UT Basketball

Ahh yeah. You're right about that. UT has some decent non-conference games again this year though at UCONN and Kentucky.

2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project Regional Round
Fri. 11/14/2014 North Dakota State 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Sun. 11/16/2014 Alcorn State 7 p.m. Austin, Texas ESPNU

2K Classic benefiting Wounded Warrior Project Championship Rounds
Thu. 11/20/2014 Iowa 6 p.m. New York , N.Y. ESPN2
Fri. 11/21/2014 California OR Syracuse TBA New York, N.Y. TBA

Tue. 11/25/2014 Saint Francis 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Sun. 11/30/2014 Connecticut 11 a.m. Storrs, Conn. ESPN2
Tue. 12/2/2014 UT-Arlington 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN

SEC/Big 12 Challenge
Fri. 12/5/2014 Kentucky 6 p.m. Lexington, Ky. ESPN Details

Sat. 12/13/2014 Texas State 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Tue. 12/16/2014 Lipscomb 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Sat. 12/20/2014 Long Beach State 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Tue. 12/23/2014 Stanford 6 p.m. Austin, Texas ESPN2
Mon. 12/29/2014 Rice 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN

Big XII Conference Play
Sat. 1/3/2015 Texas Tech 1 or 3 p.m. Lubbock, Texas ESPNU
Mon. 1/5/2015 Oklahoma 8 p.m. Austin, Texas ESPN or ESPN2
Sat. 1/10/2015 Oklahoma State 4 p.m. Stillwater, Okla. ESPNU
Sat. 1/17/2015 West Virginia 5 or 8 p.m. Austin, Texas ESPN or ESPN2
Mon. 1/19/2015 TCU 6 p.m. Fort Worth, Texas ESPNU
Sat. 1/24/2015 Kansas 1 p.m. Austin, Texas CBS
Mon. 1/26/2015 Iowa State 8 p.m. Ames, Iowa ESPN
Sat. 1/31/2015 Baylor 5 p.m. Waco, Texas ESPN2
Wed. 2/4/2015 Oklahoma State 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Sat. 2/7/2015 Kansas State 3 p.m. Manhattan, Kan. ESPN or ESPN2
Wed. 2/11/2015 TCU 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Sat. 2/14/2015 Texas Tech 7 p.m. Austin, Texas LHN
Tue. 2/17/2015 Oklahoma 8 p.m. Norman, Okla. ESPN2
Sat. 2/21/2015 Iowa State 1 p.m. Austin, Texas ESPN or ESPN2
Tue. 2/24/2015 West Virginia 6 p.m. Morgantown, W. Va. ESPN2
Sat. 2/28/2015 Kansas TBA Lawrence, Kan. ESPN or ESPN2
Mon. 3/2/2015 Baylor 6 or 8 p.m. Austin, Texas ESPNU or ESPN
Sat. 3/7/2015 Kansas State TBA Austin, Texas ESPN or ESPN2

 

I have it right here:

The Texas Longhorns struggled through a 2012-2013 season that saw them miss their first NCAA tournament under coach Rick Barnes since he took over in 1998. Poor team chemistry led to the exodus of his four leading scorers to professional basketball and the transfer route.

Unexpectedly, last season was a turnaround year for Barnes and his young as they finished 24-11 and made their 15th NCAA appearance in 16 seasons. Things are back to normal in Austin. Texas has every key player returning to go along with a very strong freshman class, and optimism is high.

After spending time watching the consensus top-15 team practice last week, here are my biggest takeaways.

1. Rick Barnes is rejuvenated

Rick Barnes and Javan Felix

Texas coach Rick Barnes has a team built for a long March postseason run.
With a roster constructed of two former McDonald’s All Americans -- Cameron Ridley and Myles Turner -- and a bunch of solid top-100 high school recruits, the Longhorns are back to being the type of deep, tough, blue-collar team that defined them when they were more successful.

While Barnes was never bothered by the talk of being on the hot seat after the one truly down year, he was bothered by the 2012-2013 team’s selfishness and “me first” attitude and believed it was a reflection on him. Anyone who has coached a team like that dreads stepping onto the practice floor every day.

But it was completely different for Barnes a year ago and it is carrying over to this season. His Longhorns have adopted the acronym INAM: “It’s Not About Me.” And at practice, they displayed that unselfishness and depth -- it should allow Barnes to go 11 deep in his rotation, depending on the game.

2. The Horns are long

Outside of Kentucky, Texas may have the longest frontcourt in the country, averaging almost 6-foot-10. The result should be a team that rebounds the ball on both ends and defends the rim with that size and depth.

Texas grabbed almost 40 percent of its missed shots last season, sixth-best in the country, and led the Big 12 with nearly six blocked shots a game. But they should be even better this year.

Much-improved junior Ridley is joined by senior Jonathan Holmes (6-8), juniors Connor Lammert (6-9) and Prince Ibeh (6-10), and 7-foot freshman Turner. Each has strengths, either offensively or defensively, that should contribute to winning. And foul trouble should be mitigated, as well.

3. Demarcus Holland is a stopper

The 6-2 Holland was a surprise recruit three years ago, but he has been an instrumental, if underrated, part of Texas’ resurgence.

While Holland’s offensive game is a work in progress and there are signs of an improving jump shot, his main contribution to Barnes’ team was his on-ball defense. Opposing coaches noticed that in naming Holland to the Big 12’s All-Defensive Team last season. He should be even better this season.

4. Jonathan Holmes is svelte

Holmes, Barnes’ only scholarship senior, looks great. After getting his knee scoped in the spring, Holmes proceeded to lose 15 pounds and looks like he is in the best shape of his career.

Though best known for his ruggedness inside, his improved conditioning and a reliable jump shot to 17 feet will allow Barnes to play his “big” line with Ridley and Turner and at times cause mismatches.

5. Expect to see more zone

Barnes encountered the Syracuse’s 2-3 zone defense as a young head coach at Providence College and has seen its effectiveness up close and personal. So he has rarely been afraid to utilize it the past 16 years in Austin.

This season’s roster may be tailor-made for a lot of zone defense. The big lineup across the frontline will make it hard for teams to score in the paint, and it will eliminate potential mismatches versus smaller teams.

6. Expect to see more zone offense

Because Barnes will utilize a big lineup a lot this season, I expect to see opponents play more zone defense and hope to force the Longhorns into jacking up perimeter jump shots. A year ago, Barnes’ club shot a shade under 33 percent behind the arc and while Turner can shoot the deep ball, it is not likely enough to take the heat off the offense.

Junior guard Javan Felix shot 34 percent a year ago, making 61 3-pointers and is likely to be the team’s reliable weapon from deep.

7. Isaiah Taylor is one of the best penetrators in the country

Taylor was a revelation last season, both in the league and nationally, stepping into the Horns’ point guard position after not receiving much fanfare in high school. A 27-point performance in a home shellacking of Kansas put him on the map for good. This past summer at the LeBron James Skills Academy in Las Vegas, he was arguably the best point guard there, according to some NBA scouts.

At 6-1, Taylor is one of the quickest players in the country and has a knack for getting into the paint. He has one of the best midrange “floater games” and a more accurate jump shot from deep. If he can improve on last season’s mark -- he made only 5 of 19 3-point attempts in 2013-14 -- he will be extremely tough to guard.

8. Myles Turner is not Kevin Durant

Myles Turner, a versatile 7-footer, is expected to immediately contribute at Texas. Turner, ESPN’s No. 2 recruit in the Class of 2014, will contribute immediately and likely will find himself in the Horns’ starting lineup sooner than later. But I don’t believe he needs to carry this team.

Because of his size and shooting touch, he will spend equal time scoring around the basket and on the perimeter. He has an excellent feel for the game and fits in nicely with his teammates, from what I can tell.

Defensively, Turner is unlikely to be pushed around, what with Ridley and Co. protecting him. As a high school star, he was a proficient shot-blocker and he possesses great timing. That should continue.

While it is possible that he could be a one-and-done player if he has a great season, I would not be surprised if he needed a couple of years to develop on the Forty Acres.

9. The coaching staff is high on Connor Lammert

Although the junior from San Antonio did not participate in the practice I attended because of concussion protocol, Barnes and his staff were raving about his improvement.

A good athlete with a nice shooting touch inside the arc for a guy his size, Lammert made 70 percent of his shots around the basket and a reasonably good 42 percent of his 2-point jump shots last season. He is one of Texas’ most efficient offensive weapons.

10. Texas can play small ball, too

While I expect Texas to utilize its impressive size, Barnes has the option of playing smaller and quicker as well. The backcourt of Taylor, Holland and Felix was on the floor about a quarter of the time last season and gives the Longhorns the luxury of playing two point guards at once.

Taylor is the penetrator, Felix is the aggressive scorer and Holland is the defensive specialist. The trio of guards can take care of the ball well as they enjoyed a 1.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio in the Big 12. It’s a potentially effective change-of-pace lineup.

 

This is great - really excited about this year's team!

 

Thanks for posting! I am thinking about taking a group up to Lawrence for the Kansas game.

 

We are only a few weeks away until the start of the season. I'm excited to see if Isaiah "The Prophet" Taylor has improved his shooting.

 

While I'm excited for the season, there are so many games on the Longhorn Network.

Hopefully this CSN mess is sorted out soon so I can switch to ATT and have both.

 

Where's the rep?

 

How dare you call me out for not giving you rep after I gave you rep. That's a cardinal sin.

 

Got the opening night beat down out of the way. Myles Turner looks good, hard to gauge against an overmatched team, but for his first game it was nice. Isiah Taylor also looked excellent.

One more cakewalk before out first real game against Iowa next Thursday. Stop me if you've heard this, but if the shooting can hold up, this team could be special.

 

We need to draft Isaiah Taylor.

 

the cheap seats $10 are awesome

 

Got the second game beat down out of the way also. Team looks good - Barnes has a lot of work to do to find the right starting and subsequent lineups.

 

Prince Ibeh sucks so much. Please, Rick Barnes, get Ibeh out of the game.

 

Can never have enough rim protection.

 

Anyone who plays like horse manure is taken straight to the Barnes

 

After a slow start, really impressive victory over a solid Iowa squad. We had some rotation troubles in the first half, but once we got that cleaned up our D was stifling, Iowa shot 30%. The only reason the game was even this close was because of those superstar foul calls they were getting LOL.

This team's length around the rim is gonna give fits to opponents. The trio of Ridley, Turner and Ibeh are gonna block a ton of shots, although they may be overly aggressive going for the blocks sometimes. Ibeh is a pretty awful finisher, but man can he change shots.

This team is gonna make a run in the tournament. The offensive and defensive cohesion will get better, and this team has all the tools.

 

Ibeh does suck on offense, but his defense is sublime.

 

bad news fellow Longhorn fans:

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...uard-isaiah-taylor-injures-wrist-indefinitely

Source: Injured Texas point guard out awhile

Texas point guard Isaiah Taylor will miss Friday night's game against California due to a wrist injury and is expected to miss an extended amount of time, sources told ESPN.

The 10th-ranked Longhorns' sophomore floor leader suffered the injury late in Thursday night's victory over Iowa when he drove to the basket, was hit by Iowa big man Gabe Olaseni and landed on his left wrist.

Taylor had his wrist heavily wrapped but told ESPN.com after the win that he did not think it was broken. Taylor received X-rays following the game, but Texas' medical staff will seek additional tests in Austin to see if there was a fracture.

"It looks like he's going to be out for several weeks," one source said, "but it's not season-ending."

Taylor is one of the top point guards in the country and averaged 12.7 points and four assists last season as a freshman. He will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by Javan Felix.

 

That play was a dirty play to me, the guy should be suspended too.

 

This injury could not come at a worse time during the non-conference schedule. We have @UConn, @Kentucky, and vs. Stanford in the next few weeks. I hope Barnes puts Yancy at the point over Felix. Felix tends to take too many shots, promote a frantic pace, and commit a lot of turnovers. Yancy, at times, has been the best point guard on the team, especially during a few poor halves by Taylor.