Jordan Hamilton was sitting on the bench when the final whistle blew Wednesday night but hardly left the floor in the Longhorns’ 89-58 win over Louisiana Tech.
Missed free throws, numerous turnovers, errant 3-pointers instead of working the ball inside — the first 20 minutes of Texas’ opener against Navy on Monday looked like a repeat of last year’s self-destructing team near the end of the season.
The light turned on for Texas early in the second half as they quit settling for three-point attempts and began attacking the Midshipmen zone defense at will.
While Texas’ 2009 season was one marred by inconsistency and extreme highs and lows, one thing remained constant — Rick Barnes sent three more Longhorns to the NBA.
What a difference a year makes. At this point in 2009, Texas was No. 3 in the nation thanks to the returning talent of two All-Big 12 performers and the addition of one of the highest-rated recruiting classes in the country.
