of you will enjoy this one

Finally, a bit of positive news for Texas basketball fans.

ESPN is reporting that Cory Joseph committed to Texas this afternoon, giving Rick Barnes a scoring point guard to compliment the defensive-minded Dogus Bablay. Joseph, tabbed by Rivals as the 3rd-best 2010 PG in the nation, joins his Findlay Prep teammate Tristan Thompson in the Longhorns’ small, but talented recruiting class.

We’ll explore next year’s lineup in more depth once the May 8th early-entry withdrawal deadline has passed.