Hoops Preview: Texas vs. Florida A&M

The Texas Longhorns (4-2) will face the Florida A&M Rattlers (1-7) in the first-ever meeting between the two teams on Wednesday night at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. The Longhorns are looking to find the win column again after going 1-2 at the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, Oregon.  Texas defeated Butler in the opening round but fell to top-ranked Duke and a Top-15 ranked Gonzaga team, both in overtime on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Florida A&M’s lone win on the season came against Division II school Albany State on November 20th.  Senior guard Marcus Barham leads the Rattlers in scoring, averaging 16 points per game, while senior forward Desmond Williams averages 13 points per game and 5 rebounds. The Rattlers lost on Sunday to Stephen F. Austin State University 79-63, with Barham scoring 26 points, which included five-3 pointers and six rebounds. Williams contributed 14 points in the loss to the Lumberjacks.

Freshman Mo Bamba is off to a fast start in his early career at Texas, averaging 10.4 points and 10 rebounds per game. Tulane transfer Dylan Osetkowski has made an immediate impact in the scoring and rebound department for Shaka Smart, averaging 12.7 points and 8 rebounds per game.  Sophmore Andrew Jones leads Texas in scoring with 14.8 points per game.

Texas will celebrate 40 years of the Frank Erwin Center at Wednesday’s game.  The Longhorns opened the building on November 29, 1977 with an 83-76 win against Oklahoma.

Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 pm CST.