If anything positive can be extracted from the Longhorns men’s basketball deflated showing against USC in Los Angeles last week, it was the golden opportunity to redeem themselves six days later at home versus neighboring Texas State. UT remained in the Top 25 by the skin of their teeth following their upset by the unranked Trojans.
Saturday afternoon’s 101-65 drubbing of San Marcos’ finest at the Erwin Center showcased – despite USC’s ownership of them last Sunday – that Texas is still worthy of inclusion in the Top 25 (if only narrowly) by doing what was expected of good teams: rebounding in dominant fashion after an embarrassing loss.
Of course, not every team the Longhorns have left to confront this season will be quite as easy to dispatch — on the contrary. In fact, their upcoming stretch gets downright perilous following Tuesday’s home game against North Florida: the team travels east to Greensboro, N.C., for a “neutral-court” showdown with the locally beloved, revered North Carolina Tarheels. Though unranked, the Heels will benefit from a tacit home-court advantage over the Horns, far surpassing the one enjoyed by Pittsburgh weeks ago in New York City.
The No. 2 ranked Michigan State Spartans loom on Dec. 22 to play host to the Longhorns, who’ll have a coin-flip’s chance of entering that game as a ranked team after their matchup in North Carolina’s backyard. And what team has the designation of ushering UT into conference play on Jan. 8? That would be the sixth-ranked UConn Huskies, complete with bankable player-of-the-year candidate, Kemba Walker – look for them to snap the Longhorns’ cherished nonconference home winning streak, which currently sits at 24.
Big 12 teams are a bona-fide force in the Top 25 so far this season, with No. 4 Kansas, No. 5 Kansas State, No. 9 Baylor, No. 11 Missouri, and UT at No. 25. Among these, however, only UT and Kansas State have faced indisputably stiff competition; Kansas (7-0), Baylor (6-0), and Missouri (6-1) each do not have a single win against a Top 25 team at this point – both Kansas and Baylor have yet to face one, and Missouri’s lone loss came against No. 9 Georgetown on a neutral court. And though the Kansas State Wildcats clashed with the defending national champions, No. 1 Duke, they still lost, leaving UT standing as the only Big 12 Top 25 team who has defeated a ranked opponent thus far – No. 17 Illinois on Nov. 18 in New York City.
I can’t resist pointing out once again that the Longhorns very nearly toppled No. 3 Pittsburgh on that very same court the following night. Given this knowledge, it’s fair to say that much more is known about UT’s talent, grit, and resilience than that of their higher-ranked conference foes.
Freshman guard Cory Joseph strained to find his touch at season’s beginning, but has posted 13-plus points in each of UT’s last five contests. Meanwhile, leading scorer Jordan Hamilton has cooled off of late. As if acutely aware of this recent ebb in Hamilton’s scoring production, Joseph has amplified his game accordingly – including notching a career-high 19 points in Saturday’s win over Texas State. The interplay between these talented scorers will be an intriguing, and ongoing, development as the season progresses – especially if they can get their play to peak in unison.
Vs. North Florida: Tue., Dec. 14, 7pm. Frank Erwin Center, 1701 Red River. $8-40. www.texassports.com.
This article appears in December 10 • 2010.