40 Acres Sports

Scout.com’s 2008 spring preview continues with their top 40 non-conference games. Horns vs. Piggies is at number 11.

Availability of Gary Johnson still a game-time decision against Miami. I’ll be surprised if he plays, hopefully ready for Sweet 16 if the Horns make it.

A great day of basketball yesterday with some fantastic finishes and upsets. I would have loved to have been in Tampa yesterday to watch all those top seeds go down in dramatic fashion. Now on to round two of the tourney, where it’s less about the underdog and more about watching good basketball. Only one match-up today really jumps out of me but it should still be a good day to sit on the couch and be a college basketball fan.

Here’s what to watch on the first day of round two:

(11) Kansas State vs (3) Wisconsin – 3:20pm
Michael Beasley led K-State past fellow phenom OJ Mayo but the Badgers are a lot tougher inside than USC. Prediction: Wisconsin

(6) Marquette vs (3) Stanford – 5:45pm
Winner takes on Texas/Miami winner in Houston. Stanford is a tough team and the Lopez twins (both with girl names, Brook and Robin) and might be a tough match-up for the Horns so root for the Golden Eagles. Prediction: Stanford

(5) Michigan State vs (4) Pittsburgh – 8:10pm
The game today that I’m most interested in, but since it’s head-to-head with the Aggie game we won’t get to watch it. A couple of really good teams that have both been playing well. Prediction: Michigan State

(9) Texas A&M vs (1) UCLA – 8:15pm
The Aggies played well against BYU but tonight’s game against UCLA should be a whole different level. Can they keep it close and be around at the end with a chance of an upset? Probably not. Prediction: UCLA

Related Links

• Bevo Sports day two preview
• Bevo Sports day one preview
• ESPN scoreboard
• Printable bracket (PDF)
• My Tourney Challenge bracket

This time ESPN college basketball guru Joe Lunardi previews the [tag]Austin Peay[/tag] Governors. Sort of. He’s only got 36 seconds of information on Texas’ opening round opponent, and he still couldn’t make it that long without a urine-related joke. No mention of a single player or coach, watch the SI.com preview video for some better analysis.

Here’s the preview of Austin Peay:

Day one was sadly short of upsets, and the evil Dukies were able to hold off Belmont in the final seconds Hopefully our Good Friday of basketball is a day of tons of upsets where everyone but the Horns go down.

Here’s what to watch on day two:

(10) Saint Mary’s vs (7) Miami – 11:30am
The Hurricanes are coached by former Texas assistant Frank Haith, but his team won’t have enough for a strong St. Mary’s team. The Gaels played the Horns tough for a half back in early January and will give Miami trouble here in the first round. Prediction: Saint Mary’s

(15) Austin Peay vs (2) Texas – 2:00pm
Arkansas fans will be chanting “Let’s go Peay!” with all their redneck vigor, but the Longhorns should be able to handle the Governors easliy. Prediction: Texas

(11) St. Joseph’s vs (6) Oklahoma – 6:10pm
The Sooners were struggled against good teams this year and St. Joe’s is a good team. Somehow I managed to pick every 11-seed to win, only one for three so far… Prediction: St. Joe’s

(12) Villanova vs (5) Clemson – 8:50pm
Clemson gave UNC a run for their money three times this year and Villanova was one of the last teams in. Yet, this is my 12/5 upset of the year. Prediction: Villanova

Related Links

• Bevo Sports day one preview
• ESPN scoreboard
• Printable bracket (PDF)
• My Tourney Challenge bracket

Texas Longhorns NCAA Tournament tickets. Buy or sell tickets for Sunday’s games in Little Rock or the Final Four in SA.

All you need to know about the Horns’ NCAA chances. Bohls thinks Augustin and Abrams will help the team coast to Houston.

ESPN expert Joe Lunardi loves the Horns spot in the South bracket. He thinks Texas has the best résumé in the country and will make it to the Final Four in San Antonio.

Watch his NCAA Tourney preview of Texas below:

Pro day, or pro timing day, is an NFL Draft prospect’s chance to show scouts what he’s got in a comfortable environment. They’re on their own campus, in their own gym, working out with their teammates and coaches. It also is a chance for the guys who weren’t invited to the NFL Combine to show their stuff. At Texas’ pro day Wednesday, sixteen players were weighed, measured, timed, and did position drills for 75 NFL personnel people.

Most of this information is cribbed from NFL.com, Orangebloods, and the Austin-American Statesman blog post on UT’s pro day. The numbers are inconsistent because they always are, everybody gets their times from a different source. Here’s how some of the Horns performed:

• Cornerback [tag]Brandon Foster[/tag] – 5-7 5/8, 185, 10-8 broadjump. Ran a blazing 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash. He also showed athleticism with a 38-inch vertical jump. His performance might offset the fact that Foster was measured at 5-7.
• Running back [tag]Jamaal Charles[/tag] – 5-11, 199 pounds. Elected not to run, allowing his 4.38 time that he posted at the combine to stand. Ran position workouts and looked good catching the football.
• Receiver [tag]Limas Sweed[/tag] – 6-4 1/8, 210, 37 vertical. Ran a 4.40, shaving nearly a tenth of a second off of the time he ran at the NFL combine last month. 4.33 short shuttle, 7.14 cone drill. Ran position drills and looked good catching the ball.
• Tight end [tag]Jermichael Finley[/tag] – 6-4 3/4, 240 pounds. Ran a 4.62, dropping his time from the combine by .24. His time is now the second fastest run by a tight end in workouts leading up to next month’s draft.
• Backup safety [tag]Drew Kelson[/tag] – 6-0 1/2, 216, 10-9 broad jump. Posted a 41.5-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.45. We’re checking to see if any other player in the country has jumped higher in draft workouts.
• Defensive tackle [tag]Derek Lokey[/tag] – 6-1 3/8, 293, 33.5 vert. Did 38 reps on the 225-pound bench press. He also worked out at fullback and deep snapper. 9-foot, 4-inch long jump, 4.37 short shuttle, 7.57 cone drill, 38 reps in the bench press, and ran position drills.
• Linebacker [tag]Scott Derry[/tag] – 6-2 1/2, 221
• Tackle [tag]Tony Hills[/tag] – 6-5, 307 lbs. 24 reps in the bench press, but could not run or do other drills due to an injury.
• Defensive tackle [tag]Frank Okam[/tag] – 6-4 7/8, 27.5 vertical. Dropped 12 pounds since his weigh-in at the combine. He is weighing 335 right now.
• Safety [tag]Marcus Griffin[/tag] – 5-10, 196, 37.5 vert. Ran a 4.5 40.
• Wide receiver [tag]Billy Pittman[/tag] – 5-11, 195. Ran a 4.56.
• Also participated: safety [tag]Erick Jackson[/tag], wide receiver [tag]Nate Jones[/tag], linebacker [tag]Robert Killebrew[/tag], defensive tackle [tag]Thomas Marshall[/tag], punter [tag]Justin Moore[/tag], and former Longhorn safety [tag]Lee Jackson[/tag].

Related Links

• UT press release
• The Longhorn family
• Player quotes
• Photo gallery

I’m not even sure where [tag]Austin Peay[/tag] is located, but the Longhorns will be taking them on Friday in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The former school of NBA legends Trenton Hassell and Bubba Wells, Austin Peay has 8,650 undergraduate students at the Clarksville, Tennessee campus. The 15th-seeded team in the South bracket, the Governors are led by scorer Drake Reed and outside shooter Todd Babington.

Check out the SI.com Film Room preview below for more info:

The Longhorns will face the Governors on Friday at 2pm on CBS. Start working on your excuse to leave work early now.