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Part 3
Big 12 Roundup Nebraska ran its home winning streak to 20 games and ended Oklahoma's string of 20 straight victories Saturday in Lincoln. Nebraska continues to lead the Northern Division with a perfect record, but Oklahoma fell into a three-way tie with Texas and Texas A&M in the Big 12 South at 4-1. The most important game this week has Texas A&M playing at Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been hard for the Aggies to handle in Lubbock in recent years. SOUTHERN DIVISION STANDINGS Conference Season W L PF PA Pct. W L PF PA Pct. Oklahoma 4 1 133 87 .800 7 1 235 127 .875 Texas 4 1 166 61 .800 7 1 304 108 .875 Texas A&M 4 1 113 93 .800 7 1 203 140 .875 Texas Tech 2 3 170 155 .400 4 3 254 199 .571 Oklahoma State 0 4 76 135 .000 2 5 139 175 .286 Baylor 0 5 53 201 .000 2 5 93 217 .286 NORTHERN DIVISION STANDINGS Conference Season W L PF PA Pct. W L PF PA Pct. Nebraska 5 0 193 65 1 .000 9 0 331 99 1.000 Colorado 4 1 103 103 .800 6 2 217 156 .800 Iowa State 3 2 124 100 .600 5 2 200 128 .714 Missouri 2 3 112 163 .400 3 4 165 189 .429 Kansas State 1 4 126 129 .200 3 4 200 135 .429 Kansas 1 4 100 174 .200 2 5 141 225 .286 Last Week's Results Texas 35, Missouri 16 Nebraska 20, Oklahoma 10 Texas A&M 24, Iowa State 21 Texas Tech 63, Baylor 19 Kansas State 40, Kansas 6 Colorado 22, Oklahoma State 19 This Saturday's Games Texas at Baylor, 11:30 a.m. (Fox Syndication) Texas A&M at Texas Tech 1 p.m. Kansas State at Iowa State 1 p.m. Missouri at Colorado 2 p.m. Tulsa at Oklahoma 2 p.m. Nebraska at Kansas 6 p.m. 2001 Longhorn Schedule, Record (7-1) Texas Opp. Sept. 1 New Mexico State 41 7 Sept. 8 North Carolina 44 14 Sept 22 at Houston 53 26 Sept 29 Texas Tech 42 7 Oct. 6 Oklahoma (Dallas) 3 14 Oct. 13 at Oklahoma State 45 17 Oct. 20 Colorado 41 7 Oct. 27 at Missouri 35 16 Nov. 3 at Baylor Nov. 10 Kansas Nov. 23 at Texas A&M Scoring by Quarters Texas 59 108 70 87 - 304 Opponents 24 45 7 32 - 108 Buckman Picks Horns Brad Buckman, a 6-9, 235-pound power forward from Austin Westlake who was recruited by most of the nation's top programs, picked Texas Tuesday, saying he thinks the Horns are on the verge of joining the national elite in basketball. He chose Texas over North Carolina at the end, but also had considered Kentucky, UCLA, Missouri and others. He had said earlier that the lure of the ACC, where basketball reigns supreme, was very strong and almost pulled him to North Carolina. But he told me Tuesday, "I've always wanted to go to Texas. This is where my heart is." He also said his head turned Texas' way at the end because coach Rick Barnes has established a consistent winning program and has been wooing and winning big-time recruits "After looking at it closely," he said, "I think Texas basketball is really on the upswing. They've signed two McDonald's All Americans (freshman point guard T. J. Ford of Fort Bend Willowridge and sophomore forward Brian Boddicker of Duncanville) in the last two years." They could make it three in three years because Buckman's stock soared this summer when he starred in several top AAU tournaments. Brick Oettinger, publisher of Prep Stars Recruiter's Handbook, was asked who was the biggest surprise of the summer. Oettinger said, "In terms of from out of nowhere - not in anybody's top 100 to everybody's top 25 - it would be Brad Buckman. Big forward, very aggressive and a whole lot of skills - just about as many skills as . . . anybody in the class. I've got him No. 21 now and he wasn't in my top 100. Dave Telep, another national recruiting analyst, agreed Buckman is a national top 25 recruit. "The reality is that while there are 25 guys with larger names, there probably aren't 25 better players in the class," Telep said. "He is athletic, can handle it some, he blocks shots, he shoots to medium-range and he scores in the post." Clifton McNeely, the Westlake coach, also says his star's work ethic is off the chart. "He's a very gifted player with a lot of talent," McNeely said, "but the best thing about him is his strong heart and work ethic. I don't think you could find anyone who works harder than he does." McNeely also said he thinks Buckman "is the best player in Texas." There are some guards in the Dallas area who ranked higher nationally, including Bracy Wright of The Colony, who chose Indiana, Daniel Horton of Cedar Hill, who picked Michigan, and Bryan Hopkins of Dallas Lincoln, who committed to SMU. The Longhorns recruited all three of those star guards, but lost out on them at the end. Buckman averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 blocks for Westlake as a junior. And he's the kind of blue-collar inside player Barnes loves. McNeely said Buckman can play a power game inside and shoot from 3-point range. Asked to compare him to Luke Axtell and Chris Mihm, two other Westlake players he coached who played at UT, he said, "He has the physical presence of Mihm and is a lot stronger coming out of high school, and he has the range of Luke." He is the first recruit to commit to Texas for the early signing period next month. Barnes and his assistants are recruiting several other players, most of them in other states, and hope to sign a sharp shooting guard and a wing. Buckman's father, Brent, played on two national championship golf teams at UT. Basketball Team Has New Look The Longhorn basketball team will have a new look this season with the addition of heralded point guard T. J. Ford, who led Fort Bend Willowridge to back-to-back Class 5A state titles. When the season starts next month, Ford will be called upon to speed up the Horns' offense and also create more opportunities for the team's inside players with his lightning-quick passes. Coach Rick Barnes is hoping Ford's creativity in the half-court offense will improve the scoring punch of center James Thomas, who averaged 7 points and 6.5 rebounds a game last year. Ford also should be able to provide better shooting opportunities for senior forward Chris Owens, sophomore wings Brandon Mouton and Royal Ivey, and 6-9 forward Brian Boddicker. Barnes had to operate without a true point guard last year. Fredie Williams, Ivey and shooting guard Darren Kelly took turns at the point. Barnes and the Horns coped with it admirably, going 25-9 overall and 12-4 in the tough Big 12, but they shot only 41.2 percent from the field and had 88 more turnovers than assists. Ford should help raise the former and lower the latter. They also lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Temple, and Barnes hopes Ford will be a key to helping the team get farther into the playoffs this season. Replacing departed wing Maurice Evans and Kelley, who combined for 30.8 of UT's 70.5 per-game scoring average, creates scoring opportunities for other shooters. Now Barnes just needs some of them to seize that opportunity. He expects Mouton and Ivey to step up there. Sydmill Harris, a 6-6 freshman from The Netherlands, has been a consistent shooter in pre-season workouts. Owens was a star in the World University Games during the summer and is expected to be one of the top players in the Big 12, and a more dependable scoring threat. "Ever since last year, the Temple game, it started coming together," Owens said. "It clicked. I didn't do what I wanted to do and I knew I had the ability. Now I have the mental concentration." UT Women Looking Sharp Coach Jody Conradt's Longhorn women's basketball team is picked to finish in the middle of the Big 12 pack, but early practices and stiff competition at several positons indicate it might be a lot better than that. The Longhorns were looking good early last season before losing center-forward Annissa Hastings and guardTai Dillard to knee injuries. Hastings and Dillard are hale and hearty once again, but equally important is the fact that the Horns' heralded recruiting class is living up to its hype. Stacy Stephens, a 6-1 sophomore, returns as the starting center, and 6-2 senior Tracy Cook and the 6-1 Hastings can back her up and also play power forward. Jody Bell, a 6-2 freshman from Canada, and 6-1 freshman Mercedes Williams also are looking good at power forward. Two freshmen - 6-3 Heather Schreiber, the high school player of the year in Texas last year, and 6-2 Kala Bowers, last year's high school player of the year in Oklahoma - are battling for the small forward job (it shows you are on the right track when you can call 6-3 and 6-2 women small forwards). Hastings is so versatile that she probably will see action at all three inside positions. Kenya Larkin returns as the point guard and other guards who will see a lot of action include sophomore Kaira White, who has been looking great in practice, plus Dillard and freshman CoCo Reed. Alisha Sare and Asha Hill are other guards who could figure into the rotation. RECRUITING NOTES: LaToya Davis, 6-2, of Houston South Houston, picked Texas Tech over Texas last week. Nichelle Roberts, a 6-1 center-forward who teamED with Mercedes Williams to lead Spring Westfield deep into the state playoffs last year, is the only remaining uncommitted blue chipper and the Longhorns have a great chance to sign her. No. 10 Horns Win Soccer Title The No. 10 Texas women's soccer team clinched its first Big 12 Conference title Sunday with a 3-1 victory over Oklahoma. The Longhorns are 11-3 overall and 9-0 in the Big 12 and have one regular season match remaining against Texas A&M. Coach Chris Petrucelli, in his third year at the helm, said, "This is a huge step for us. It's going to help us in recruiting. It's going to help us in marketing. And it's going to help our confidence." Freshman forward Kelly Wilson scored Texas' third goal Sunday, giving her 11 for the season and tying her with Carol Finch for the season record. Finch set the record in 1996. Lerrin Biggers scored Texas' first goal and Kylee Wosnuk got the second one. Next Issue November 5 The next issue will be e-mailed on November 5, and will cover the Baylor game and preview the last home game of the season against Kansas I'll also have a lot of recruiting news, including my updated list of the top prospects. I'll also have reports on other Longhorn sports teams. Subscription Form I want to subscribe. I am enclosing $45 for the next year, which will include 26 issues. A two-year subscription is $85. For a one-year subscription via E-Mail, send $35. Name Street Address or Box Number or E-Mail Address City, State and Zip Code Remit to True Orange, P O Box 26530, Austin, TX 78755 Foreign Rates Available on Request. Phone 512-795-8536 E-Mail Address: truorange@aol.com Gift Subscription Form I want to give a gift subscription to True Orange. I am enclosing $45. Please send an appropriate gift card. For a gift subscription via E-Mail, send $35. 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