The Texas Longhorns (10- 3 Big 12, 20- 7 overall) are rated 19th in the AP Coaches Poll and 20th in the ESPN/USA Poll and are in third place in their conference, Number six Kansas (11- 2 Big 12, 24- 4 overall) and number eight Texas A&M (11-2 Big 12, 23- 4 overall) are just ahead of the Longhorns.

The Longhorns have a long-range arsenal led by guards D.J. Augustin (.481), Justin Mason (.440) and A.J. Abrams (.429). Swingman Kevin Durant is a solid .387 from downtown, while playing a tough inside game where he averages 11.4 RPG. Durant leads the team in points per game with 24.4. Fellow swingman Damion Jones is a pure inside player, grabbing an average of 6.9 RPG and throwing in 7.4 PPG. Guard D.J. Augustin is a solid playmaker, averaging 6.7 assists per game.

Texas has a well-balanced team and has defeated some tough teams, including nationally ranked Oklahoma State and LSU. They have two big games at the end of the season. On February 28 they play the conference’s second-place team Texas A&M and on March 3 they finish off the regular season while visiting first-place Kansas. Prior to those two contests, they play Oklahoma. If the Longhorns, who have won five in a row after losing back-to-back games to unranked Kansas State (73- 72) and Texas A&M (100- 82), can run the table, they’ll finish on top in the Big 12.

That will be no easy task for the Longhorns. This team is very competitive but needs to play tough defense to beat their last two opponents. If they can show that they can do that, they will be a contender in the March tournament.

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