SB Nation - Alexis Wangmene

Texas vs. Pittsburgh Gameflow

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 19:40:38 -0000

Player	+/- (game)	+/- (per minute)
Gary Johnson	+23	+1.04
Dexter Pittman	+20	+1.11
Avery Bradley	+19	+.65
Damion James	+13	+.41
Jordan Hamilton	+12	+1.09
Dogus Balbay	+10	+.36
Alexis Wangmene	+6	+.35
Justin Mason	+5	+.29
J'Covan Brown	+5	+.22
Matt Hill	-6	-3

Previous Gameflows:

UC-Irvine

Western Carolina

Rice

A few thoughts after the jump, as well as the Four Factors, Gameflow, and Player Impact charts...

NCAA Basketball Stats

Barnes substituted much less frequently in this game than he did in the following game against Rice, particularly in the second half. It's hard to say that doing so less frequently resulted in the strong second-half performance, as it most likely had more to do with the team locking defensively and Pittsburgh getting fatigued, leading to easy transition opportunities for Texas.
Strange things happen with an unadjusted +/- rating and Gary Johnson is a perfect example -- looking at his four points and three rebounds, it's hard to say that he had a great game in any traditionally measurable way, except the team played extremely well when he was on the court.
In looking at the Four Factors chart, it's clear that the Longhorns had the biggest advantage in their eFG%, which adjusts for the higher value of three pointers. In looking at the box score, it's easy to see why -- the Longhorns shot over 65% in the second half, while also knocking down four of six from distance, good for 67%. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, shot only 37% in the second half and missed all eight of their three-point attempts.
Besides the strange +/- from Gary Johnson, Dexter Pittman had the strongest game by that metric even though he didn't score during the stretch in the middle of the second half when the Longhorns broke open the close game. Jordan Hamilton scored five points (showing the impact he can have on a game), James had an And 1, and Justin Mason had a layup -- the most important play Pittman made during that stretch was to set a crushing screen to free up Mason for his transition layup.
Though Mason and Balbay did reasonably well when on the court together in the Rice game, they were not good, as the Longhorns were -8 during the stretch at the end of the first half when they were on the court together. In that respect, the loss of Avery Bradley to fouls early in the game really hurt because he had only three negative stretches in the game, each of only one point. Damion James may have been the real culprit though, as he allowed his man to knock down two three pointers, turned the ball over once, and took a bad jumper in that period of time.
Alexis Wangmene had a pretty poor game, turning the ball over twice and fouling out of the game. In fact, he probably had the single worst second in the history of +/- in basketball -- checking into the game and promptly fouling Gary McGhee, who made both free throws, then checking out. Three of Wangemene's fouls resulted in free throws for Pittsburgh, of which they made five of six.
It would be nice to see the adjusted +/- numbers that they use for the NBA, but I don't have the available information to do that. Where are the college basketball sabermetricians?!?

Texas vs. Rice Gameflow (Updated)

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:36:59 -0000

Gameflow from the Texas/Rice game on Sunday. I haven't worked much with Excel, so I wasn't able to use +/- symbols because I couldn't get the program to stop adding and subtracting. If anyone knows how to get that to turn off, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, hopefully it's readable and provides some insights. Also, if anyone has any thoughts on the best way to determine the best five-man groups for the team, that would also be helpful.

Previous Gameflows:

UC-Irvine

Western Carolina

A few thoughts:

In a game that the Longhorns won by 18 points, any player with a negative +/- in the game didn't add much to the team. Throwing out Matt Hill, who ended up with a -2 after one minute, and Shawn Williams, who played two minutes, the three players who come out looking poorly in this metric are Jordan Hamilton at even, Justin Mason at +1, and Gary Johnson at +2. It's difficult to make direct correlations between the play of an individual to the results of the team, but the first two players listed aren't a huge surprise -- Hamilton shot 3-9 from the field and still failed to make entry passes to the big guy down low, while Mason missed both of his field goals and three of his four free-throw attempts. It's a broken record now -- he just doesn't add anything offensively. For Johnson, it's harder to figure, though he did only have one rebound in his 16 minutes and turned the ball over twice.
James (+21), Bradley (+18), and Balbay (+17) all had the best games by this metric. Most surprising of these three is James, who shot poorly from the field, but rebounded well and didn't turn the ball over. For Bradley, it was probably about playing good defense and playing efficiently, as he shot 3-7 from the field, 2-2 from the line and had four assists and no turnovers. Balbay is interesting as well, as he didn't score much and only had one assist, but rebounded extremely well and probably helped the team by pushing the ball in transition and playing good defense.
Despite what is seemingly a bad combination in Balbay and Mason, the two played five different stretches together and finished +4, with only one of those stretches a net negative for the team at -1. Something to keep an eye on, although the fact that neither can shoot and the amount that tangibly affects the spacing on the court probably trumps this data.
The amount of substituting that Rick Barnes does may also affect the data, as the longest that any group was on the floor together was the nearly three minutes that Brown/James/Pittman/Hamilton/Mason were on the court and registered a -5, by far the worst stretch of basketball during the game, when Rice climbed back into it, cutting the lead 12 to seven and then to five when Bradley replaced Mason. Does substituting so frequently hurt the rhythm of the team because the players on the court don't have time to establish a good dynamic and decide where they want to go with the ball? There's certainly accountability, but there may be side effects as well.
It's not surprising in some ways that the group of Brown/Bradley/James/Pittman/Hamilton registered a +4 in the first half, as that's probably the best combination on paper right now for the Longhorns, although that group also registered -2 in their appearance together in the second half, when Hamilton earned himself a spot on the bench for the rest of the game by jacking a step-back three pointer after making a three the previous trip down the court.
Context plays a factor here, as the needless fouling by Rice at the end of the game resulted in a +5 and +4 for the players on the court at the end of the game, despite not having to do anything offensively other than hold onto the ball long enough to get fouled and make free throws, which James and Brown did at a high rate -- 7-8 in the last minute. However, those two groups did also help hold Rice scoreless over the last 4:17 of the game.

[Update]: Here are some other charts from StatSheet for the Rice game. I'll try to post them after every game.

NCAA Basketball Stats

As a note, the last chart has J'Covan Brown's numbers listed as Varez Ward, hopefully they will get that changed.

Texas Uses Second-Half Surge to Top Pitt

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 19:55:13 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

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Game Recap: After the first four games of the season, the Longhorns have clearly written a script they are bound and determined to follow -- get a lead early, give it up with poor offensive play in the last minutes of the first half and equally poor recognition closing out on shooters, then surge past the tired opponent in the second half for an easy win. It works now, but there's an expiration date on such play and that expiration date is the start of the difficult non-conference schedule that includes North Carolina, UConn, MIchigan State, and Arkansas.

Within that script, the lack of recognition of three-point shooters is most disturbing. Lamar Patterson hit two three pointers late in the half to bring Pittsburgh back in the game and it was Damion James who was lacking recognition, a major mistake for a senior who should know better.

In the second half, the Longhorns played even with the Panthers for five minutes or more before a 14-3 run put Pittsburgh away. Defense fueled the surge, as the Longhorns got out in transition and finished around the rim, with two jumpers, one a three pointer, from Jordan Hamilton helping Texas gain separation. As Pittsburgh ran out of gas, Rick Barnes' club extended the lead unti the final score resembled a blowout at 78-62, even though Texas only won about 15 minutes of the game handily.

The outcome was: Acceptable. It appears that Rick Barnes has three primary objectives at this point in the season -- wear down teams by bringing in waves of fresh players, experiment with lineup combinations to find what works, and hold players accountable for mental mistakes on the offensive or defensive end. The first objective has been extremely successful, as neither of the four teams Texas has played to this point in the season have been able to keep up with more than 30 minutes or so. Pitt tired so much at the end of the game they were missing open jumpers and committing costly turnovers, leadng to easy Texas baskets. The accountability aspect led to Jordan Hamilton playing only 11 minutes, a paltry number when compared to the 17 minutes and two points provided by Justin Mason.

Overall, the result was merely acceptable because of the offensive struggles that kept Pittsburgh in the game far longer than necessary, but until Texas can consistently feed Pittman in the post, J'Covan Brown becomes more comfortable and Jordan Hamilton can fulfill the wishes of Rick Barnes offensively and defensively, this team will probably struggle on the offensive end at times. In some ways, the fact that the team has so much room to grow is cause for considerable confidence going forward, as the win over a solid Pittsburgh team demonstrates that this is already a top-10 team nationally with more room to grow than any other team as highly ranked, with the possible exception of Kentucky.

Stat of the game: 14-24 (58.3%) from the free-throw line. In about a week or two, this is going to start sounding like a broken record -- Texas struggles at the charity stripe and will no doubt continue to do so throughout the season. The biggest concern is that Dexter Pittman and Damion James, who will likely lead the Longhorns in attempts, no not look like they will be able to hit in the 70% range. In fact, it's likely that the only two good free-throw shooters on the team will be J'Covan Brown and Jordan Hamilton, with rampant inconsistency from everyone else. Ulimately, the defense will probably have to make up for the lost points by forcing more turnovers and securing defensive rebounds, as the offense will no doubt continue to suffer through stretches of ineffectiveness.

The Offensive MVP was: Damion James. For James, the key offensively is to stay within himself. During the poor stretch at the end of the first half when the Longhorns failed to score for 4:44, a large part of the problem was the lineup on the floor, but poor selection by James was a major part of the problem, as he forced several long, difficult jumpers. Even though he's one of the best offensive weapons for Texas, he must play within himself -- that means spot-up three pointers and lay ups around the rim, with a few in-rhythm jump shots sprinkled in. For most of the game, James did that, converting on 8-13 shots, including 2-4 three pointers for 20 points to lead the team, and when he does plays within himself, he provides the Longhorns with an incredible boost.

The Defensive MVP was: Dogus Balbay. I've never particularly considered myself an advocate of Balbay, but this game may have converted me. Balbay finished the game with eight rebounds, second on the team to Damion James, while picking up two steals according to the ESPN box score. Those two steals sell Balbay's effort defensively completely short, as he deflected numerous passes and played lockdown man-to-man defense for the entire 28 minutes he played. It's simply spectacular right now to see him hound opponents on the perimeter and deflect the ball so often on passes or making it difficult to even dribble the ball. The best offense for Texas this season will remain a good defense and with his rebounding ablity for a guard and elite on-ball defense, Balbay, whatever his limitations as a shooter offensively, will be a major catalyst for the offense beginning on the defensive end.

A few more thoughts:

Rick Barnes is clearly sending a message to Jordan Hamilton right now -- if you continue to lose your man on defense by ball watching and if you continue to look off Dexter Pittman, you won't play much. Hamilton has had probably five to ten opportunities to enter the post this season, and unless he did so against UC-Irvine in the game I wasn't able to watch, he hasn't yet entered the ball once. Defensively, it's a lack of focus right now that is causing the problems and frankly, Hamilton probably doesn't have much experience exerting the amount of focus now required on the defensive end. Offensively, though he does find his open teammates, he's still hunting his shots and even the two that he hit against Pittsburgh were pretty ill-advised -- a contested jumper and a three pointer he made while Dexter Pittman was posting up in front of him calling for the ball. At some point he needs to play more to gain experience because the Longhorns desperately need his scoring ability, the Rick Barnes obviously has a point to make before Hamilton gets any minutes he doesn't earn.
J'Covan Brown has been impressive defensively, but still needs to work on fighting through screens, as he often got hung up on them against Pittsburgh, forcing a poor switch or getting his big man into trouble with dribble penetration.
Justin Mason needs to get aggressive offensively or there is no reason for him to be out there. As it is, pairing him with Dogus Balbay is a recipe for disaster, as the defense can sag into the paint without worrying about Mason hitting any long jumpers. Defensively, he's allowed way too much dribble penetration and although there is more reason to play him now with Varez Ward out, he just doesn't provide anything more than Avery Bradley, Brown, or Balbay. The regression in his game is almost sad to see.
Dexter Pittman needs to keep himself out of foul trouble. Against Pittsburgh, the fouls were mostly of the body control variety where he had trouble keeping himself from knocking into people. In fairness to Big Dex, some of the fouls were pretty marginal in a game that was physical overall, but the bottom line is that he needs to adjust to how the officials are calling the game because no amount of complaining about the calls will keep him from having to head to the bench. The Longhorns may be having trouble getting him the ball in the post, but he's still the major offensive weapon and needs to stay out there.
Texas did much better against Pittsburgh avoiding turnovers with only 10 on the game, but players who lower usage rates like Alexis Wangmene and Damion James need to avoid the costly mistakes, as they combined for five turnovers on their own, half of the team total. For James, he needs to make better decisions with the ball, a problem that plagued him last season and Wangmene needs to hold onto the ball better.
If Wangmene is going to be the replacement for Pittman when the big fella gets in foul trouble, Wing Man needs to stay out of it as well, as he committed several careless fouls -- he just dosn't quite understand right now how much contact is acceptable and the foul against Gary McGhee that led to a three-point play was unacceptable. Either foul the guy hard or don't foul at all -- any effort in between leads to And 1 situations.

More Thoughts on Texas' Win Over WCU

Peter Bean — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:47:03 -0000

More photos » by Erich Schlegel - AP

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Continuing with thoughts on Texas' 73-41 win over Western Carolina.

REVIEWING THE KEYS

Foul control. [Grade: A] Texas went inside to Pittman on its first two possessions, one resulting in a made basket, the other in a foul by Richie Gordon. By halftime, Gordon had picked up two more fouls, while Big Sexy had drawn just a single foul. Of course, by halftime it was also apparent it wouldn't have mattered much if it had been otherwise, but hey, it's good seeing Dexy play with good body control.
Guard composure. [Grade: C] Texas' guards seemed to maintain a roughly 1:1 ratio of good to bad offensive possessions, finishing the night with 20 turnovers, struggling at times with the length of WCU's guards.
Don't settle. [Grade: B-] Post entry remains an issue for most of the guards, although Rick said in the post-game that the team focused exclusively on defense after the UC-Irvine game, prompting him to say he wasn't surprised by the sloppy offensive showing.

PLAYER NOTES

Damion James [29 mins, 4-9 FG / 2-3 3P / 8-10 FT, 18 PT, 7 REB (2 OR), 2 AST, 3 TO, 1 STL, 1 BLK]

Another very solid night for James, who is back where he should be -- near the rim for most of the game. He's playing strong on the interior and, outside a couple missed lay ups, giving Texas exactly what we need from him. I absolutely love the way we're looking for him on alley-oops. His hands and dribble still present some limitations, but those have greater implications for his future at the next level. If he's hitting 20-foot jumpers as he has been so far early on, he becomes an even more valuable asset than he already is.

Dexter Pittman [17 mins, 4-6 FG / 0-0 3P / 1-4 FT, 9 PT, 6 REB (2 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 STL, 0 BLK]

This was a tough game for Pittman, through no fault of his own. As mentioned above, the team apparently spent little to no time working on offense leading up to the game, and it showed. Once Texas got a comfortable lead and it became clear the frenetic style wasn't going to provide much for Pittman, Barnes mostly rested him. Fine by me.

J'Covan Brown [21 mins, 3-3 FG / 2-2 3P / 2-2 FT, 10 PT, 3 REB (0 OR), 3 AST, 6 TO, 0 STL, 0 BLK]

My oh my does he have a smooth scorer's stroke. Playing much more calmly last night, he was mostly solid, with two beautiful post feeds that suggest he can be more than a scorer only point. The turnover rate will probably remain high throughout the year, but Texas will live with them if he's adding 3-4 dimes a game to go with the 10-15 points he looks capable of contributing. We're so deep he may not get the chance, but he's capable of filling it up for 25 on a hot night.

Justin Mason [23 mins, 0-1 FG / 0-0 3P / 0-0 FT, 0 PT, 4 REB (0 OR), 1 AST, 2 TO, 0 STL, 0 BLK]

No, that stat line is not pulled from a box score from last year. Mason's defense remains solid, but it's not special. As Hamilton and Bradley bring their games along, it's just going to be impossible to justify 20-25 minutes a game for Mason. He's a great kid and a terrific warrior, but the mostly empty stat lines are more the norm than exception.

Varez Ward [25 mins, 4-6 FG / 0-1 3P / 2-6 FT, 10 PT, 2 REB (1 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 3 STL, 0 BLK]

It's nice seeing Ward come into his own on the offensive end of the floor, where he's learning to put his superior toughness and athleticism to use in getting to the rim as a scorer. He can score 10 points a game all year if he starts to hit his free throws. That said, he's still raw and at times seems uncertain running the halfcourt offense. I like what he adds, though, and think he'll continue to progress throughout the year. He's a big asset against some of the longer, athletic teams we'll have to beat to achieve our goals.

Gary Johnson [19 mins, 4-4 FG / 0-0 3P / 2-3 FT, 10 PT, 7 REB (2 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

It was Gary's best game in a while, turning in exactly the kind of performance we need from him -- some aggressive offensive play in the block, strong rebounding, and quality, physical defense. Without any creators last year, Gary struggled trying to get it on his own; it'll come to him this year, and if he stays within himself and ready, he'll get his.

Jordan Hamilton [14 mins, 2-7 FG / 1-5 3P / 0-0 FT, 5 PT, 6 REB (1 OR), 0 AST, 1 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

He's settling offensively right now, but I've seen enough of him with the ball in his hands to see whats ahead for him. Now having seen him for two full games, he's got better handles than I anticipated and while he needs to add upper body strength for his game to get where it's eventually going to go, he can pick up points near the rim right now. He's quick, fluid, and lonnnnnng. I'd love to see him start working his offensive game inside-out, and when he's mismatched against a shorter guard, we can iso for him. Defensively, he's trying, which is good, but you can see he's having to concentrate -- this is more than he's used to.

Dogus Balbay [20 mins 0-3-6 FG / 0-0 3P / 1-2 FT, 1 PT, 4 REB (0 OR), 3 AST, 3 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

The Dogus has sort of become for me what Chris Ogbonnaya once was: an important contributor who most underrate and I love a little too much. I'm fine with that, and his game will prove us both right, at varying times. If he were just a little bit better with being decisive as a creator on offense, he'd be a true force, but as is, he's our best on-ball defender, and an uncanny blur with the ball in his hands. His limitations with being decisive and translating his skills into buckets will keep him from being a guy that demands 30+ minutes a game, but I don't see him getting any less than 20, and he's a critical player for us, especially in the early going while the freshmen get up to speed.

Alexis Wangmene [11 mins, 1-2 FG / 0-0 3P / 2-2 FT, 4 PT, 4 REB (1 OR), 0 AST, 0 TO, 0 STL, 1 BLK]

The theme continues: he's got so much room to improve within this season. The strength and length are exceptional, but he's choppy and uncertain out there right now. He's just getting back into the flow of full-speed, full-contact basketball, and once he fully acclimates, he'll be a terrific 15 minute per game complement to Big Sexy.

Avery Bradley [17 mins, 2-4 FG / 0-1 3P / 0-2 FT, 4 PT, 0 REB (0 OR), 1 AST, 1 TO, 2 STL, 0 BLK]

From the pre-season roundtable: "I've developed quite a habit of scavenging rabidly for online videos of AB and the three things that stood out that elevated my excitement from enthusiastic to out-of-control were: (1) the quality, but even more than that the intensity, of his defense; (2) what Jay Bilas might call Rise-a-bility or Hop-tuitive-ness - an explosiveness in his leaping that allows him to finish 50% more buckets than any mortal his size would; and (3) his competitiveness and eagerness to seek out, and conquer, challenges."

As is true for this team for a whole... we haven't seen anything yet...

Longhorns Roll Past Anteaters in Season Opener

awiggo — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:26:21 -0000

More photos » by Harry Cabluck - AP

Rick may have his most complete Texas team yet. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)

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Game Recap: The #3 Longhorns notched their first victory of the season, 89-42 over UC Irvine at the Drum behind strong performances from seniors Damion James and Dexter Pittman.

Along with James and Pittman, Varez Ward, Justin Mason, and freshman J'Covan Brown completed the starting lineup. Brown started slowly and sloppily at the point guard spot, and Coach Barnes was forced to sit him down after two early turnovers and again after a couple of more. After the game, Rick said this about his freshman point guard, "J'Covan wore us all out before the games. I've never seen a guy as amped up. Ever."

As will be a theme this season, the depth of this team allowed the ‘Horns to quickly find their stride. Dogus Balbay was inserted for Brown and helped the Longhorns turn a 19-18 deficit after the first ten minutes of action into a 42-21 halftime lead.

Balbay played solid on-the-ball defense and helped protect the ball in the halfcourt where James and Pittman could dominate. Both big men finished with 21 points a piece. Most of Dexter's 10-of-11 from the floor came off dunks or lay ins. James had a few buckets of length but most of his scoring came around the basket as well. The smaller Anteaters were simply overmatched in height, strength, and athleticism.

During the back and forth start, I thought Texas struggled to communicate on defense. There was some confusion on how to defend ball screens. Some players were also over running their pursuit on the pass and over committing on shot fakes. The substitution patters of three, four, or even five players at a time help explain the early defensive lapses. However, after that back and forth start, the Longhorn defense played more consistently and more together. Texas contested shots better, didn't allow second chance points or almost anything in the paint, and, for the most part, controlled dribble penetration.

The outcome was: Exciting. Exciting because this was the first game; exciting because I finally got to see the four freshman live and in a college game; and exciting because the potential of this team is clear.

Unlike last year, this year's Longhorns will not have trouble scoring from the perimeter. Jordan Hamilton and Brown can both shoot the ball from deep. They both have good form, which should help produce consistent buckets, and good size, which will allow them to easily shoot over zones.

Unlike last year, foul trouble, even if it's Dex, won't be an issue. The ‘Horns are deeper than any team in the country and can run as many as 14 different players on the court for double digits in minutes every game.

Unlike last year, Barnes does not have to play smaller, three guard lineups. While Texas did start three guards, that was by choice not out of necessity. Hamilton (6-7) and Williams (6-6) will give Texas excellent size from the wing, and I won't be surprised to see James (6-7) play some at the three too when Rick wants to play with an even bigger lineup. Texas has real size at the two guard spots also. Avery Bradley, listed at 6-2, and Brown, listed at 6-1, both played bigger and stronger than their listed heights. The days of playing two sub six foot guards plus Mason at the wing are thankfully over.

The biggest thing I took away from the ‘Horns first game was potential. Right now, they are so much less than the sum of their parts. And right now, they're pretty good. The parts are all there-talent, size, depth, and experience. There is no reason why Barnes shouldn't be able to mold this team into more than the sum of their individually talented parts and national championship favorites by tourney time.

Stats of the Game: 49-30 Texas on the glass. 54-18 Texas points in the paint. If you didn't get a chance to see the game, that is about all you need to know. As expected, Texas was able to dominate the smaller Anteaters in the paint on both ends.

The Offensive MVP was: Damion James. DaMo started his senior campaign in style-21 points (7-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-2 from three, 5-of-6 from the line), 15 boards, two assists, and a steal in just 22 minutes of action. James came back to Texas for a lot of reasons, but the big one was to play himself into a NBA first round selection. So far, so good. He looked confident, in control, and hungry. If he can produce the same smart and solid performances against the Michigan States and North Carolinas of the world, the NBA will be forced to take a second look at DaMo.

The Defensive MVP was: Texas in the second half. I don't have the exact stats but UC Irvine was something like 9-of-18 to start the game. They finished 17-of-62 for just 27% from the floor. Needless to say, the defense was the key to the 47 point victory.

I want to note a few more things, player by player:

Damion James: After the games, DaMo noted that the younger players looked up to him and that he has tried to take them under his wing. He also said that while the freshmen are very talented, that they still have a lot to learn. I can imagine the exact same thing coming out of Rick Barnes' mouth.

During the off season, we've noted that team chemistry is something of a concern and definitely something to watch. While James has not been a loud and vocal leader in his first three seasons, it sounds like he recognizes that now it's his turn. This veteran to freshman leadership, along with the development of a point guard, whoever it ends up being, are the two biggest keys to a Final Four run, in my opinion.

Dexter Pittman: More important than throwing down one-handed slams over guys standing just 6-6, Dex only picked up one foul. The more Pittman can stay on the floor, the better this team can be offensively. I was also impressed with the one post move when he turned over his right shoulder for an easy lay in. In previous seasons, he has almost always turned over his left shoulder to produce the easier right handed jump hook. If he has added the ability to go the other way with his back to the basket, look out.

Avery Bradley: Bradley is going to be so much better than his stats. Texas will be a Dexter and Damion focused team first. Second, it looks like J'Covan and Hamilton won't be afraid to let it fly. Therefore, Bradley would easily be the fifth scoring option among these five and probably still no better than third or fourth with some others on the floor. He will definitely get his-in transition, off dribble drives, and in second chance opportunities-but given the offensive skills of some other ‘Horns, Bradley won't be a 20 point scorer. It doesn't matter though. He is too good. His two late-game mid-range jumpers were things of beauty-in balance, form, and arc. The defense is also already there. Last, from Barnes' comments during the off season, this is a kid who knows he can get better and his ready to work on his weaknesses.

Varez Ward: If Barnes wants his point guard to pass the ball and play lock down defense, then Ward may be the man. Varez has the size, athleticism, and vision to be a true pass-first, shoot second floor general.

J'Covan Brown: J'Covan is raw, talented, and emotional. Unfortunately for him, he was too hyped for this game and it showed during the first half. Fortunately for us, it was his first game in over a year, after sitting out all of last season, and his upside is huge. If Barnes wants his point guard to score and stretch the defense with his perimeter jumper, then Brown is his man. From everything I saw though, J'Covan is more of a shoot-first, pass-second point.

Dogus Balbay: Dogus is third head of the ‘Horns point guard machine (with a fourth, Jai Lucas coming in December). Balbay played really well this afternoon. Six assists to no turnovers in 19 minutes from your point guard is every coach's dream. That said, I am not as big a fan of Dogus as are many of you. His offensive limitations make me hope that Barnes uses Balbay as more of spark off the bench than 25+ minute contributor.

Justin Mason: Mase has started for the better part of his three seasons at Texas and removing him from the starting lineup won't be easy. He still can do the little things-rebound, play solid d, and push the basketball in transition. However, I can't see how he ends up averaging more than 15 minutes per game once the freshmen become more comfortable.

Jordan Hamilton: Does Jordan have a nickname? He needs one. Hamilton looked smooth, long, and ready to score. Jordan may not have the defensive mindset that Barnes would like yet, but you can already see how important he'll be to the ‘Horns success.

Shawn Williams: I guess Shawn won't be redshirting this year. Williams played a productive (6 boards), yet sloppy 13 minutes against UC Irvine. His size will give Texas a much needed third rebounder and his ability shoot the three ball should open up driving lanes on the other end.

Alexis Wangmene: Wingman, I've missed you. With scorers at nearly every position, Lexi is the perfect bruising big man to bring off the bench. He showed strong hands and a willingness to fight for boards in his eight minutes of action. I expect his playing time to directly correlate to Dexter's foul trouble and stamina.

Gary Johnson: Like Dogus, I am not as in love with Gary as most Longhorn hoops' fans but recognize that he can be important role player on this team. GJ is always going to bring the energy. I just wish he was two inches taller and had a higher basketball IQ. Hopefully, Gary realizes that he is going to be the third, fourth, or even fifth scoring option during most of his minutes this season. Rebound, pass the ball from the post, and make your free throws and I'll love ya. I promise.

Matt Hill: Hill is a big body with limited athleticism. Gary and Wingman will likely be the first two off the bench as bigs, so I can't see Matt getting much playing time.

Clint Chapman: Clint wasn't in uniform. I couldn't see him from my seat either. I have no idea. Anyone?

Box Score

NEXT GAME: Home vs. Western Carolina - Wednesday 11/18 8 pm ESPNU

Morning Coffe Has Your Analysis

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:00:09 -0000

Snapshot: DJ Augustin. Unfortunately for Texas fans wanting to watch former basketball players in the NBA, Kevin Durant and DJ Augustin both play for teams with virtually no national television exposure. So when the Bobcats came to San Antonio for a game against the Spurs televised on FSN, it was time to take a look at the former Longhorn point guard in his new NBA digs.

Acquiring Raja Bell and Boris Diaw deepened the Charlotte roster, but cut deeply into the minutes of Augustin, who had played with frequency in the backcourt with Raymond Felton before the trade.

Augustin's in great shape, but seeing him on the court in the NBA is a stark illustration of just how short he is. Though Augustin is certainly athletic, he lacks the explosiveness and leaping ability of most NBA players his size and those realities certainly present challenges for his offensive game, but the bigger challenge comes defensively, as he struggles with his lateral quickness, going under one screen when guarding Tony Parker and still failing to beat the Frenchman to the rim.

In fact, playing screens seems to be a problem for Augustin, as Roger Mason absolutely destroyed him for nine straight points shortly after Augustin checked into the game late in the first quarter. Whether the screen was on ball or off the ball, Augustin spent most of the time trailing the play. Frankly, I was surprised that Larry Brown didn't promptly call a timeout after Mason's final baset in the stretch and sit Augustin down. Maybe I've been watching Rick Barnes coach for too long.

Offensively, Augustin looked extremely careful with his ball-handling, not looking to get to the rim offensively, but rather working hard to get hi teammates the ball in the right places. For a short period of time that is, until Mason started abusing him, a run Augustin aided by missing two long jumpers coming off screens -- not bad shots, but shots that need to be made.

Besides generally getting the ball to his teammates in rhythm and in good positions for them to score, Augustin showed a veteran's wile in picking up a foul on an aggressively hedging Kurt Thomas to get to the free throw line. When things weren't going well for Augustin, he showed nice resilience in manufacturing points for for his team when the opportunity presented itself.

Breaking into the film room: Ross Apo. At last! A week and a half after his commitment to Texas, someone finally managed to dig up some film ($) on Apo. Unsurprisingly, Apo is fully capable of running past TAPPS defenders on go routes -- it might make sense for opposing defensive coordinators to give Apo the same 10+ yard cushion opponents afford John Harris. Or they could just let him continue to run past their defenders.

The reported 40 time isn't impressive (4.6), but Apo shows explosiveness in short bursts on the field, evidence of his 4.32 shuttle. John Harris impressed on film with his ability to make the first defender miss in the open field and Apo shows a similar quality, except with more explosion. There's some shake in those hips.

There's also an element to his stride that's hard to describe. Apo has a long stride, but he almost seems to have the ability to pause and re-direct himself in the middle of a stride, yet still maintain a great deal of his speed -- the type of things that leads most observers to rave about his raw athleticism. He changes direction remarkably well for a receiver his size, almost looking like he can shorten his stride in tight spaces.

Like Darius Terrell, Apo goes up and catches the ball well in traffic, using his body to shield the defender, a skill he will be asked use in the Texas offense.

Just for a taste of the quality of opponent Apo faces -- in one highlight Apo runs past a player who cannot be more than 5-5. And that might be generous. And not even a fast 5-5, either. Just let that think in for a second. As poor as the competition is that Apo faces and as raw as he is as a receiver, he certainly doesn't look like a reach and will probably vault up the next LSR 100 as more of his film becomes available.

Breaking into the film room: Taylor Bible. Wow. Taylor Bible ($). There's not as much hype surrounding Bible as the players with outstanding Texas offers, but the Denton Guyer product is every bit the blue chip as guys like Lache Seastrunk and Reggie Wilson. To that end, Inside Texas ranks Bible as the fifth-best player in the state, behind only the aforementioned two, Darius White, and Jackson Jeffcoat. He's the top defensive tackle in the state and could be the best in the country. Rivals only lists one defensive tackle ahead of Bible, South Carolina's Kelcy Quarles, a 250 pounder who must be some kinda fast to be ranked so highly at such a light weight.

It's hard to even find words to describe the way that Bible plays. Explosive fits. So does violent. Most high school defensive tackles struggle to consistently use their hands violently and play with good pad level. Bible appears to do both of those things with consistency, utilizing a combination of explosion, leverage, and violent hands to destroy opposing lineman and finishing tackles with the same force that he uses to push guards and centers into their own backfield. You get the sense after watching a few of the highlights that opposing players just want to quite, go home, and cry after lining up against Bible for about five plays.

Bible explodes at the snap with rare ability, but also moves in space like a good defensive end, changing direction and pursuing plays with a serious motor. He's definitely a three technique in college, perhaps best compared to Lamarr Houston. Since Bible is so aggressive in his pass rushing, some teams try to use work the screen game against him, with Bible showing incredible awareness and reading the play as if he heard the call.

Discarding lineman isn't a problem, but Bible often lets them get into his body on running plays, standing them up before discarded them. It works well in high school, but Bible will have to learn to keep lineman off of his body in college. With another year in the weight room to get stronger, Bible should come into college as the most talented and most ready to contribute defensive tackle to show up in Austin for a long time.

Basketball bullets.

The entry passing is much improved for the Longhorns in the last several games, aided by AJ Abrams running off screens not to get open, but running to the 45-degree angle which is optimal for making entry passes. If that pass isn't available, Rick Barnes has added the high-low game, with the other big flashing to the top of the key and looking to make the lob pass as Pittman seals his man. Much better than what Longhorns fans have seen for most of the season.
Damion James continues to inexplicably miss easy layups.
Varez Ward has buried himself on the bench with his propensity to take long jump shots.
Gary Johnson looks like he is lacking his normal explosiveness and may have been set back with the re-aggravation of his high ankle sprain at the end of the game against Colorado.
Justin Mason has looked much more explosive in the last three games than he did for most of the second half of the conference season. His ankle looks healed and this team desperately needs his aggressiveness going to the basket.
Alexis Wangmene was dressed for the Colorado game -- no word though on whether he might play again this season. He's probably eligible for a medical redshirt, but would endanger that by playing. That being said, he's probably the best one-on-one post defender on the team and could provide a major lift in that department.

Favors still on the radar. Forth Worth Dunbar safety/linebacker Rashod Favors seemed like a good bet to receive an offer early in the recruiting process, with the coaching staff inviting him to Austin for both Junior Days. The explanation provided recently ($) was that he had a death in the family, which might account for the first Junior Day, but the word on the second Junior Day was that Favors decided to attend the Oklahoma State Junior Day that weekend instead.

Though the exact details remain murky, the Longhorns did invite Favors down for the spring game, indicating an offer may be on the way. Long expected to take four linebackers in the class, Texas will probably offer another player at the position, as landing both Jordan Hicks and Corey Nelson would be a major upset. There aren't any signs indicating that Big 12 teams will move away from the spread any time soon, making hybrid safety/linebackers like Favors much more valuable than they would have been 10 years ago -- the tweener label for such players is now much more of a compliment than an insult.

Recruiting Spotlight: Avery Bradley

GhostofBigRoy — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:41:09 -0000

Here's a tough decision: Decide who is the bigger catch for the 2009 Longhorn recruiting class between Avery Bradley (Rivals No. 8) and Jordan Hamilton (Rivals No. 5). Let's just say 1a and 1b. Naw, forget that. How about this--they are both phenomenal players. I'll be taking a look at Jordan Hamilton sometime soon, which leaves the 6-3, 180-pound Avery Bradley, a product of the Seattle/Tacoma area who now attends high school at Findlay College Prep in Henderson, Nevada.

Bradley apparently made the switch to make sure he can qualify academically, so hopefully Bradley won't pull a J'Covan Brown and end up ineligible. Fortunately, there don't seem to be rumors of the same character issues from which Brown seems to suffer. Bradley and Hamilton, from California, along with 2010 recruits Tristan Thompson (New Jersey by way of Canda) and Daniel Bejaranu (Phoenix area) demonstrate the national reach the Longhorns are developing in recruiting. Bradley chose the Longhorns over offers from program like UCLA, USC, Kansas, Memphis, Florida, Washington, Oregon, Wake Forest and Washington State.

The Longhorns had already won their way into Bradley's heart some years ago, as he lived in Dallas in 2002 and 2003, which means he was in Texas for the Final Four season with TJ Ford. It's amazing the impact that getting guys like Ford and Kevin Durant wearing Longhorn jerseys has made on future generations of ballers. Longhorn coaches reportedly swayed 2010 stud Tristan Thompson with video of Kevin Durant, as well as Jordan Hamilton, because those players know that Rick Barnes will highlight his wing players. But I digress. (This stuff makes me too excited.) Back to the subject at hand...

The (Sorta) Bad

Time to talk about the negatives surrounding Bradley's game. Or the few that exist, at least. He has a wiry frame, which may benefit from added strength, but there aren't any concerns about his ability to finish or defend. The major criticism is that Bradley isn't a knock-down three-point shooter. The main issue seems to be trajectory, which I consider to be Tim Duncan's main free throw shooting problem, but something that can be solved or at least mitigated. Damion James elevates well on his jumpshot and has a high release point, which helps to assuage his own lack of arc. Consistency will aid Bradley, even if his height won't in the way it does for James, although he will have less margin for error until he adjusts.

The other criticism is his handle. There are questions about his ability to play the point guard position, particularly his ability to handle the ball when defenders get up into his body. Justin Mason will have one year of eligibility remaining and Dogus Balbay will have two when Bradley steps onto campus, so he likely won't be asked to take over the main ball-handling duties when he arrives at Texas. Add to that his ability to make good passes in transition, at which he excels, and finish at the rim, render any concerns about his ability to play point guard at Texas moot, particularly if he goes pro after his sophomore season, when Dogus Balbay graduates. In fact, Jerry Meyer, the Rivals basketball recruiting analyst, predicts the Longhorns will now turn their attention to a point guard, most likely for the 2010 class.

The Good

Bradley shined at the Nike Global Challenge in August, winning the Most Outstanding Player award, while leading his team with 25 points in the championship game. He's known as a superior athlete, with long arms, explosive leaping ability, exceptional lateral quickness, and blow-by first step. As the dunk PB posted demonstrates, he has the ability to throw it down in the lane, a la Dwayne Wade or Derrick Rose. He also has the ability to change speeds, with a good crossover and hesitation move. In fact, Bradley sounds a lot like a slimmer, longer Rose coming out of high school, right down to the questions about their respective jump shots and "true" point guard mentalities, although Bradley seems more likely to end up at shooting guard. "Bouncy" is another term often used to describe Bradley, evidenced by his ability to catch lobs with his elbows above the rim, which places his vertical around 35 inches or more. Legit, no doubt.

As mentioned earlier, he also can stop on a dime to show off a well-developed pull-up jumper in the lane, the devastating counter to his quick first step and explosiveness. Although his trajectory hinders his shot, Bradley elevates well, and has a consistent release. Add to that improvement from 2007 to 2008 and an ability to "make enough you have to honor him," means that Bradley will shoot well enough to force defenders to close out hard on the catch at the three-point line. All those offensive skills combined to help Bradley average 27.5 points per game in his junior season.

Bradley is hardly a one-way player, however. In fact, he's considered one of the best perimeter defenders in his class ($), if not the best, drawing comparisons to former UCLA star Russell Westbrook. Bradley uses his long arms, quick hands, lateral quickness, and flat-out desire to guard both guard positions and the small forward position. Oh yeah, and the ability to anticipate passing lanes. And if you just read the sentence before last, you know that after the anticipation comes a steal for Bradley. Then a basket. Probably a dunk.

Here, check this video out. Most of the highlights are of the offensive variety, but notice how Bradley plays positional defense, keeping his feet underneath his body and his torso vertical, smothering the defender before using his long arms to pick his victim's pocket. The news from the summer circuit was that Bradley faced, and shut down some of the best guards in the country, including 6-4 John Wall, rated No. 1 overall by Rivals for 2009 and known as one of the fastest players in the country, with a great handle and a variety of moves and counters. Stopping Wall was no fluke, as Bradley also shut down OU commit Tommy Mason-Griffin (2009 Rivals No. 66) and junior Phil Pressey (2010 Rivals No. 42), who may be the point guard the Longhorns target in 2010. After dominating the best players on the summer circuit, Bradley may even face easier tasks most nights playing for the Longhorns. With Justin Mason and Varez Ward teaming up with Bradley on the perimeter and players like Alexis Wangmene and Clint Chapman patrolling the middle, the Longhorns should be an excellent defensive team upon Bradley's arrival, which must give Rick Barnes wet dreams.

The Verdict

Um. I feel like I don't really need to say much here. Except that I have a man-crush on Rick Barnes. And Chris Ogden just got on my good side by leading the successful recruitment of Bradley. But, oh yeah, about Bradley: I knew he was good before I wrote this post, but now that I understand the true extent of his game, I'm quite smitten, actually. I'll paraphrase PB here about Jordan Hamilton: I have to wait a year to see this guy wear Burnt Orange? I'll make it. I hope. In the meantime, I guess I'll just bask in the glow of the incredible rise of the Longhorn basketball team.

Morning Coffee Morphs Into Late-Night Brewsky

GhostofBigRoy — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 05:32:59 -0000

Basketball tidbits. Just a reminder that the men's basketball season starts on Friday as the Longhorns host Stetson. That's right, it isn't just a hat. The news from the team is that Alexis Wangmene has returned from Cameroon and is practicing again. The young big man returned to his native country after the unexpected death of his mother.

After a scrimmage against Gonzaga, Rick Barnes reports that Dogus Balbay is still adjusting to his role on the team and attempting to find the proper mix of not being too agressive, but also not being passive. I believe John Wooden put it best, "Be quick, but don't hurry." Barnes says that Balbay is sometimes the Roadrunner, but spent the scrimmage being a turtle. Barnes wants something in between. One of the most important aspects of being a point guard is understanding the right tempo at which to operate. Players like Deron Wiliams and DJ Augustin are excellent at that part of the game, changing speeds, but also understanding when to press the advantage in transition and when to back it out and run the offense. Balbay's ability to do all of those things will factor greatly into how much he plays point guard, since Justin Mason and AJ Abrams are both probably better served operating off the ball.

Burnette leaves school. After being dismissed from the football team last week, Buck Burnette's dad reports that his son has decided to withdraw from school to move back to Wimberley for a semester, while contemplating his options and the potential for reviving his football career. It's understandable that Burnette doesn't want to be in school since he is a recognizable presence around campus, but the prospects for continuing his football career seem minimal. Perhaps the greatest issue surrounding any potential return or reconciliation with his football team was the division it could create.

Unfortunately for Burnette, there are no colleges or universities that have football teams that are entirely white (at least that I know of), like Burnette's at Wimberley. And that makes it hard to believe that African-American athletes at another school would accept him after his comments, no doubt wondering what he might say behind their backs and wondering if he truly is racist. For that reason, Burnette has the potential to divide another locker room like he could have divided the Longhorns' locker room. I always thought that social networking and email should have a breathalyzer to keep people from making poor decisions, but there isn't any control for ignorance. Even if Buck Burnette isn't at heart a racist person, he will likely pay for his racist comments with his football career.

Mythical Fozzy creature ventures closer to reality. It turns out that rumors of the mythical Fozzy creature making plays on the football field are not exaggerated after sightings in consecutive weeks. Mack Brown suggests that the creature may move from mythical status into a status more closely approximating reality in the near future after gaining 77-yards against Baylor. The mythical element still remains, as Longhorn fans across the country are said to hold their collective breath every time Fozzy touches the ball, waiting for the long touchdown that seems only a matter of time. Or so the myth goes.

Nearly as mythical is his inability to pick up the blitz, which appeared to be as real as the McCoy leading the football team, as Whittaker ably picked up the blitzes thrown in his direction by Baylor. To my eyes, Whittaker did a fine job picking up the blitz, slowing down one blitzer in the hole on a McCoy touchdown pass. Whittaker didn't drive the player backwards and probably never will, but he did achieve the most important goal of buying his quarterback extra time. Quite an achievement for a Fozzy creature facing down a charging Bear. Brown still worries about Whittaker's lack of size, but notes that he is finally healthy, which allows him to be hit in practice and demonstrate to the coaches he can pick up blitzes. As an addendum: There is no truth to the rumor that Fozzy will address the concerns of the coaches about his size by growing three inches during the offseason. Although you never know, that Fozzy creature does still have mythical powers.

So that's why they're blitzing so much...PB, along with numerous other observers, including myself, wondered before the Tech game why teams were blitzing the offense repeatedly, despite the ability of Colt McCoy to get the ball out quickly to receivers running hot routes. Turns out that Longhorn coaches wondered the same thing and actually did what the poor bloggers sitting at their computer screens in the basements of their parents' homes couldn't do: Ask the opposing coaches about it. Opposing coaches apparently feel that allowing McCoy to stand in the pocket unmolested is a death wish with his accuracy, while blitzing also clogs running lanes and helps make the Longhorns one-dimensional. I disagree with the reasoning to some extent because I don't think that the Longhorn running game needs to be run-blitzed to be shut down this year, while blitzing leaves open parts of the field for McCoy to exploit. For someone as comfortable as he getting the ball out quickly, it seems like he has more trouble when having to stand in the pocket and made throws downfield, which makes his arm strength an issue.

Not Vince Young, I repeat, not Vince Young. The fashionable comparison these days for any running quarterback is Vince Young. Just like the fashionable comparison for any guard with hops was Michael Jordan for a long time (remember "Baby Jordan" Harold Miner? How about Cedric Ceballos?). It's all ridiculous since there will never be another Vince Young (although Terrelle Pryor looks and moves the part), just like there will never be another Michael Jordan. Comparing anyone to those icons is a disservice to the incomparable greatness of the Jordans and Vince Youngs of the world, but is also a disservice to the young player, who has his own identity.

Many of the comparisons no doubt are a result of lazy journalism, so let's endeavor here to talk about what Robert Griffin is, not who he seems like, because his skills are singular enough to be his own football player. He is exceptionally quick, in a way that makes any Vince Young comparisons seem ridiculous. Yes, Vince was fast, but his running ability was more a combination of blowing up angles because his speed was deceptive and having such incredible balance that defensive lineman often had little chance, linebackers had almost none, and defensive backs were in serious trouble.

With Griffin, the speed is visual, you can see him taking the corner seemingly at will. Briles runs effective and dangerous play-action passes off the zone run that Greg Davis can only dream of devising, which gives Griffin a dimension that Vince Young never had. He also doesn't suffer from the same mechanical issues in his throwing motion, coming into college as a true freshman much more refined as a passer than Vince was even by his redshirt sophomore season. The Bears only had enough talent to hang with the Longhorns for part of the first half, but it seems likely Griffin will give the Longhorns a serious scare before his eligibility expires.

Morning Coffee Loads Up For Bear

GhostofBigRoy — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 14:40:59 -0000

Griffin extraordinaire. Besides new coach Art Briles, true freshman quarterback and all-around stud Robert Griffin is the biggest story for this year's Baylor Bears. The Copperas Cove product won the Big 12 400-meter hurdles before he even stepped onto the football field for Baylor. After that? Well, he just went 209 pass attempts without throwing an interception, a streak that ended last week as the Bears tried to rally against Missouri.

The easy comparison here is Vince Young, which many people are quick to make. Personally, I don't see it. Griffin is two inches shorter than VY and weighs about 20 pounds less. He's also much thinner in the joints, which I believe will leave him less durable in the long run and more susceptible to big hits. I have seen him nicked up a little bit in the several games I've seen Baylor play. Yes, he's so good that he will make you watch Baylor football. He's also a much more polished passer coming out of high school than Vince Young. In terms of body type and running ability, I would compare Griffin more to former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, except perhaps even more explosive running the football.

How to stop him? Well, I'm not really sure, although I do know that Iowa State, Oklahoma State, and Missouri have all held him under two yards per carry. Not having watched those games, I'm not sure what those teams did schematically, but I can guarantee that Will Muschamp knows.

The Art of coaching. Any discussion of the current state of Baylor football would be remiss not to mention Art Briles, the new football coach. Griffin originally committed to Briles when he was at Houston and decided to follow his future coach to Waco. Briles has energized the program and looks like the type of head coach that Texas A&M made a monumental mistake not to pursue. Not only is he an innovative offensive mind, but he's also a former successful high school football coach at Stephenville. Chalk up resurrecting the Houston football program to Briles, as well. Briles is still so revered among Texas high school football coaches that I believe he doesn't even have to thank them at every opportunity. And that's an enormous advantage at a school like Baylor that really has had to pick up the scraps left over after Texas, Oklahoma, LSU, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and even A&M and programs like TCU pick and chose their players. The dreaded question for every Bears fan is this: If he's successful at Baylor, what other major programs will come calling? With his ability to recruit Texas, I don't see him leaving the state, or at least staying close enough to still recruit in Texas, so that doesn't leave him many opportunities, although I imagine Tech could be a possibility if Leach finally gets a major job offer. Enjoy him while it lasts Baylor, because it might not be for that long.

That game with the sphere. Don't look now, but basketball season is almost upon us. I know that doesn't usually mean much in Texas, but it should with the program that Rick Barnes is building in Austin. A program that now ranks among the elite in college basketball for the first time, well, ever. For both of the Texas hoop junkies out there, Trips Right has your preview. He's right to mention the major question facing the team this season: How to replace do-everything star DJ Augustin?

It won't be easy, and it will probably take the combined efforts of several players. Trips Right puts Justin Mason first in line to fill the point guard duties, citing the supposed troubles Dogus Balbay has had in practice going against J-Mase and incoming freshman Varez Ward. I haven't heard anything to that extent and I tend to believe that Balbay will be fine because he's a pure point and has significant international experience playing for his native Turkey. Trips Right also doesn't have much faith in AJ Abrams playing the point for stretches, although I don't agree with that assessment. Abrams was effective handling the ball and making plays for his teammates his freshman year when Daniel Gibson struggled handling the rock. The subsequent banishment to running the baseline and spotting up at the three-point line was more about filling a need for the team and the appearance of DJ Augustin than anything else. While Abrams size does make it harder for him to hold space will driving, i believe that Abrams can be effective at the point for 10-15 minute a game, if necessary.

In terms of the frontcourt, Texas is as deep as it has ever been. Expect Rick Barnes to abandon the mostly ineffective zone defense of the past several years for his preferred man-to-man with the deeper team, perhaps even pressuring full-court this year with the ability to bring so many weapons off the bench. With the size and depth of the frontcourt, expect this to also be a good rebounding team. Dexter Pittman has continued to lose weight, while Gary Johnson, Alexis Wangmene, Clint Chapman, and the finally-healthy Matt Hill should all show improved post games. The ability to dump the ball into the post and let the big men go to work will take enormous pressure off of the ball handlers to make plays for their teammates, which should ease the transition to point guard by committee.

Pencil the Longhorns in for another Elite 8 appearance. You're the man, Rick Barnes.

No remorse for Muschamp. Muschamp, asked if he would call the same defense on Tech's game-winning play, responded that he would have played the same defense again. He noted that he had two players responsible for covering Crabtree on that play, but neither one of them were able to make it. Curtis Brown was in good position, but looked like he got caught between trying to make a play on the ball and making the ball. He was able to do neither, while Earl Thomas took a bad angle on the play and never gave himself a chance to tackle Crabtree. Unfortunately for the Longhorns, the play came down to two freshman with a chance to make a play and they just flat-out didn't do it. It wasn't an issue with the defensive call, it was just an issue with the players putting themselves in position to make the play, and then making it. Talent and experience won out over talent and inexperience.

From the Land of Miscellany. The Texas-Texas Tech tilt was the most viewed primetime game on ABC this season, drawing 8.59 million households...Mack Brown, Colt McCoy, and Brian Orakpo are all semifinalists for the three Maxwell Club awards: Brown for the Munger, the nation's best coach, McCoy for the Maxwell, the top offensive player, and Orakpo for the Bednarik, the nation's best defensive player...Quan Cosby is practicing this week, but his availability for the Baylor game is unknown. After not being hit in practice last week, it seems hard to imagine he is this week. I say sit him out this week and save him for the trip to Lawrence and the rest of the season.

Morning Coffee Reminds You That OU Still Sucks

GhostofBigRoy — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:00:47 -0000

Shortish, undersized dude takes over tight end. Short maybe, but very quick and quite a football player. That would be Jordan Shipley, national Offensive Player of the Week and owner of the longest kickoff return in TX/OU history. Cedric Golden is right about Greg Davis calling a great game and inserting Shipley in the pseudo-tight end slot position was the highlight, answering my calls during the week and early in the game to keep Peter Ullman and Greg Smith off the field.

I expect it to become our base formation for the rest of the season, testing the depth of opposing secondaries or creating absurd mismatches against linebackers. It baffles me that Brent Venables kept a linebacker on Shipley instead of going to a nickel package. Either the OU nickel back is terrible (perhaps he only has one leg), or Venables made a serious tactical error. What a minute, am I suggesting that Greg Davis out-coached the OU staff? Why, I believe I am. Kudos, GD.

Stay at home, defenses. Mack Brown commented in his Monday presser that Missouri blitzes 50% of the time (although he failed to thank Texas high school football coaches for the OU win--egregious oversight on his part). Considering the pass blocking excellence of the Texas offensive line and the superlative blitz pick-up abilities of Chris Ogbonnaya makes me wonder whether Missouri follow that tendency.

Blitzes haven't bothered Texas much, particularly because Colt McCoy is so comfortable and accurate hitting his receivers quickly. Texas didn't move the ball as well in the first half when OU was blitzing as they did in the second half, but that's more about the move to four wide receivers than anything. Picking up the OU blitz wasn't a big problem and seemed like a tactic borne of fear. Any Missouri blitzing will be as well.

Straight out of HALO. PB and dimecoverage picked up on Mack Brown's comment about Blake Gideon being the biggest surprise on the football team. It's less surprising considering he's a coach's kid (Mack always asks if there are any who should know about when recruiting) and enrolled early. Still, he plays with a maturity belying his age, evidenced by the great quote about how he asks Mack Brown if the latter is nervous before the game. No nerves on that young'un.

Not only does he play with great maturity, but there's something about the way he moves that I really like. It took me a couple of weeks to figure out what it was, finally settling on his robot/soldier-like economy of movement. Coupled with his visor, it reminds me of a guy from HALO, while his tacking of Jermaine Gresham, who has five inches and 60 pounds on him, looked like Michael Huff tackling USC's much-larger Fred Davis or a cheetah bringing down it's heavier prey. Relentless and unaccepting of failure.

Don't make Culpepper mad. Former Longhorn linebacking great Pat Culpepper sounded like he was about ready to start looking for a helmet and an OU player to hit. Sitting behind the OU bench, he heard an assistant yelling to his players, "They haven't changed one bit. They're out of shape. They can't stand the pressure." The next play, Jordan Shipley took the kickoff 96 yards to paydirt. So in the way of analysis, 1) no, 2) no, and 3) no.

Aside from the offensive playcalling, the biggest revelation in the game was Texas wearing down the OU offense and defense and proving the assistant wrong (Darian Hagan would call it getting clowned, I suspect). Texas was simply a better-conditioned football team on Saturday. Phil Loadholt's holding of Brian Orakpo throughout the game was criminal (the fine will come from his smaller NFL contract) and OU's defense tired late in the game, a result of the Longhorns dominating possession of the football, which will be key again in the coming weeks.

Rick Barnes is the man. Hey, I'm only sayin' it so I can win the understatement of the year trophy, which I covet, being an understated person (well, when not watching football that is). News of the ongoing negotiations with North Carolina on a four-year series (yes, please sir, may I have another and another and another?) only further reinforces the official declaration of "The Man"'-ness of Rick Barnes after inking stud Jordan Hamilton. Wow, talk about how getting guys like Kevin Durant and TJ Ford can continue the positively impact the program. And I haven't even mentioned 2010 no. 1 player Tristan Thompson.

Looking ahead to this season, Andy Katz puts the 2008-09 version of the Longhorns' basketball team in the second tier of contenders, which seems legitimate, while calling the interior of the team a question. It's probably true, since Matt Hill hasn't shown much and Sexy Dexy hasn't logged significant minutes either. It seems an easily-answerable question, however, as Pittman seems poised for a breakout season and Alexis Wangmene, Clint Chapman, and Gary Johnson should all improve after a year in the program. I think the biggest question there is the allocation of minutes.

Katz is spot-on in wondering about offensive playmaking abilities without DJ Augustin. Balbay is certainly a question mark, but I believe the offense will operate inside/out rather than running as much and several players will step up to make plays, particularly Damion James if he has improved his handle. Even considering the potential loss of James to the NBA, the narrative for 2008-09, while reasonably optimistic, mostly likely says look to 2009. But we all know how that can change, right?

From the Land of Miscellany. Mark Mangino was as surprised as any skeptical Texas fans by Greg Davis's play calling against OU. Good thing he didn't have a heart attack...Colt McCoy now leads the Heisman race...Hard to watch Quan Cosby de-cleat Lendy Holmes too many times...Still hard for Mack Brown to get any respect...Great story about why he's so positive with the team ($):

I do think that Coach (Barry) Switzer helped me with that [staying positive] in 1984 in that we were playing a really bad Kansas team, they were the worst in the league, we were the best, it was the Big 8 then, and Troy Aikman was our quarterback because Danny Bradly got hurt and another one had gotten suspended. It was raining and we were ahead, 10-7, and we were awful. It was an older offense with a true freshman quarterback and I went in and yelled at the offense and cussed them out and told them how bad they were doing and if they didn't do better they'd lose the game, and we lost the game. After the game we were getting on the plane going back and Barry walked over and he basically said "You've got to be really careful of what you convince your team. You convinced them at halftime they could lose and they did." So, walking off the field with the 35-14 Oklahoma State lead, that moment hit me, and I walked in and said "Boy are they playing good. Give 'em credit, that team is really playing good and they can't play that good for the rest of it, so let's start over here, we're going to be fine."

Throw your Horns up, baby, it's time to believe!