SCOUTING THE NEWCOMERS
The biggest addition for the Longhorns is a player they counted on last season, G Dogus Balbay of Turkey. A knee injury forced Balbay to sit out. As long as he shows no ill effects from the injury, he figures to explode to the rim and also cause problems with his shooting range. Another sophomore who sat out last season was C Matt Hill (foot), who will give Texas a fourth 6-10 player along the front line. The Longhorns' top recruit, in-state G J'Covan Brown, failed to qualify academically. Another signee, G Varez Ward, could become a defensive stopper.

KEY EARLY-SEASON GAMES: Texas will stage a doubleheader in Houston on Dec. 20 with Texas A&M, a move that signifies what kind of recruiting hotbed that area has become for both programs. The Longhorns will play against Michigan State. That's just part of a difficult nonconference schedule, which includes an appearance in the Maui Invitational and trips to Wisconsin and Arkansas, as well as a home date against UCLA. Texas also will play Villanova in New York as part of the Jimmy V Classic.

PROGRAM DIRECTION
Everything is stable and on solid footing as long as Rick Barnes doesn't mind coaching at a football school. With 10 NCAA Tournament bids in his 10 seasons at Texas, Barnes has solidified himself as one of the country's top coaches. He is certainly an outstanding recruiter, too, sending talents such as D.J. Augustin, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge and T.J. Ford to the NBA.

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP
PG Justin Mason, SG A.J. Abrams, SF Connor Atchley, PF Damion James, C Dexter Pittman.

ROSTER REPORT

--G Dogus Balbay will miss the season opener as part of an NCAA penalty for his participation with a Turkish club team. Balbay did not play last season because of a knee injury, but was cleared for the Longhorns' final 10 games. Texas successfully petitioned the NCAA to count those 10 games as part of his punishment.

--Although G J'Covan Brown did not qualify academically to enroll at Texas, coach Rick Brown was optimistic the in-state recruit will eventually get into school and be part of the program. His enrollment could come as early as spring 2009.

--Avery Bradley, a 6-3 shooting guard ranked among the top 10 nationally by some services, has committed to play for Texas. He averaged 25.7 points last season for Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, Wash., and will play this season at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nev.

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