Tuesday, 8 p.m., Frank Erwin Center, ESPN2, 104.9 FM
No Ridley for a while
The Longhorns will have to find a way to win without senior center Cameron Ridley, who’s out indefinitely with a fractured left foot. Ridley broke a bone in his foot in practice Sunday and will have surgery on Tuesday. The hole left by him won’t be easy for Texas to fix. Ridley averaged 12.7 points, 10 rebounds and 3.4 blocks in 11 games this season. The Longhorns will likely turn to senior Prince Ibeh and junior Shaquille Cleare to fill the void. The two have combined for just 3.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Isaiah Taylor taking over
After an up-and-down start to the season, junior guard Isaiah Taylor has taken over for the Longhorns’ offense in the last three games. In the win over North Carolina, he scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and dished out five assists in 26 minutes of action. He followed that up with 12 points and seven assists against Appalachian State. At Stanford, he posted one of his best games of the season 30 minutes from his hometown, scoring 26 points, including the game-winning bucket with 1.1 seconds remaining. Taylor is averaging 14.7 points and 5.1 assists per game on the season.
Resume booster for the winner
Both the Longhorns and Huskies come into this meeting with identical 8-3 records and both already have signature wins for this season. Texas knocked off then-No. 3 North Carolina, while UConn beat Michigan and Ohio State. But a win for either team Tuesday night could do wonders for both teams’ NCAA tournament resume, especially with the brutality of conference play approaching. CBSSports.com currently has the Longhorns as a seven seed in their latest projections, while the Huskies are projected to be one of the first four teams out.
Home sweet home for Texas
The Longhorns have had a rocky start out of the gates, but one thing they can rely on is playing at home. Texas has yet to lose inside the Frank Erwin Center, with or without a strong crowd cheering the team on. The Longhorns have outscored their opponents by 18 points in Austin and shot 4 percent higher on their home floor. UConn, on the other hand, has lost three of four games outside of Connecticut this season.
