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| INSIDE THE NUMBERS |
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2000-01 record: 22-12;
10-6 in Big 12 (Tied/3rd)
Postseason: Lost to Oregon 72-70 in NCAA Midwest Region semifinals.
RETURNING LEADERS
Points: Mouton 13.7
Rebs: Thomas 8.8
Assists: Ford 8.3
FG: Erskin 57.2%
3pt: Harris 39.5%
FT: Ivey 78.0%
01-02 Stats:
Texas | Big 12
KEY LOSSES
Chris Owens | 15.8 ppg
Freddie Williams | 4.9 ppg
PROJECTED STARTERS
G | T.J. Ford | Soph
G | Royal Ivey | Junior
G | Bran. Mouton | Junior
F | Brad Buckman | Fresh
F | James Thomas | Junior
Player to Watch
T.J. Ford
Soph Guard
Look for nation's assist leader to look for his shot a little more in Year Two.
DATE TO REMEMBER
How about this for a point guard matchup: Ford going head-to-head with Arizona's Jason Gardner. Traveling to Tucson for an early-season game with the potential No. 1 team in the
country will certainly show how good the Longhorns can be.
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TEXAS LONGHORNS
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Let's see, there are five starters returning from a team that advanced to the Sweet 16. The point guard only led the nation in assists and is a legit All-American candidate. The freshman big man turned down North Carolina. Sounds like a team that's favored to win their conference, doesn't it? Well, not quite. While Texas is going to be good -- the Longhorns could easily wind up a top-five team nationally -- but that doesn't guarantee anything in the Big 12 this year. All fifth in the nation
guarantees you in the Big 12 standings is third place. While sophomore point guard T.J. Ford receives most (OK, almost all) of the attention, the Longhorns aren't a one-man team. Royal Ivey, Brandon Mouton and James Thomas all averaged in double figures a year ago. The play of Mouton (13.7 ppg) has been particularly overlooked. Hometown product Brad Buckman likely slides into the starting lineup and gives the Longhorns more of an inside shot-blocking presence. That means Deginald Erskin goes to the bench.
TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
There was a reason why T.J. Ford was on the ESPN.com Tough Squad. He's fearless, he's arguably the best point guard
in the country and he makes his teammates better. Never mind that he looks a bit on the fragile side. After leading the nation in assists a year ago with 8.3 per game
- becoming the first freshman to ever accomplish that - Ford worked at getting better. For Ford, who is sans braids this year, that meant
getting stronger and working on his jumper.
TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
The biggest issue for Texas will be whether the Longhorns can hang inside. Texas was outrebounded 11 times a year ago
and it won just four of those games. While center James Thomas averaged 8.9 rebounds per game last season, Buckman is a freshman, Jason Klotz is
a sophomore, Chris Wright is a redshirt freshman and Brian Boddicker is a junior who didn't overwhelm last season.
BOTTOM LINE..............................
If Texas wants to be a legitimate player on the national level, the Longhorns need to be more consistent. The Longhorns
lost to both Texas A&M and Kansas State a year ago, two teams a contender should handle. With Ford running the offense and significant
experience elsewhere, Texas has a chance to challenge both Kansas and Oklahoma for the Big 12 title.
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