As campuses close up shop on the first semester, and anonymous students at state schools across the country collect their payoffs for acing star athletes’ exams, “Tip Time” wishes all college basketball fans – them and only them – the best this holiday season, as well as in the new year. But stay sharp. Soon after unwrapping our Rick Majerus replica sweaters and wearing them around our hometowns while getting wasted with old friends, we’ll have a lot to work on in the months leading up to the Madness. Majerus rules, by the way. He’s one of the best things about the sport, and we’ll bring him up a lot along the way.
But before getting into all of that, let’s talk Texas, only because I’m contractually obligated to do so. The Hornish Game Hens are playing Arkansas at the Erwin Center as we go to press, which would seem like a gimme – their old SWC rival Razorbacks’ two losses this season, both blowouts, have come against Big 12 opponents Missouri and Texas Tech – but given Texas’ occasional lapses in precocity, looking ahead to a Saturday, Dec. 23, date with Tennessee in Knoxville would be unwise at best.
Still, we have no choice but to do so here. UT-UT (ESPN, Sat., 11am) makes for a bellwether tilt for both teams. The game should be a good final exam going into next semester and the Big 12 slate (yes, I’m aware that the Gents of Centenary await on Dec. 28, but let’s call them extra credit), as the Vols are a good comp for Texas: each squad is deep, young, coached by a weirdo, and possessing a résumé steadily building toward an NCAA Tournament bid with a couple of quality losses and a showcase win apiece. Tennessee’s two losses have come against ranked opponents, Butler and North Carolina. No shame whatsoever there. Their big win was Monday against the till-then-unbeaten Oklahoma State Cowboys. Texas, meanwhile, took tough hits from Michigan State and Gonzaga before outlasting LSU in overtime on Dec. 10.
That classic, of course, was D.J. Augustin’s statement game. Young’un reminds me of former UConn point guard Marcus Williams, now with the New Jersey Nets. Both are savvy penetrators with a nose for the rim – not many other ways to say that, sorry – and Augustin’s solid 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio this season is a just year of experience away from Williams’ sterling 2.5. Let’s just hope the freshman doesn’t get into the laptop-fencing game. He has a huge future and is a lot of fun to watch. Should he stick around for a few years, it’ll be him leading the Longhorns to a national title, not Kevin Durant.
This article appears in December 15 • 2006.