After two solid home wins against fellow middle-of-the-pack Big 12 teams Oklahoma State and Texas A&M, a young Texas Longhorns team will face their toughest road test of the season so far at No. 9 Missouri on Saturday.
The Tigers, who had been undefeated prior to losing to Kansas State last weekend, play an extremely aggressive, up-tempo style of basketball, which will be a real challenge for Texas' six freshman, who have never experienced a true road game against a top team in their college careers.
The key match-up will come at the point guard position, as sophomore Phil Pressey has been given the keys to the offense by new coach Frank Haith. Even though he averages only 9.2 points, he dominates the ball and gets open shots for Missouri's other four starters, averaging 5.8 assists a game.
For Texas, this game could be a coming of age for highly touted freshman PG Myck Kabongo, who has been erratic at times but has also displayed great length and athleticism at 6'1 as well as a good floor game. He'll need to use his size advantage on the 5'10 Pressey defensively while taking care of the basketball against a Missouri team that will pressure him 94 feet from the basket.
The Longhorns leading scorer J'Covan Brown struggled through a badly sprained ankle in their win over the Aggies, and the Tigers coterie of athletic guards, most notably senior Marcus Denmon, will undoubtedly try to test Brown's mobility and lateral quickness.
The 12:00 PM game will broadcast nationally on ESPN2.
For more on Texas basketball, head over to Burnt Orange Nation while Rock M Nation has in-depth coverage on Missouri athletics and all that it implies.