Texas vs. Incarnate Word Basketball Preview
The No. 17 Texas Longhorns (9-2) have played eight home games so far this season, defending the Erwin Center with an impressive 8-0 record.
A chance at nine home wins headed into the beginning of conference play on Jan. 1 is well within reach, as coach Chris Beard and the Horns will welcome the neighboring Incarnate Word Cardinals (2-10) from San Antonio on Tuesday night.
A member of the Southland Conference, the Cardinals are led by head coach Carson Cunningham, who is in his third full season with the team.
Despite just two wins so far on the season, Incarnate Word has seen positive production from its experienced upperclassman.
R.J Glasper leads the team in scoring at 13 points a contest, which is good for fifth-best in the conference. In fact, UIW is the only team in the Southland to have three players in the top-10 for points per game, as Glasper (fifth), Johnny Hughes III (eighth, 12.8), and Drew Lutz (10th, 12.6) have provided important scoring production for Cunningham's squad.
Lutz has been one of the top passers in the conference as well, as he leads all Southland players with 4.1 assists per game.
The Longhorns will face a team that has already played against top-tier Division 1 competition this season. UIW fell 79-59 on the road to the No. 3 Purdue Boilermakers on Dec. 20. The Cardinals held an early 6-0 lead before Purdue stormed back for the win.
It's clear that Incarnate Word won't back down from a top-ranked matchup with Texas. The Longhorns will need to avoid a similarly slow start that occurred against Alabama State this past Wednesday.
Texas fell behind 16-4 early on but managed to mount a comeback to take the lead before halftime.
In any case, Texas will lean on leading-scorers Timmy Allen (12.6 points) and Tre Mitchell (10.6 points) as the team aims for 10 wins before beginning conference play begins against West Virginia on New Year's Day.
Tuesday's tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. C.T. at the Erwin Center.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here
Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the Longhorns Country message board community today!
