Nov. 15, 2008
Complete notes [PDF]
GAME DAY QUICK FACTS
TELEVISION: None.
RADIO: KVET (FM 98.1) will broadcast Sunday's game between Texas and Saint Mary's, and fans can also tune into XM Satellite Radio Ch. 231 for all of the action. Craig Way (pxp) and Carol Ross (analyst) will call the game.
INTERNET AUDIO: Listen to Texas Basketball games on subscription-based Yahoo! Sports College Broadcast.
INTERNET VIDEO: Watch Texas Basketball home games on free TexasSports.TV. (Note: Due to Big 12 Conference television contracts, home games are available for viewing 72 hours after completion of the game.)
SERIES: Saint Mary's leads, 1-0. Last meeting: Saint Mary's 68-64 (March 16, 2001; neutral)
Notables
· THREE GAMES IN THREE DAYS ... Texas will test itself right out of the gate as it hosts Dayton (W, 66-40, Saint Mary's (Calif.) and No. 25/20 Old Dominion in back-to-back-to-back contests as part of the three-day World Vision Classic this weekend.
· FREE ADMISSION TO THE WORLD VISION CLASSIC ... UT Athletics will collect basketballs to donate to underprivileged youth, and with the donation of a new or slightly-used regulation-size basketball, fans will receive a voucher good for one FREE general admission ticket.
The 35th Season
Texas opened its 35th season with a 66-40 victory over Dayton on the first day of the World Vision Classic. With the win, the Longhorns improved to 26-9 in all-time season openers and 32-3 in home openers. UT holds an all-time record of 844-275 (.754), and are now 23-14 under second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors.
Last Time Out
Erika Arriaran and Earnesia Williams each scored 10 points, and the No. 13/13 Texas Longhorns defeated Dayton 66-40 in the first round of the World Vision Classic on Saturday. Arriaran came out strong off the bench, hitting four of her first five shots. Freshman Yvonne Anderson added eight points in her first game as a Longhorn. After a slow start, the Longhorns hit seven straight shots to open up a 22-12 lead. They shot 42 percent from the field while holding the Flyers to 28 percent.
Horns Display Depth Early On
Texas displayed its depth in the opening game of the 2008-09 season, as its' bench outscored Dayton 37-8. All 11 Longhorns saw action, and 10 players contributed on the scoreboard in the 66-40 victory.
Home Court Advantage
Texas' season-opening five-game homestand marks the longest stretch of contests at the Frank Erwin Center since the 1981-82 season. In February 1982, the Longhorns served host to six opponents in a 15-day span from the 3rd-18th, and went 6-0 in that stretch. Prior to 2008, the longest season-opening homestand mark was three consecutive games in 1978 and 2006.
Horns Picked Second in Big 12 Preseason Poll
Texas was picked to finish second in the Big 12 Conference in a preseason vote of the league coaches. The second-place billing was the highest preseason rank for the Longhorns since they were predicted to finish second in 2005-06.
A Check of the Polls
UT was ranked No. 13 in both The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today preseason polls. The Longhorns are one of five Big 12 Conference teams selected in the Top 25. Oklahoma is ranked No. 4/7, while Texas A&M and Oklahoma State come in at No. 11/10 and No. 14/15, respectively. Baylor rounds out the five league teams with a No. 19/17 ranking.
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Texas Numbers Under GoestenkorsIn Gail Goestenkors' first year at the helm, Texas went 22-13, winning its most games since the 2004-05 season when UT finished 22-9 and also advanced to the NCAA Second Round. The Longhorns held the opposition to 37.7% field goal shooting, the third lowest FG percentage defense in Texas history, while also setting the single-season free throw percentage mark (.740). The Longhorns also finished Big 12 regular season play first in league steals for the first time in school history with 156 steals for a 9.75 pg average.
Horns at Home
Now in its 32nd year of play in the Frank Erwin Center, Texas has posted an all-time record of 394-68 (.853) in the building. Texas has an all-time 72-46 (.610) mark against AP Top 25 teams at home, and a perfect 2-0 record under second-year head coach Gail Goestenkors. The Horns have won 25 of their last 33 home contests.
2007-08 in Review
Under the direction of first-year head coach Gail Goestenkors, Texas reached the Big Dance for the first time since 2005. For the first time in UT history, the Longhorns entered NCAA tourney play without a single player having prior postseason playing experience. Despite the challenges, the `07-08 squad claimed a 72-55 victory over Minnesota in the opening round before falling 89-55 to No. 1 Connecticut two days later.
What's Back
The Longhorns return four starters (Carla Cortijo, Brittainey Raven, Earnesia Williams, Ashley Lindsey) from last year's squad that advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. When broken down statistically, Texas also returns 83.9 percent of its blocks, 81.8 percent of its scoring, 80.6 percent of its assists, 73.8 percent of its steals and 70.1 percent of its rebounding. Included in the breakdown are UT's top five scorers from last season. (Raven, Lindsey, Cortijo, Kat Nash and Williams).
Strength of Schedule
In addition to facing four conference opponents ranked in The AP and ESPN/USA Today Preseason Top 25 polls, UT will take on three opponents in pre-conference contests that are also ranked: No. 7/6 Tennessee (Dec. 14 in Austin), No. 17/18 Arizona State (Dec. 18 in Austin) and No. 25/20 Old Dominion (Nov. 17 in Austin).
Raven named Preseason Big 12 Honorable Mention
Junior guard Brittainey Raven is one of four returning starters for the 2008-09 Texas women's basketball team. Raven was the Longhorns' top scorer in conference play last season with an average of 14.6 points per game (11th in the league). In addition, the 6-0 Raven ranked 10th in Big 12 field goal percentage (.412), 13th in assists (2.50 apg) and 11th in free throw percentage (.702, 73-104). Raven notched double-figure scoring in 15 of the 16 league contests.
