Regular season debuts come at the Dick Vitale Invitational, with Texas facing off against a strong Duke team in Charlotte; but who comes away with the early November victory?
TV schedule: Tuesday, November 4, 8:45 pm ET. ESPN
Arena: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina
Things are very different than the last time we saw this Texas team, with Sean Miller taking over the head coaching job in the offseason.
New Era for Texas Basketball Begins in Charlotte
The Longhorns struggled last year but have a crop of new talent ready to make an impact this year in the SEC, with this a great opportunity to make a strong first impression on the season.
This wasn’t a complete rebuild in the offseason for the new coaching staff and the returns of both Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope build a great anchor in the backcourt. Expect those two double-digit scorers to be even more significant moving forward. Miller also brought talent from Xavier, and the Longhorns should get great work from both Dailyn Swain and Lassina Traore this season, while former St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher is another name to watch.
The Longhorns sit just 39th in the preseason KenPom rankings and have work ahead to climb into the national rankings. The faithful in Austin have already moved past the shortcomings of recent seasons, though you have to wonder if this team has the frontcourt talent and strength to win meaningful games in the SEC, or even against this strong opening opponent.
Duke's Youth Movement Ready to Shine
That strength comes in the face of a Duke squad that many expect to again be one of the nation’s best programs. Cooper Flagg and others have be gone from Durham, but Jon Scheyer brought in another elite crop of recruits and could have another ACC champion on his hands.
Cameron Boozer gets the initial attention, especially after his masterful showing in the preseason. The Blue Devils return significant pieces in Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster to helm the backcourt, while Cayden Boozer is another prominent freshman addition from that class. Big things will be expected from these new weapons, including freshman forward Nikolas Khamenia as well.
The season opens with Duke sitting #6 in the AP Top 25 and 7th in the initial KenPom rankings. The big story recently for the Blue Devils was that 20-20 effort from Cameron Boozer, who looks like he could be the next talented young big leading the charge for this program. A lot will depend on how these young pieces mesh together but Duke has the raw talent to win a ton of games this season and be an elite offense once again.
The initial question that may haunt Miller and his staff in the days leading up to their trip to Charlotte is how to stop Cameron Boozer. Traore is a solid addition to this lineup and has decent size, but is he going to limit Boozer’s touch and rebounding ability around the rim? That cannot be a lost cause if the Longhorns are going to pull out this upset win to open the season, and they’ll need reliable minutes from those other frontcourt weapons as well.
Prediction: Blue Devils Too Talented to Fall Early
From a raw talent perspective Duke looks like the clear favorite here, especially playing this game just down the road from Durham. While Mark and Pope were both solid shotmakers for the Longhorns last season, they’ll need them and other players in this rotation to really step up against a strong Duke team. This could become something of a showcase for Boozer and company if Texas can’t gain control early in this one.