DRC: Horns present tough challenge for NT

[OldTimer]

Men's basketball: ’Horns present tough challenge for UNT

Mean Green try to bounce back from loss to TCU

07:28 AM CST on Tuesday, December 7, 2004

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas men’s basketball coach Johnny Jones has watched his fare share of college basketball games on television over the last few weeks.

He is still waiting to see a team that impresses him quite like Texas, a squad that has displayed its depth, skill on the perimeter and versatility up front.

The combination makes Texas one of the toughest challenges the Mean Green will face this season. UNT (3-2) will take on the Longhorns (5-1) in a 7 p.m. game today at the Frank Erwin Center.

"Texas is one of the better teams that I have had an opportunity to watch on TV this year," Jones said. "They have all it takes to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. They have great shooters, great ball-handlers and their post guys can play inside or outside, which makes them a very difficult team to defend."

Texas’ prowess on the offensive end has helped the Longhorns jump out to a 5-1 start. The Longhorns are ranked 14th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll and have won their last three games, including a 70-62 win over Seton Hall on Saturday.

Jones and UNT’s players believe they are more prepared to face one of the top teams in the country after playing a tough series of games early on this season. UNT was competitive throughout a loss to Alabama, which is ranked No. 18 this week, and has posted a win over a UNC Wilmington team that has played in two of the last three NCAA Tournaments.

UNT lost to TCU in its last game.

"We have had a couple of games to get our team worked out and get used to playing with each other," UNT junior center Justin Barnett said. "We have found out that we can win games running in the open floor or playing a half-court game."

Senior guard Leonard Hopkins enters UNT’s game against Texas averaging 18.2 points a game to lead the Mean Green. Senior forward Michael Jones (11.8) and sophomore guard Calvin Watson (11.4) are also averaging double figures for UNT.

Scoring has not been a problem for the Mean Green this season. UNT is tied with Arkansas State for the lead in the Sun Belt in scoring offense with an average of 79 points a game.

The Mean Green have struggled to match its success offensively with a solid performance on defense. UNT ranks last in the Sun Belt with an average of 74.8 points allowed a game.

"We have to play well on the defensive end," UNT junior point guard Isaac Hines said. "We can score, so the way we play on the defensive end will be the key."

Slowing down the Longhorns could be a challenge. Freshman guard Daniel Gibson is averaging 13.5 points a game to lead eight Texas players who are averaging at least eight points a game. Johnny Jones said the Mean Green will have to identify and slow down Texas’ guards on the perimeter.

Texas is shooting 48.5 percent from 3-point range.

Defending the 3-point shot is a task UNT struggled with in a loss to TCU on Saturday. The Horned Frogs made eight shots from beyond the arch and rallied from an early deficit for an 88-78 win.

UNT will look to bounce back from the loss in a game that could be a learning experience for the Mean Green against one of the nation’s elite teams.

"Game like this show us what we can do," Barnett said. "We can go out and match up against a team like this and see what we need to improve on for conference play."

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.