Varez Ward will miss tonight’s contest with Tulane after spraining an ankle in practice.

With a trip to Maui and a potential pair of games against top ten opponents looming just a week away, toight the Longhorns look to brush up and correct a few mistakes against a vastly overmatched Tulane team. The Green Wave comes to Austin on the heels of a tight 68-62 win over McNeese State in New Orleans this weekend. Texas also sports a 1-0 mark following their 68-38 thumping of Stetson on Friday night.

About the opponents

Tulane is hoping to bounce back after losing three solid seniors in David Gomez, Matt Wheaton, and Donnie Stith. The trio combined for over 40% of the Green Wave’s points in the 2008 season and 41% of the team’s rebounds. With the loss of Gomez, Robinson Louisme is going to have to carry the load down low for the Green Wave, but he faces a tough task against a Texas team that blocked eight shots in their first game.

Following such massive turnover at Tulane, the Green Wave is pinning its hopes on tiny guard Kevin Sims, who started his junior season with a 17-point performance against McNeese State on Saturday. Kris Richard joins Sims as a starter in the backcourt, and matched his teammate’s 17-point total in the season opener with an identical scoring line. Richard checks in at 6-foot, 5-inches, and provides Coach Dave Dickerson with a versatile wing option.

The frontcourt is facing a mismatch against the taller Longhorns, with all three Green Wave starters listed at 6’7″ or shorter. Although Texas occasionally struggled on the offensive glass despite a significant height advantage over Stetson, Tulane will still likely have their hands full in the paint. If the Longhorns can crack down on those easy follow-ups, the Green Wave might have a tough time scoring.

Longhorn storylines

The big story of the night for Texas is the collegiate debut of point guard Dogus Balbay. It’s no secret that the Texas offense struggled in the first half with A.J. Abrams at the one, so having a true guard that can penetrate and create looks for his teammates will open up the floor. Balbay’s addition will also free up Abrams to return to his natural role as a catch-and-shoot three-point threat.

Putting Balbay in the mix also raises questions about the backcourt rotation, as the small size of the Abrams, Balbay, Varez Ward and Justin Mason makes it less likely that the Horns will run three guards at once. Mason brings smart play to the court along with lockdown defense, so Barnes will be able to tinker the lineup to match nearly any situation.

It’s not just the backcourt combinations that are up in the air, but also the playing time for the crowded frontcourt. Connor Atchley and Damion James are the unquestioned leaders, but Gary Johnson demands PT with his hard-nosed effort and nice mid-range jumper. Clint Chapman and Dexter Pittman are looking to improve after showing flashes of brilliance in 2007-08, but obviously that progress is more likely to happen with increased time in live game situations. If Friday night was any indication, Matt Hill and Alexis Wangmene are the odd men out in the rotation, but games like tonight’s offer Barnes an opportunity to experiment.

The key to the game tonight is to take advantage of the height disparity between the two teams by pounding the ball inside — something that Texas failed to do for the first half of Friday’s game — and attacking the glass. Abrams will likely knock down a handful of threes, which should aid in stretching out the Tulane defense, making it easier for Texas to go down low.

Tip is at 7 P.M. at the Frank Erwin Center, and there are still tons of tickets available. But if you can’t make it out to the Drum, tune in with other Longhorn fans to Fox Sports Net for all the action.

Hoops is certainly back in full swing, with ESPN broadcasting college basketball all damned day. Unfortunately, we’re not quite in full swing here at LRT with insanity at the McJob and cramming to get everything ready for Maui by Friday. We’ll try to get back to the daily content sometime this week, and look for some cosmetic changes around the site before December arrives. You can thank the 20-plus hours on airplanes to and from Hawaii.

The Big 12 is off to a hot start, with its members logging a perfect 19-0 record through last night’s games. The conference probably won’t match its solid RPI numbers from last year, when it spent most of the season slotted as the second-toughest league in the nation. But the Big 12 teams are taking care of patsies so far, something that couldn’t be said even during last season’s strong start — yes, we’re looking at you, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.

Oklahoma faces the league’s stiffest test yet when it hosts Davidson tonight in the NIT Season Tip Off. It’d be great to watch this Top 25 match-up on TV, but the “Worldwide Leader” has better things to show. Like Kansas hosting the mighty Florida Gulf Coast (ESPNU, 8 PM CT). Or maybe Billy Wrong Way Gillispie getting demolished by The Anointed Ones better suits your fancy (ESPN, 8 PM CT)? If you thought VMI was bad, Billy Clyde, just try not to clench the muscles…

Tulane preview will be headed your way this afternoon. In the meantime, you can find us in a basketball coma with remote in hand.

Edit (3 P.M. CT): ESPN2 will now be broadcasting the Davidson/Oklahoma game at 8 P.M. You’ll definitely want to check that one out once the Horns are finished discarding the Green Wave.

With Tulane looming just thirteen hours from now, time is running out to look back on Friday night’s season opening victory over Stetson. I suppose that means that this time’s just as good as any to speed through what we saw.

As Bob Knight said during the 894 hours of basketball coverage last night on ESPN, it often takes a good ten to twelve games to really have an idea of what a team is capable of in any given season. But there were still quite a few nuggets to take away from the 30-point Longhorn victory over Stetson, and of course even more things for Coach Barnes to drill at these first few weeks of the season.

The brightest part of the game was the solid shooting night from senior guard A.J. Abrams. Unfortunately, the tiny guard was not just asked to shoot, but also tasked with running the point during the first half as starter Dogus Balbay sat on the bench finishing a suspension. With Abrams at the one, the rest of the Longhorns seemed content to pass the ball around the perimeter and wait on A.J. to shoot. Most of the time, the senior knocked down his shots to keep Texas comfortably ahead. But there was absolutely no interior game to speak of thanks to the lack of penetration or entry passes opening things up.

Another huge factor nullifying the size advantage over Stetson was the absence of Connor Atchley, who had his chin sliced open early in the first half. Without the senior leader getting things going in his inside-out role, Texas was glued to the perimeter. Connor’s perfect night from behind the arc (3-of-3) was a huge lift coming out of the locker room, as Texas increased its already-lofty 46% shooting to a ridiculous 62% against the Hatters. Stetson was forced to stretch their defense out even more, and the Longhorns started attacking the weaknesses and working it inside.

The other big thing we took from Friday night’s game was our first look at freshman guard Varez Ward. It was obvious that all of the hype surrounding his defense was well-founded, as Ward looked better than would be expected for an 18-year old in his first collegiate game. On the offensive end, he was still a bit sloppy, but showed initiative in attacking the rim when other Longhorns were content to simply pass the rock around. Ward did pick up a pair of charging fouls near the rack, so he will need to work on maintaining control while trying to create. In addition, he missed all six of his free throws in a painful effort that could only be described as Shaq-ian.

Damion James picked up where he left off, as his mid-range stroke was still on display. With the Texas offense refusing to penetrate in the first twenty minutes, James added a few jumpers to augment The Abrams Show. But with Damion marginalized away from the rim, his rebounding numbers suffered on the night, and he finished with only seven boards against a smaller and less athletic Stetson team. As the team finds its identity and the younger post players step up on the glass, DaMo won’t be needed as much to clean up the trash against conference opponents. But in the meantime, having James lead the team with only seven rebounds could be worrisome with the murderer’s row of non-conf games looming.

Justin Mason took things over at the one in the second half, and the Texas offense certainly benefited. J-Mase is obviously not a point guard, and won’t be pressuring Balbay for the reigns anytime soon. But it was perfectly clear that in situations where Dogus won’t be available this year, Mason is the choice to step in. His cerebral play on offense opens up some nice options for subs throughout the season, as Barnes can opt to use a defensive-minded backcourt with Ward at the two and Jay serving as a serviceable point.

Defensively, Texas looked better than what we were expecting in a season-opening performance. They forced Stetson into quite a few low-percentage jumpers and did a good job switching and helping in the man defense. But the biggest problem on the defensive end was how easily the Hatter guards were able to attack on simple pick-and-rolls, forcing Texas into those help situations. Stetson was quite adept at moving the ball quickly to find the open man, and it led to more easy looks than the Longhorns will be able to give to quality teams. Fortunately, the Rick Barnes specialty is coaching up a defense over the five-month season, and holding any team to only 26% shooting is a great place to start.

Gary Johnson quietly put in a solid effort with a six-point, seven-rebound performance in only 17 minutes on the floor. But the rest of the Longhorns were tough to get a read on, as officials constantly called walks and charges in the paint and Barnes spread out the minutes amongst the bigs. Dexter Pittman was still able to put in ten points, but much of his post work was marred by the happy whistles from the refs. With the foul trouble plaguing him, it was tough to get minutes strung together, but we should soon see what Big Dex can do with quality playing time.

Matt Hill and Alexis Wangmene each only played four minutes and didn’t make much of an impression, while Clint Chapman saw the floor for thirteen. The sophomore from Oregon made a few solid defensive plays to give hope that fans will see some marked improvement this year. He’s still obviously rough, but the lost freshman we saw at this time last year was nowhere to be found.

The sloppy first half could spell a future concern for Texas, as the Longhorns barely had more field goals than turnovers for most of the first twenty minutes. But there was a clear adjustment in the locker room, with Texas only coughing it up four times the rest of the way. The addition of Balbay to the lineup should help with ball control in the future, as will a focus on eliminating unnecessary charges.

There are clearly a ton of questions left for Longhorn fans, some of which may be addressed in tonight’s game with Tulane. Look for a preview of the mighty Green Wave this afternoon.

After six long months, the sweet sound of sneakers on hardwood has returned. And while we’ve had to bide our time all week with such thrilling match-ups as Michigan Tech/Michigan and UCLA/Prairie View A&M, tonight the Longhorn faithful can finally enjoy the return of their own basketball team.

Sure, the mighty Stetson Hatters provide as much of a threat as crabgrass in the Sahara. But with Rick Barnes opting to forgo exhibitions this year in favor of closed scrimmages with Davidson and Gonzaga, tonight’s contest provides the first chance for Texas fans to get a look at the 2008-09 Longhorns. And in a year where Barnes is looking to fill the vacancy of yet another top-ten NBA draft pick, there are a ton of questions that Texas fans want answered.

About the opponent

The Hatters are coming off a mediocre season in which they finished 15-16 and lost to Gardner Webb in the first round of the Atlantic Sun tournament. The efficiency numbers from last year’s team were actually much worse than their near-.500 record would indicate. Stetson ranked 309th in Division I basketball in offensive efficiency, while their adjusted defensive numbers put them at 205th in the nation.

One thing the Hatters do have going for them is experience, as last year’s team featured only one senior. The return of guards A.J. Smith and Garfield Blair — who averaged a combined 60 minutes per game last year — should provide some stability in the backcourt. The most reliable forward for Stetson last year was Sheldon Oliver, who checks in at only 6-foot, 5-inches. This lack of a true inside presence could cause major match-up problems against a Texas lineup that is very deep in the frontcourt.

What to look for

There are a number of questions floating around at the start of every season, and with the loss of D.J. Augustin, the 2008-09 season is no exception. Here are just a few of the many things on our mind as the team takes the court tonight.

Who handles the ball? – With Dogus Balbay serving the final game of his suspension for playing on a team which paid some players, the point guard duties are up in the air. Both A.J. Abrams and Justin Mason have experience at the one, but neither is a true floor general. Seeing who gets the bulk of the minutes running the offense will give fans an idea of what to expect if Balbay struggles in his first college season or runs into foul trouble somewhere down the line.

Will the new three-point line affect Abrams? – The NCAA has moved the three-point line back this season from its previous distance of 19 feet, 9 inches to a more daunting 20 feet, 9 inches. For Texas, the player who could possibly suffer most from the change is senior guard Abrams. There’s no question the little shooting guard has the range to hit from further out. But after three seasons developing his game at the old distance, will there be an adjustment period for Abrams this year?

How ready is Matt Hill? – The forward from Nebraska has been a huge question mark for Texas the last two seasons, with injuries crippling his freshman year and completely erasing the 2007-08 campaign. As a redshirt sophomore, Hill has the skills to make a quick impact, but questions about his durability still linger. Tonight, fans will not only get a chance to see how he fits into the crowded rotation in the frontcourt, but also to see if he seems at all hesitant after struggling with so many injuries.

What shape will the lineup take? – This is a question that will certainly not be answered tonight, as Rick Barnes will likely experiment with different combinations all the way into conference play. But this Texas team is incredibly deep, and has the ability to go both big and small. The fact that both Damion James and Connor Atchley can play well both inside and out is also an incredible asset which lends itself to some exciting possibilities for which five Longhorns see the floor.