Texas 2007 NCAA Tournament Capsule

Texas Longhorns - Big 12 (24-9, 12-4)

Seed: #4 - East Region

Big Wins: 1/31 at Texas Tech (76-64), 2/28 Texas A&M (98-96), 3/10 vs Oklahoma State (69-64)

Bad Losses: 12/2 Gonzaga (77-87), 1/16 at Oklahoma State (103-105), 2/3 Kansas State (72-73)

Last NCAA Appearance: 2006, Elite Eight loss to LSU

Coach: Rick Barnes (14-14 in 14 NCAA appearances)

Probable Texas Starters:

• D.J. Augustin, Freshman, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 6.7 apg, 1.6 spg

• A.J. Abrams, Sophomore, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 1.6 apg

• Justin Mason, Freshman, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg

• Damion James, Freshman, Forward, 7.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg

• Kevin Durant, Freshman, Forward, 25.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 1.8 bpg

Key Roleplayers for Texas:

• J.D. Lewis, Junior, Guard, 1.8 ppg, 0.7 apg

• Matt Hill, Freshman, Forward, 2.4 ppg, 2.7 rpg

• Connor Atchley, Senior, Center, 3.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg

• Dexter Pittman, Freshman, Center, 2.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg

Why They Can Surprise:
Kevin Durant can single handedly win a game for the Longhorns. The freshman averages 25.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1.9 steals and 1.4 assists. He shoots nearly 50% from the floor and 80% from the charity stripe. If he is guarded by a big man, Durant can take them off the dribble and if he is guarded by a smaller opponent, he will shoot right over them.

Durant is not the only player who can score in a hurry. Texas hits nearly tenthree balls per contest and any lead is not safe when the long range shooting of A.J. Abrams, D.J. Augustin and Justin Mason are on the court.

Why Texas Can Disappoint:
With four freshmen starting, youth is the obvious concern in Austin. The youth is most obviously seen on the defensive end and Coach Rick Barnes will employ a zone to help hide those deficiencies. The zone defense also hides the fact that Texas’ starting five cannot handle quality big men. The starting big guys are only 6-7 and 6-9. On the bench, Texas has some traditional big men in Matt Hill, Connor Atchley and the slimmed down 315 pound Dexter Pittman.

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Who To Watch:
D.J. Augustin leads the high power offense of Texas. The 5-11 freshman does a great job of attacking the basket where he can get the lay-up, dish off to a teammate or draw a foul. His 6.7 assists per contest ranks among the best in the nation. Not bad for a freshman, but the most pressure filled games of his career have yet to be played and how the whole team reacts when the season is over with a loss will be the difference between a big run and an early exit.

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 82.2 (5th in nation, 1st in conference)

Scoring Defense: 71.9 (242, 10)

Field-Goal Percentage: 44.6 (157, 8)

Field-Goal Defense: 41.0 (52, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 72.8 (52, 3)

Rebound Margin: 2.7 (85, 5)

Assists Per Game: 13.9 (129, 8)

Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (32, 2)

Joel’s Bracket Says: Second Round loss to USC

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