NEW YORK -- Georgia's Rashad Wright knew he was toast when it was T.J. Ford against him, one-on-one, mano-a-mano, on an isolation play with less than a minute left.

Ford dribbled, pounded the ball into the floor, charged at Wright like a bull into a matador without a cape, spun and blew past Wright to the hoop for a layup and essentially a game-clinching basket for Texas with 23 seconds left Friday night.

	T.J. Ford rose above Georgia to match his career high of 22 points.

"I knew he was coming at me, I was expecting it,'' Wright said. "But he's just so quick, so fast going straight forward and when he's coming at you full speed, he's hard to guard.''

Ahhh, how about impossible at times to defend.

Wright backed off of Ford, which apparently was the first mistake. He gave him too much room and, as Ford said, he was stunned that no one came up to double-team him on this play or any other time when he got to the basket for eight of his 10 made shots or when he converted a pair of 3s for his game-high 22 points in Texas' 77-71 victory over the Bulldogs in the nightcap of the AT&T Wireless Classic, benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer.

"If he's going to hit the jump shot, then it's tough to play him,'' Georgia coach Jim Harrick said. "If we played him again I would play him differently.''

OK, Jim, how so?

"I don't know,'' Harrick said. "I'd have to watch the tape and see. But he's as good as I've seen. He hits some unbelievable shots.''

No need for the VCR, TiVo, DVD or any other format. Ford can't be freeze-framed.

A night after one of his closest friends, Alabama sophomore point Maurice Williams, made his mark in Madison Square Garden with 25 points in the Tide's victory over Texas Big 12 rival Oklahoma, Ford one-upped his compadre.

Williams was a tough out for the Sooners because he made big shots, including a few timely 3s. He was in control, mature and a leader Thursday night. But he wasn't and isn't as dazzling with the ball. And the confidence and the overall wow factor isn't the same as with Ford.

Ford dished out eight assists, picked up three steals and committed four turnovers in 35 minutes. He easily could have had 10 to 15 assists had a few of his passes not been botched by the Longhorns inside (James Thomas, 2-for-10) or attempts that weren't finished.

And the confidence that he's going to score, get someone the ball to score, or simply get past his defender is as high for Ford as it is with any other point guard in the country.

"I just want the ball in my hands,'' said Ford, who shaved the corn rows off and is going with a clean dome for the season. "They were playing so far off me and then I hit those jumpers early in the game and that helped my confidence. Imagine if I didn't hit those shots early.''

Yeah, what? Ford wouldn't be as dazzling? That's hard to believe. Ford single-handedly changes the game. And his respect is growing, not only on the court, but in the stands in New York City where few are familiar with the Houston native. And they showed their respect when he tumbled hard to the court once, which silenced the crowd as he remained still for a few seconds.

"I had never heard this place so quiet,'' Texas coach Rick Barnes said. "When he fell, he said, 'I'm fine, let's play.' People understand here how good he is because they know basketball. They appreciate him.''

And some in the audience might have caught his act -- and, yes, it is a show that New Yorkers love to watch when a point guard has swagger but is no joke when it comes to finishing -- at the Rucker League in July. Ford went over to the heralded city park while he was a counselor at the nearby ABCD adidas camp in New Jersey. When he got there, the P.A. announcer didn't bow to him just because he was the first freshman to lead the nation in assists last season. He had to earn his keep like anyone else stepping on the court.

"It was great,'' Ford said. "Both places (Rucker and the Garden) are exciting. You play on wood here, tar there. I love New York. We don't get the same talk in Houston. Look at the media here. We don't have the writers down there. We get left behind. We're not recognized. You get more attention in this town. I wanted to play at Rucker because I had seen it on TV all the time. Everyone had talked about it and I wanted to get out there and compete. I just went to have fun, not to prove anything.''

Ford's appreciation for the history of the game, for New York City basketball, was still evolving Friday. He wanted to sponge up anything Barnes said about the Garden. So, they talked during the day and then Barnes gave him a tour of some spots in the Garden, giving him a history lesson on the hallowed court and the Cliff notes version of the Knicks.

"I said to him that if you can't do it in New York then you can't do it anywhere else,'' Barnes said. "That got him really excited.''

The beauty of Barnes' relationship with Ford is the freedom he is giving him to run the team, control the game. Barnes was tagged as a bruising offensive coach at previous stops at Providence and Clemson. But he said that's unfair, and was rather a reflection of his personnel. The stereotype followed him to Texas -- PTJ (prior to T.J.).

"I've got more skilled guys and a point guard who I can let play,'' Barnes said. "I'm not going to let guys do things that they can't do.''

And it's not like Texas is very complex. The Longhorns ran a similar corner, pick-and-roll play that is set up for Ford "to make things happen.''

"Somebody asked me today, 'How would you play him?' and what someone has never done is try to pressure him,'' Barnes said. "If you don't pressure him it's like Joe Montana standing back there with no pass rush.''

Ford pulled games out as a freshman, notably a victory at Texas Tech. He led the Longhorns to the Sweet 16. Sure, the entire starting lineup and a sixth man is back from that squad but all that really matters is Ford's presence.

Wright was on his heels every time Ford wanted to get to the hoop. He's only the first of what should be a long season of opposing guards finding themselves chasing the back of Ford's jersey to the basket, and as a result, possibly trying to catch up to a Texas team that could make a Big 12 title and Final Four run.

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.