The preseason top ten ranked Texas Longhorns will open regular season play tonight with a 7 pm tip against Stetson. As best as I can tell, the game will not be on television but will be shown online at TexasSports.tv for Texas residents only. Visit the TexasSports.com preview for the link.
Rick Barnes' club returns four starters and loads of front court depth from last year's Elite Eight team. Texas will attempt to replace the lone departed starter, DJ Augustin, with a rotation of point guards. Justin Mason filled in nicely for DJ at the point last season in the brief moments where Augustin was able to rest; AJ Abrams returned to Texas for his senior season to better prepare himself for the NBA and is already proclaiming point guard to be his natural position; and Dogus Balbay will also spend time at the point after serving the final game of his 11 game suspension tonight. (The suspension stems from his time playing on a European team on which other players were paid. Balbay was never paid but the NCAA ruled his participation as a violation.)
I don't have time to break down the Stetson Hatters, but I do have few things I will be looking for tonight at the Drum. The answers to these questions will certainly not come in full this evening, however, how the Longhorns answer these questions throughout the season will be telling of their future success.
See you at the Drum.
0 recs | 23 comments
Stetson Hatters will probably break down on their own
Yes – I bet his ball handling is badass this year
Yes – Gary for sure. You forgot about the running jump hook – ATCH
J Mace
Hopefully for 10-12 minutes/game
Yes – we will have a bigger lineup this year, right? Only one guard under 6 feet.
jimmer - November 14, 2008
My thoughts
1. Damion will have a hard time getting by Tyler Hansbrough and Blake Griffin
2. Johnson lacks the height to play low post and Chapman belongs at power forward (behind Atchley). That leaves Pittman, Hill, and Wangmene. I’d like to see Hill play before I concede the spot to Pittman.
3. I would not count out AJ at all. I worry about Mason sinking into a funk like he did last year. And again I need to see Balbay play before I give him the position.
4. Pittman will contribute. I think conditioning will be less of a factor than his court sense. His limited minutes have meant he has never been fully integrated into the scheme.
5. Clearly Mason can handle himself on defense, so the question is whether we will hit teams with a second big guard (Memphis). Against a three guard offense, James can handle another big guard.
Caradoc - November 14, 2008
Projected starting lineup for tonights game
AJ Abrams
Damion James
Justin Mason
Connor Atchley
Gary Johnson
MJY6087 - November 14, 2008
Stampede
Who’s going to be waiting in that other line outside the erwin center with me around 5 today?
Ricky'sDreadlocks - November 14, 2008
Im in stampede as well, why would you want to go so early???
MJY6087 - November 14, 2008
No reason really
I guess it’s just that I missed the feeling of hanging outside the Erwin Center before basketball games, and this will be my first time to do it as a stampede member. We’ll get in at 5:30, so I guess it’s that, and a combination of seeing old friends.
Ricky'sDreadlocks - November 14, 2008
re:
I’ll be doing my part in the alumni lower section being rowdy. We’ve got a wonderful basketball arena with so much potential for loudness. Can’t wait until UCLA.
UTexasCPA - November 14, 2008
AJ thinks he's a "natural PG"?
Most laughable thing I’ve heard from him or daddy Abrams. Now THIS I have to see for myself.
goingforthecorner - November 14, 2008
I thought it
But I didn’t say it. Kudos to you.
run Bevo run - November 14, 2008
So...
Is what the note on the texassports preview says true? Do we have to wait 72 hours to watch the game? Am I missing something?
littlevisigoth - November 14, 2008
this should open in windows media player
mms://a1669.l2761258618.c27612.g.lm.akamaistream.net/D/1669/27612/v0001/reflector:50311
titans10 - November 14, 2008
thanks
where did you get that from? did you just log on to texassportstv?
littlevisigoth - November 14, 2008
found it on a streaming forum
titans10 - November 14, 2008
what an ugly first half
texas has more than 10 turnovers i think, and if it werent for abrams 3s this game would be very close
titans10 - November 14, 2008
i dont follow basketball as closely, whats going on with balbay? not playing for a few games or what.
Displaced Longhorn - November 14, 2008
suspended for the first
titans10 - November 14, 2008
and there's
the dance. classic.
littlevisigoth - November 14, 2008
Missed freethrows
Doesn’t look like anyone practiced freethrows in the off season. 38% is just shameful.
Caradoc - November 14, 2008
Rick had noted they were poor and they'd been working lately to get better.
That was in one of the reports this week. Now Rick has some real ammo. My livestream was very choppy, too, like littlevisigoth noted below. I stuck with it but, in retrospect, will listen to radio next time.
Due to that, I really had no sense of the game flow at all.
whills - November 14, 2008
Sigh
The thing is that freethrow shooting requires neither talent or athleticism. It just requires a commitment to practice. Anyone, and I mean anyone, can become an 80% free throw shooter. A gifted athlete should shoot 90. But players can’t seem to get this through their heads. If they just practice, they can raise their scoring averages and make opponents think twice about playing them aggressively. But they don’t practice and they end up shooting a pathetic 38. Just makes me sick.
Caradoc - November 15, 2008
Hey, man...
… we’re talking about practice, here.
Horn Brain - November 15, 2008
online stream
was very choppy for me. guess i don’t have a fast enough connection. sloppy first game. horrible foul shooting. better 2nd half though. wish Pittman had shown us more. he got a lot of minutes, but still is very much a work in progress. three from long range for Atchley (unless it was more and i missed it). hopefully that’s a development that will continue to blossom throughout the season. enormous physical mismatch, which played out on the scoreboard. only one more tune up before heading to Maui. Barnes will have a lot to work on.
littlevisigoth - November 14, 2008
forgot to toss in a dig
ugly(ish) 30 point win sure beats a(nother) opening game loss, like the UK faithful have to bemoan tonight (to VMI?!). aren’t they loving that Gillespie hire? 111 points? did they just leave two guys on the offensive end all night?
littlevisigoth - November 14, 2008
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