TEXAS LONGHORNS

1. Never Gonna Give You Up. Strangely, after last year's second-round loss to USC (which is almost fitting, really), the people least confused by the Texas Longhorns' early exit were their own fans. The prevailing opinion was one of satisfaction that was unexpected six months prior. Who can blame them? The 'Horns started four freshmen and a sophomore and carried virtually no depth on their bench. It's certainly no secret that a Texas hoops fan's expectations aren't Duke- or Kansas-sized, but maybe they had a notion that this was all part of Rick Barnes's long-term plan. To that end, Kevin Durant and Craig Winder were the only two departures from last year's squad. If you're not up to speed on the starting five: D.J. Augustin is among the best players, let alone point guards, in the nation, A.J. Abrams has evolved into an effective pick-and-pop shooter, Justin Mason plays defense as well as anybody, Damion James is a double-double magnet, and Connor Atchley can score from anywhere and is the Big XII's best shot blocker. Off the bench: Gary Johnson provides the skill down low which the Longhorns have lacked since Lamarcus Aldridge split for The Association.

2. Never Gonna Let You Down. After losing one of the best players in college basketball history, the fans assuredly would've forgiven Barnes for a Dance-less season. The play on the court, however, has rendered that a moot point. The Longhorns "share" this year's regular season Big XII title with Kansas (although we'll happily remind everyone that UT beat KU in Austin this year) and will have the #1 seed in the Big XII tournament. Additionally, this year's team has set a school record for regular season wins at 26, breaking the 2005-2006 squad's mark. The Pomeroy ratings have the 'Horns 3rd in offensive efficiency, 35th in defensive efficiency, and 9th overall — each one is an improvement from last year — and, if that weren't enough, it's all been done playing against the 9th most difficult schedule in the country. The 'Horns boast quickness and deadly outside shooting which helps them beat the UCLAs and Kansases and Tennessees but the flip-side is the lack of depth and undersized guards. Four of the five starters average over 30 minutes per game; all the three guards average over 32. When Mason, Abrams, and Atchley pick up two early fouls, teams like Wisconsin and Missouri and Texas Tech have been able to take advantage.

3. Never Gonna Run Around and Desert You. Years like these — teams like these — make Longhorn fans think back to the dubious era of Tom Penders and his Runnin' Horns. Although his success will always be overshadowed, even tainted, by the Luke Axtell debacle, he is credited as the man who renewed interest in Texas hoops — a tall order for a school with a football addiction and a baseball dependence. Barnes, however, has done something that Penders never did: he's made the fans think and believe that the Real-Actual-Accept-No-Substitutes National Championship, something that has eluded UT for its entire history, is just around the corner. — Patrick Nance

AUSTIN PEAY GOVERNORS

1. Name to know. Drake Reed: Austin Peay's best player is an Academic All-American and was the Ohio Valley Conference player of the year as a sophomore in 2007. Averaging about 15-5 for the second year in a row, Reed has a good chance to go pro. And by that I mean "play basketball in Turkey."

2. The governors that don't pay ho's*. Austin Peay's team is named the "governors," honoring the former Tennessee chief executive that hailed from the same town where the school was founded. They are the only D-I basketball team with that nickname. Before 1937, Austin Peay was nicknamed the "normalities."I looked up that word online, and I still don't know what it means.

3. Favorite team of six-year olds everywhere. Schools have designated cheers unique to their institution. Kansas sings "Rock Chalk Jayhawk." Duke chants the number of opposing player's cell phones. The Governors have "Let's go Peay." Peay. As in "urinate." C'mon, that's funny. Bonus Video: Not sure why I'm including this, but Dick Vitale hasn't changed a bit.

*Might not actually be true. — Slick Bomb

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2. The governors that don't pay ho's*. Austin Peay's team is named the "governors," honoring the former Tennessee chief executive that hailed from the same town where the school was founded. They are the only D-I basketball team with that nickname. Before 1937, Austin Peay was nicknamed the "normalities."I looked up that word online, and I still don't know what it means.

3. Favorite team of six-year olds everywhere. Schools have designated cheers unique to their institution. Kansas sings "Rock Chalk Jayhawk." Duke chants the number of opposing player's cell phones. The Governors have "Let's go Peay." Peay. As in "urinate." C'mon, that's funny. Bonus Video: Not sure why I'm including this, but Dick Vitale hasn't changed a bit.

*Might not actually be true. — Slick Bomb

You may know of Austin Peay State University, the small public school located in Clarksville, Tennessee. You may have even heard the chant their student body of just over 6,000 uses to intimidate opposing players - "Let's Go Peay!" - it's draining. (Ed. Note: Trust us, Illini fans definitely know Austin Peay.)

Sure, it's clever, if a bit sophomoric, you might say. But what makes it the best ever? That would be the 1973 version of the chant, modified in honor of NYC import James "Fly" Williams. The flavorfully nutty Williams put in 26 points in each of the school's two tourney games that year, egged on by the refrain "Fly is open! Fly is open! Let's Go Peay!!!"

Now, I can find multiple cell-phone videos of Virginia Tech's banned "Stick It In" chant, but not one "Let's Go Peay". The Governors will be on the road for a couple more games, but next time they're home, I challenge some enterprising APSU fan to record and upload the now-moderately-famous chant.

Don't slow the flow.

Two Musketeers. Dayton 43 - Xavier 69. With the Flyers suffering from key injuries, the Musketeers were free to double-team Dayton ace Brian Roberts, who ended the game with a season-low five points. Xavier's Scott Burrell was the hero of the night, leading all scorers with 13 points, and serving as the primary defender on Roberts.

Desert Topping. #6 Washington State 64 - Arizona 76. Arizona's 12-21 from behind the arc put the razzle-dazzle in this win, but Jordan Hill's dominance on the defensive interior (seven defensive boards and six blocks) provided the kind of dirty work that must be done to get a win in the Pac-10.

So, Why Do Ducks Always Dress Like Sailors? UCLA 80 - Oregon 75. This was one of those games that had to be maddening for Ernie Kent. Oregon actually led for much of the second half, but with roughly three minutes remaining, it was as if the Bruins looked down at their jerseys and said "Fuck this shit, we're UCLA !", and started making the extra pass, filching the rock, and making free throws. Apparently, Oregon's shirts told them to take bad shots early in the shot clock, which really didn't help.

Mid-Major Spotlight. St. Francis (PA) 92 - St. Francis (NY) 84. It took three overtimes to settle this one. When it comes to the Patron Saints of the NEC, they do battle only for the championship of each other. These humble and charitable souls hold down the southern portion of the Northeastern Conference, with the New York version at 5-15 (2-7) and the Pennsylvania version at 4-15 (2-6). Since it's not appropriate to suggest that these two schools hate each other, per se, we'll say that their indifference overfloweth. Rematch on... oh, crap - St. Valentine's Day.

Games of the Weekend

Saturday

Gonzaga at #1 Memphis - Hand it to the Zags, they'll play anybody, anywhere
#9 Georgetown at West Virginia - Huggy Bear doesn't lose many in Morgantown.
#15 Ole Miss at Mississippi State - Ole Miss is legit, but MSU's Varnado will return lazy shots with extreme prejudice.
USC at Oregon - Oh, O.J. Didn't you learn anything from Reggie Bush? Don't get nabbed for NBA tickets - Trojan boosters have so much more to give.

Sunday

#3 Duke at Maryland - Terps showed signs of life by beating UNC, can they keep it up?
#13 Vanderbilt at Florida - Gators-Noah=still good/not as annoying.
#25 Clemson at Miami (FL) - NIT preview special.

Eric Angevine writes about college hoops at Storming the Floor, and is a regular contributor to Chicago Sports Weekly. He can be reached at stormingthefloor@gmail.com.