40 Acres Sports

Barely any Texas talk but ESPN has a brief look at the teams in the East Region of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. Watch Rece Davis, Digger Phelps, and Scott Bilas break down the region below…

After losing to [tag]Michigan State[/tag] this weekend the Longhorns bounced back with a tough win over the Wisconsin Badgers. The team went into Madison and game away with a close 74-69 win, only the eighth time in seven seasons a road team has won at the Kohl Center. #8 Texas is now 10-2 on the season.

The game again came down to the final moments when forwards [tag]Gary Johnson[/tag] and [tag]Damion James[/tag] made huge plays for the Horns. Johnson, who had another excellent performance with 16 points and 8 rebounds, banked in a long, ugly clutch 2-pointer with less than 30 seconds left to go in the game. On Wisconsin’s next possession James blocked a layup attempt and then pulled in the rebound to put an end to their hopes of victory. James finished the game with 18 points and 15 rebounds.

After struggling in his last game, Texas’ leading scorer [tag]AJ Abrams[/tag] scored 21 points but needed 21 shots to do it. He shot okay from beyond the arc but was only 5 for 14 from 2-point range. Abrams must improve his efficiency if the Horns’ offense is going to find any consistency this season. Backup point guard [tag]Dogus Balbay[/tag] had his best game at Texas by providing a spark off the bench with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in only 17 minutes of playing time.

The Longhorns are now off for the rest of 2008 until they host Appalachian State on January 2nd at the Erwin Center. Big 12 conference play will start against [tag]Iowa State[/tag] on January 10th.

Game Statistics

Related Links

• Game recap
• Game stats
• Game notes
• ESPN360 replay

Last night the Texas Longhorns went to Madison and took down a [tag]Wisconsin[/tag] team that had only lost eight home games in the last seven years. [tag]AJ Abrams[/tag] and [tag]Damion James[/tag] led the team to a 74-69 win with 21 points and 15 rebounds respectively. Watch video highlights below:

This could be one of the biggest weekends of the year in terms of national title implications. Arguably the top four teams in the Big 12 are playing each other, #1 Oklahoma vs #5 Texas and #3 Missouri vs #17 Oklahoma State (I think Texas Tech is probably a little overrated). Then you have the two powerhouse teams in the SEC squaring off with #4 LSU traveling to the Swamp against #11 Florida. And if you feel like checking out the boring Big 10, you get to see #6 Penn State playing at Camp Randall Stadium against Wisconsin.

Let’s take a look at a game in each of the big conferences. Remember, I did go 3-1 last weekend against the spread (for around the 4th straight weekend).

#5 Texas at #1 Oklahoma (-6.5) – 12:00 PM EST on ABC. For a #5 team in the nation, Texas has managed to keep a relatively low profile this year. I think that has been a blessing in disguise since it has let the team grow without a lot of added pressure. Honestly if you asked me to pick this game at the beginning of the season, I would probably have said Oklahoma without even a doubt. But with the way Texas has played this season and their improvement on defense, they have a legitimate shot of coming out of this one with a victory. Both offenses have overpowering stats and high profile quarterbacks. Neither quarterback has faced any adversity, and I think that will change greatly for Sam Bradford this week. Will Mushcamp has something going here in Austin, and I think that will be the difference in the game. I don’t bet on this game, but the Texas moneyline looks good.

#17 Oklahoma State at #3 Missouri (-14) – 8:00 PM EST on ESPN2. The O/U is set at 77 in this one and features the #2 and #3 scoring offenses in the nation, so you know some points will be scored. Both teams are undefeated when scoring 40 or more points since 2001, but that should change this weekend. This is basically a matchup of one of the nations best rushing attacks (OSU) versus one of the nations best passing offenses (Mizzou). I always prefer a better running game since it moves the ball more consistently and wears down the defense. This game should come down to whoever has the ball last. OSU might now win this one, but I think they easily cover the 14.

#4 LSU at #11 Florida (-6.5) – 8:00 PM EST on CBS. Tim Tebow has not impressed me much this season. And losing to Ole Miss at home? Come on now. LSU also has big questions at the quarterback position, but they have the defense to win them games in the SEC. I think they key here is LSU was off last week so they have had extra time to prepare and get some players healthy. Don’t take the points on this one, take LSU moneyline.

#6 Penn State at Wisconsin (+6) – 8:00 PM EST on ESPN. Yawn. Two more boring Big 10 teams playing each other. Not sure who is really going to watch this game with the two games above starting at the same time. Maybe if both games are at commercial? Penn State did not fair well in their last trip to Camp Randall Stadium (remember Coach Pat’s broken leg?), but it should be a much different game this year. Penn State is better than Wisconsin in every phase of the game and will dominate this game. You know what, don’t watch this one, just take Penn State and win some money.

Conference play is in full swing this weekend with many teams getting their first real test of the season. The Big 12 now has 4 teams in the Top 10, with all of them on the road. It will be interesting to see if they can all come out unscathed. If Texas and Oklahoma both win their Big 12 openers, they will face off next week in a possible #1 versus #5 match-up.

Let’s take a look at a game in each of the big conferences. Remember, I did go 3-1 last weekend against the spread.

#13 Auburn at #19 Vanderbilt (+4) – 6:00 PM EST on ESPN. Vanderbilt is definitely one of the surprises of the season. And after last week their win against Ole Miss is looking that much better. Auburn has been anemic on offense and basically riding their defense to wins. With two weeks to prepare and home field, Vanderbilt has the advantage in this one. It will probably be close, but take Vandy to win.

#7 Texas at Colorado (+13) – 7:00 PM EST on FSN. There are a couple of things that worry me about this game. First, it is an almost night game in Boulder. The fans will be crazy (probably drunk) and it is tough to play with that thin air. Second, the last time we played Colorado we beat them 70-3 and knocked out their quarterback. I’m pretty sure Colorado is looking for a little revenge and will keep that previous game in mind. And finally, this game comes a week before the Red River Rivalry, so there is definitely a possibility that the Horns will be looking ahead. Now with all of that said, I still think Texas has too much offense for Colorado to handle. And with the improved defense I don’t see Colorado doing too much. Texas needs to jump out to a quick start to kill the hopes for the Buffaloes. If they do that they should roll.

#23 Oregon at #9 USC (O/U 57) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC. Everyone wants to see how USC will respond after getting smoked by Oregon State last week. I don’t expect to see a blowout or anything against Oregon, but I do expect to see USC’s A game. Both teams can score almost at will and this will probably be the typical Pac-10 shootout. Look for each team to score in the 40s and take the over in this one.

#14 Ohio State at #18 Wisconsin (+2) – 8:00 PM EST on ABC. Hardly anyone comes out of Camp Randall with a victory, with Wisconsin winning their last 16 at home and 27 of the last 28. Ohio State has now turned over the reigns to Terrelle Pryor, and with Beanie Wells back from injury their offense is heating back up. As long as their defense can do a decent job against the Badgers, Ohio State should be able to come out with the victory. Actually on second thought this game probably shouldn’t be on the “what to watch” list since it will probably be pretty boring. Just take Ohio State and cash-in in the morning.

Talk about a crazy weekend in college football. Three of the top four teams go down in upsets, with unbeatable #1 of all-time USC losing to an unranked Oregon State team.

1. [tag]Oklahoma[/tag]

   

   The clear #1 in the nation after other teams in the Top 5 seemed scared to win. The Texas game in two weeks looks bigger than ever.

2. [tag]Alabama[/tag]

   

   Maybe even more of a butt-kicking than the USC/Ohio State, Alabama got out to a 31-0 lead at Georgia. I think this was a combination of Alabama having a solid team and Georgia being ridiculously over-hyped.

3. [tag]Missouri[/tag]

   

   Good time to have a bye week. Their schedule gets tough now as they open Big 12 play.

4. [tag]LSU[/tag]

   

   LSU didn’t look all that impressive in their win against Mississippi State. They will need to improve their quarterback play if they want to continue to win in the SEC.

5. [tag]Texas[/tag]

   

   Talk about slaughtering the pig against Arkansas. The Texas defense finally showed up and held them to only 3 points for most of the game.

6. [tag]South Florida[/tag]

   

   The class of the Big East continues to look good. Now they start conference play, so we will see if they can keep it up.

7. [tag]Auburn[/tag]

   

   They don’t win pretty, but their defense can keep them in any game. If they actually had a good quarterback they would probably be #2 in the nation.

8. [tag]BYU[/tag]

   

   BYU in the Top 10? Just doesn’t seem right somehow but they are playing great football right now. Two shutouts in a row will usually give a team some confidence.

9. [tag]Penn State[/tag]

   

   I hesitate to put a Big 10 team so far up in the rankings because they will soon get smashed by some other crappy Big 10 team. Will this happen to Penn State? No doubt.

10. [tag]Texas Tech[/tag]

    

    Not sure what to say about Tech except that they probably won’t last much longer with no losses. In fact, they will probably lose to Kansas State.

11. [tag]USC[/tag]

    

    On cue, USC has their one “bare-minimum” game of the season and somehow loses to Oregon State. Now they can cruise for the rest of the season with their easy Pac-10 schedule.

12. [tag]Georgia[/tag]

    

    Not really surprised that they lost to Alabama, more surprised about how they lost. Down 31-0 at the half at home? I knew they were over-rated, just didn’t know it was that bad.

13. [tag]Florida[/tag]

    

    Rounding out the upsets this weekend is Florida. If Tim Tebow was an actual quarterback and could throw the ball, maybe they wouldn’t lose to a mediocre Ole Miss.

14. [tag]Kansas[/tag]

    

    Bye week

15. [tag]Utah[/tag]

    

    Utah continues to sneak up the polls relatively quietly. Now they have to play the vaunted Oregon State Beavers.

16. [tag]Vanderbilt[/tag]

    

    With Georgia and Florida losing, Vanderbilt now leads the SEC East. If they beat Auburn this weekend is it time for them to start thinking national championship? Ha.

17. [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag]

    

    The Big 12 is absolutely stacked this year. Oklahoma State’s offense can hang with anyone. Too bad they play @Missouri, @Texas, and @Texas Tech.

18. [tag]Boise State[/tag]

    

    Bye week

19. [tag]Ohio State[/tag]

    

    Not sure that a 13 point win over Minnesota is very impressive, but a win is a win. Terrelle Pryor looks like a legit college quarterback. I bet they are wishing he played more against USC.

20. [tag]Oregon[/tag]

    

    Hard to get a read on just how good or bad the Pac-10 is. My guess is that Oregon will be dropping soon as they play USC this weekend.

21. [tag]Virginia Tech[/tag]

    

    Man, Virginia Tech has an incredibly weak schedule this season. If they didn’t lose to East Carolina they would easily be in the Top 10.

22. [tag]Wisconsin[/tag]

    

    The Big 10 is just awful and I think Wisconsin proves that. Not sure how a Top 10 team loses to a horrible Michigan team. Oh yeah, it’s the crappy Big 10.

23. [tag]Maryland[/tag]

    

    Maryland actually looks like they have a good team this year. The ACC is wide open right now and Maryland should be near the top at the end.

24. [tag]Fresno State[/tag]

    

    Pretty impressive win at UCLA.

25. [tag]Connecticut[/tag]

    

    Impresive win at Louisville. They will be tested in next two games of three straight road games. If they can make it through that, they will be looking good.

My Top 8 remains unchanged this week as a few teams didn’t play and the rest won easily. The story of the weekend was the Cremation in the Coliseum – USC’s dismantling of the over-hyped Ohio State. Ohio State has pretty much become a joke, getting shallacked whenever they play on the big stage. I am starting to think if I should allow any teams in the Big 10 in the Top 25 at all? Hmm….

Agree or disagree? Please let us know in the comments.

1. [tag]USC[/tag]

   
   LW: 1

   Was there really anyone surprised in their thrashing of Ohio State? USC looks unbeatable right now but they usually suck-up one game during the regular season, so we will see.

2. [tag]Oklahoma[/tag]

   
   LW: 2

   Offense, offense, offense. Oklahoma probably won’t score less than 40 points all season long. Right now Oklahoma and USC are separating themselves from the rest of the teams in college football.

3. [tag]Florida[/tag]

   
   LW: 3

   Bye week

4. [tag]Missouri[/tag]

   
   LW: 4

   Chase Daniel has the offense rolling right now, though it does help when you play a high school team like Nevada. And 6 catches, 172 yards, and 3 touchdowns for Maclin? Ridiculous.

5. [tag]LSU[/tag]

   
   LW: 5

   LSU finally got to play a game and just toyed with UNT. Not really fair. Let’s see how they do against their first real test, Auburn.

6. [tag]Texas[/tag]

   
   LW: 6

   Game against Arkansas postponed.

7. [tag]Georgia[/tag]

   
   LW: 7

   This team is so overrated it is ridiculous. But since they still haven’t lost, I will wait for them to lose so I can drop them down. That will likely happen in two weeks against Alabama.

8. [tag]Alabama[/tag]

   
   LW: 8

   Alabama’s balanced offensive attack looks impressive. Not much to dislike with this team. They have a pretty good shot to do goods things in the SEC West.

9. [tag]South Florida[/tag]

   
   LW: 19

   What a game Friday night against Kansas. Big lead changes both ways and South Florida pulls out the crazy victory. Now hopefully they won’t have a letdown after this big win.

10. [tag]Wisconsin[/tag]

    
    LW: 15

    Wisconsin just continues their boring football that wins games. But hey, whatever works.

11. [tag]Auburn[/tag]

    
    LW: 9

    3-2 victory against Mississippi State? Are you serious? Their defense is great, but they will have to actually score touchdowns to beat LSU.

12. [tag]Texas Tech[/tag]

    
    LW: 13

    Their offense looks good so far, but hard not to against the caliber of opponents they have been playing. I guess we will have to wait until Big 12 play to see how they really are.

13. [tag]BYU[/tag]

    
    LW: 17

    Absolutely smoked UCLA. 7 passing touchdowns will usually get it done. Might have to start paying attention to this team.

14. [tag]Wake Forest[/tag]

    
    LW: 18

    Bye week

15. [tag]East Carolina[/tag]

    
    LW: 12

    Barely sneaked by a weak Tulane team. Maybe they aren’t as good as we thought. They will need some more convincing wins if they want to challenge for the Top 10.

16. [tag]Oregon[/tag]

    
    LW: 16

    Probably should have lost to Purdue, but their impressive rushing attack led the charge in their comeback win against Purdue. Blount had 132 yards on 12 carries. Not a bad average.

17. [tag]Penn State[/tag]

    
    LW: 21

    Penn State racked up 560 total yards and held Syracuse to 159 yards. We will have to see how they face adversity, because so far they have breezed through this season.

18. [tag]Kansas[/tag]

    
    LW: 11

    Heartbreaking loss against a good South Florida team. I bet Reesing is wanting that one poor throw back late in the 4th quarter. Kansas is still a good football team that will probably climb back up in the rankings.

19. [tag]Ohio State[/tag]

    
    LW: 10

    Now can we please stop thinking Ohio State is any good? Lately anytime they are the national stage they get blown out. Needless to say they will not be playing for the national championship this year.

20. [tag]Vanderbilt[/tag]

    
    LW: 23

    Another solid win against Rice. SEC teams better not overlook this Vanderbilt team. They might be the surprise of the SEC East this year.

21. [tag]Utah[/tag]

    
    LW: 25

    Utah is starting to play like they did in their 2004 unbeaten season. Though their big win against Michigan isn’t looking as impressive as it did in the beginning of the season.

22. [tag]Florida State[/tag]

    
    LW: NR

    Lots of first timers making an appearance in my Top 25, and FSU is the first. They have a real test upcoming against Wake Forest, so we will see how long they stay here.

23. [tag]TCU[/tag]

    
    LW: NR

    TCU has started their season off with 3 impressive win, including a 31-14 win against Pac-10 Stanford. They virtually have no passing game, but their stable of running backs is impressive.

24. [tag]Oklahoma State[/tag]

    
    LW: NR

    Oklahoma State is chugging along basically unnoticed so far this season. Unfortunately for them they have an extremely tough schedule this year. But for now things are looking good.

25. [tag]West Virginia[/tag]

    
    LW: NR

    Even though they didn’t play, I am giving them another shot in the Top 25. They need to win convincingly if they want to stay here.

The Big 12 and SEC dominate my Top 25, holding 8 of the top 10 spots. Ohio State continues their over-hyped season by barely beating Ohio at home. Oklahoma and Missouri are proving they have the offense to keep up with anyone. And East Carolina is probably the surprise of the season, jumping all the way up to #12.

Agree or disagree? Please let me know in the comments.

1. [tag]USC[/tag]

   

   I try not to give too much praise to USC, but they looked really impressive in their blowout win over Virginia. They truly look like the best team in the nation right now.

2. [tag]Oklahoma[/tag]

   

   Oklahoma’s offense looks unstoppable. They have already scored 109 points in 2 games, and haven’t trailed yet.

3. [tag]Florida[/tag]

   

   Tim Tebow and the Gators beat Miami for the first time in the last 25 years or so, and did it against a very athletic Miami defense.

4. [tag]Missouri[/tag]

   

   Talk about high powered offenses, Missouri looks like they can score at will. But the real question is if their defense can stop the other big-time teams.

5. [tag]LSU[/tag]

   

   Even with all the weather distractions, this team looked very impressive in its home opener. What will happen when their QB’s actually have to throw a pass longer than 10 yards?

6. [tag]Texas[/tag]

   

   Colt and the offense are on a serious roll right now. Their young secondary is struggling at times, but they should be able to pick it up.

7. [tag]Georgia[/tag]

   

   I feel this is one of the more over-hyped teams in the nation. But if they can make it through some of their tougher games I will have to move them up.

8. [tag]Alabama[/tag]

   

   Coach Nick Saban has things going well down in Alabama. They absolutely destroyed Clemson on national tv. I would not want to play against this defense.

9. [tag]Auburn[/tag]

   

   Auburn’s defense always seems to keep them in games. If they can just get someone who can play quarterback they might be able to do something this year.

10. [tag]Ohio State[/tag]

    

    Ohio State is probably the second most over-hyped team in the nation. Lucky for them, they play in the weak Big 10. Unlucky for them, they are about to get smoked by USC.

11. [tag]Kansas[/tag]

    

    Kansas is another tough team from the Big 12 North. Todd Reesing is one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12 and has their offense off to a hot start.

12. [tag]East Carolina[/tag]

    

    ECU has been one of the big surprises so far this season beating Virginia Tech and destroying #8 West Viriginia. I don’t think anyone will overlook this team anymore.

13. [tag]Texas Tech[/tag]

    

    If Texas Tech actually played anyone in their non-conference schedule they might actually be ranked a little bit higher.

14. [tag]Arizona State[/tag]

    

    ASU always seems to be that overlooked team in the Pac-10. Coach Dennis Erickson has a solid football team here.

15. [tag]Wisconsin[/tag]

    

    Wisconsin is one of those boring teams that always has a solid season. If they weren’t in the weak Big 10 they would probably barely crack the top 25.

16. [tag]Oregon[/tag]

    

    Another high powered offense from the Pac-10. Their dual quarterback play seems to be working well. And Jeremiah Johnson has a ridiculous 10.1 yards per carry.

17. [tag]BYU[/tag]

    

    BYU squeaked by Washington thanks to the refs ruining the game. UCLA should be a tougher match-up.

18. [tag]Wake Forest[/tag]

    

    Wake Forest needed a last second field goal to beat an average Ole Miss team. Now they open their ACC season against Florida State.

19. [tag]South Florida[/tag]

    

    I was not happy with team since they delayed the coverage of the Texas/UTEP game. They are probably the best team in the Big East right now.

20. [tag]California[/tag]

    

    Cal is averaging 7.8 yards per carry as a team, including two touchdowns of over 80 yards. Their defense also held Washington State to only 3 points.

21. [tag]Penn State[/tag]

    

    Penn State has started off strong with an impressive running attack. I’m curious to see how they play on the road.

22. [tag]Fresno State[/tag]

    

    Fresno State has another solid team that dismantled Rutgers on their own field. Their real test of the season comes this weekend when they play Wisconsin.

23. [tag]Vanderbilt[/tag]

    

    Vanderbilt is slowing building their program into a tough match-up in the SEC. Georgia and Florida better not overlook this team.

24. [tag]UCLA[/tag]

    

    UCLA had an impressive second half comeback in week 1 against Tennessee. Who knew you could throw 4 interceptions and still be a hero. Their tough schedule probably won’t keep them here long.

25. [tag]Utah[/tag]

    

    Utah is a tough team to put a handle on. Their offense is usually stellar, but they really don’t play anyone. Their win against Michigan might look impressive if Michigan wasn’t so awful.

After starting the season 11-0, the Texas basketball team has now lost two straight to Big 10 foes. The unranked [tag]Wisconsin[/tag] Badgers nailed a long game winning three pointer with three seconds left to beat the Horns on their home court 67-66. Texas might have had a chance for one more play but Wisconsin’s Michael Flowers, who had just hit the three, then stole the inbounds pass and flung it high in the air to finish off the game.

Not a well played game for the Horns and bad execution in the final minutes as well. Most notably, guard [tag]AJ Abrams[/tag] had a chance to put the team up three in the final moments but could only hit one of two free throws. [tag]Justin Mason[/tag] had a horrible game, playing nearly all 40 minutes and not scoring a single point. He was 0 for 7 from the field and another 0 for 2 from the charity stripe. That’s not good. Mason’s minutes may be in trouble when [tag]Gary Johnson[/tag] makes his debut this week.

Maybe the lone bright spot for Texas, [tag]Damion James[/tag] had an incredible game. James played great on offense and defense, and as usual was a monster on the glass. He scored 21 points on 10 of 16 shooting and had 15 rebounds. He’s definitely stepped on his game this season after an inconsistent freshman year.

Next up for the Longhorns is a home game against TCU Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm. The game can be seen on FSN if you’re in the state of Texas.