HOUSTON – It may just be 30 days into the new season, but Saturday’s matchup between Texas and UCLA in men’s basketball will likely prove to be a pivotal game as each team prepares for their upcoming conference seasons. The squads will meet in the inaugural MD Anderson Proton Therapy Showcase at Reliant Stadium, which also showcases both schools’ women’s teams. The doubleheader begins with the women’s game at 1:30 p.m.
“When you play a non-league schedule like we are playing, it’s going to benefit us to play a team like UCLA,” said Rick Barnes, whose team will play Georgetown in the Jimmy V Classic on Tuesday in New York. “Ben (Howland’s) teams are always tough. This game is going to prepare us for when we get into Big 12 Conference play.”
The Longhorns are 5-2 headed into their contest with the Hoyas, having lost two games in the Maui Invitational two weeks ago while still playing without point guard Myck Kabongo, who is awaiting the NCAA’s decision to participate after the organization claimed he had received improper benefits.
The youthful Bruins (5-3), who Howland is rebuilding with the nation’s top freshmen class, have yet to find their stride, rising to No. 11 in the national rankings before falling out of the polls. Howland has even had to venture from his customary, hard-nosed man-to-man defense in favor of more zone, after two players left his program before the end of November leaving him with just eight scholarship players on the roster.
“I think we can (continue to have success),” junior Travis Wear told the Orange County Register. “I think our identity might change a little bit. We’ve still got a lot of talented pieces. We’ve still got a lot of guys that believe that we can win games, and I think that we can go far this year and do a lot of great things.”
Wear’s Bruins will use the week to develop that identity, playing its second of two exhibition games this season before traveling to Houston.
So while both men’s teams are searching for a rhythm just one month into the new season, the women’s game will feature two Top-25 teams.
“We are excited about this game as Houston is clearly a hot bed for recruiting in men’s and women’s basketball,” said first-year UT coach, Karen Aston. “There is enormous talent in the city and it’s great for us to have the opportunity to showcase the University of Texas brand of basketball.”
The UT women are 5-0 to start the season and ranked No. 12 in the country. UCLA (4-1) is ranked No. 17, its lone loss coming to No. 4 Notre Dame last month. The Bruins own a victory over Big 12-foe Oklahoma in Norman three weeks ago.
Tickets are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations, Ticketmaster.com and the Reliant Stadium box office. Seats are priced from $25 to $78. The women’s game will be televised by the Longhorn Network while the men’s game will air to 100 million homes on ESPN at 4:15 p.m. with the Hall of Fame analyst Dick Vitale calling the action.