Do you also notice that the few times AJ did penetrate he seemed intent on shooting a layup regardless of how bad a shot it actually was once he got close. He doesn’t ever look to pass or kick the ball back out once he penetrates. He is so predictable with the ball right now, mainly because he doesn’t pass the ball unless he has lost his dribble.

That said, there are some good pieces to this team. They looked better than I expected considering they lost another Top 10 Draft Pick.

We did not get the ball inside as much in the second half that is why we lost. Its obvious our strength is inside with Johnson and Pittman and even Wingman. We need to play the game from the inside out.

I would have liked to see more of Ward and Balbay. From the few minutes they played, each seemed to show some great flashes, although some rookie errors also. I do think the biggest problem right now is that AJ and Damion are trying to do too much – each are trying to fill DJ’s shoes, and it’s taking them out of their elements. I really do think the pieces are there, and that both those two and the team as a whole will soon develop an identify and be a very good team. I think one key is Rick putting some faith in the younger guards to step up as PG.

Seems blatantly obvious that they miss Augustin. First, he provided a second credible threat from the perimeter along with Abrams, but second, and most important, there’s just no one to run the show. Abrams had the ball way too many times without an eye for distribution, and ND really didn’t respect Mason. I don’t expect that to change as the season goes on.

Another point to worry about is the fact that Damion James just doesn’t seem like he has that “take over a game” ability that Durant and Augustin had. I hope I’m wrong. It also hurt that Harangody was the best player on the floor, a luxury Texas about 98% of the time the past two years.

In any case, despite not being able to get another test in North Carolina, Texas played a hard-fought game. It’ll surely help come tourney time, and lest we forget, Texas won all these types of games at the beginning of last season and still fell in the elite 8. I’ll trade a loss now for a final four appearance. Let’s make it happen, Rick—the talent is there.

mason did get the #1 play of the day on the sportscenter top 10…

milevin is spot on regarding leadership. By all rights, AJ should be the team leader, but he has proven to be too self-centered. A point guard is expected to look for a way to get shots for teammates before himself. For all Mason’s energy, he still does not seem to integrated into the flow. Instead, he tends to run against it to come up with surprising plays. Again not someone the team can look to for leadership. It could be that what we are seeing with James is an attempt to assert himself, to establish that he is the team’s breadwinner. If he could come through with the big numbers on offense then I think the team would congeal around him. Balbay looks to have everything it takes except the starting minutes. I think if Barnes put him in charge, he could run the team — but where does that leave AJ and Mason? Pittman, Chapman, Wangmene may all have their day, but that day is a long way off. So that leaves Johnson and Atchley. Like Balbay, Johnson first needs to play himself into the starting lineup, which means displacing PIttman and letting Atchley swing to the post. But clearly Barnes wants Pittman in there. So it comes down to Connor Atchley, the senior, the hard worker, the top pro prospect (if you can believe that). This team needs a captain and looks to me like Atchley is that man.

Whew, with that off my mind, let me note that Notre Dame played a heckofa game — they avoided fouling and turnovers while still playing tight defense. And last night, anyway, their 3s were dropping. As I said before, this looks to be the top of their game, as befits a lineup of junior and seniors. Sadly, our juniors and seniors did not quite measure up. But these are still early days. I don’t think Barnes has seen enough to set a regular rotation, so he is trying lots of combinations. And this contributes to the lack of coordination we have been seeing. That and the lack of leadership.

it seems Barnes never starts coaching until the last minute of the game and then he turns into a genius….

This loss sits on James’ shoulders for not attacking the basket. And probably Rick’s also for playing AJ at point for more than 30 seconds – he needs to be our shooting guard. Notre Dame deserves a lot of credit for making their shots. The three ball was the difference in the game.

AJ is going to have games like this (as pathetic as it was), but we still could have one this game.

Mason is a man, and he’s 20.

Hook ’em

Is #1 a shooter, and #2 the leader of this team now. I’ve come to the conclusion that alot of BONers are very intelligent college students, but its also apparent that alot of BONers are not former/current athletes. Abrams is a shooter….a good one. When ur a shooter, u have a short memory similar to quarterbacks. Think about this….Rick Barnes is his coach and Rick Barnes is not a fool. Dont you think that he has given Abrams the green light??? If Abrams had the green light as a sophomore, wouldnt u think Barnes would have absolutely no leash on him as a senior? The kid is money, he’s our best shooter, our leading scorer, our leader on the court, and for the last three years he has had the quickest release in college basketball. Speak not on blaming AJ for the loss, the most important thing for him to do is to be on the court. Think about it like a coach for a minute….other teams fear his shot making ability and will continue to fear it regardless of what his percentages happen to be. This loss sits largely on James settling for long jumpers against a team that he was more athletic than, but we lost this game because we didnt play a lick of DEFENSE, not because Abrams showed up and did what he’s been doing for three years….POINT BLANK.

While I would have loved to have watched a Texas/UNC matchup, we need to remind ourselves that it is EXTREMELY early in the season. Winning the Maui invitational would have been nice, but it is not a primary goal.

These are the types of games that will help us in conference play and during the tournament. Losing early is forgivable.