GAME NOTES: After winning their first 11 games of the season, the 14th-ranked Texas Longhorns will attempt to snap a two-game skid, as they play host to the TCU Horned Frogs in non-conference action at the Erwin Center. Rick Barnes' team has quickly descended the top-25 rankings thanks to losses to Big Ten foes Michigan State (78-72) and Wisconsin (67-66) to close out the 2007 calendar year. Following this contest, the Longhorns will finish up their non- league slate against Saint Mary's-CA on Saturday, before diving into Big 12 play. The Horned Frogs are four games over .500 at 8-4, but had a four-game win streak snapped with last weekend's 70-65 setback to Rice. TCU will begin Mountain West Conference play this weekend, when it stays on the road to battle San Diego State. These two former Southwest Conference rivals have quite a history, with this being the 161st all-time meeting. UT holds a 98-62 advantage all-time, but the Longhorns and Horned Frogs haven't met since the 1995-96 season.

The Horned Frogs fell by five points to the Owls last weekend, but in truth the loss could have been a lot worse. TCU got absolutely manhandled on the glass, getting outrebounded by a 48-20 margin. After jumping out to a 15-point lead at the break, TCU collapsed in the second half, shooting a mere .364 from the field (8-of-22), compared to .485 shooting for Rice (16-of-33). Guard Henry Salter led the way with 11 points in the loss, while fellow guards Brent Hackett and Neiman Owens chipped in 10 points apiece. The Horned Frogs are shooting a rather pedestrian .425 from the floor this year, but surprisingly averaging a solid 77.0 ppg. Salter leads the team in both scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.1 rpg) and is converting nearly half of his three-point attempts (30-of-61). Kevin Langford and Hackett have made offensive contributions as well, with 14.3 and 11.4 ppg, respectively.

With the loss to the Badgers, Texas dropped consecutive non-conference games for the first time since 2005. The usually explosive Longhorns shot just .444 from the floor against Wisconsin, allowing the Badgers to stay close before hitting a three-pointer in the waning moments of the game to steal one in Austin. The loss spoiled a dominating performance by Damion James, who recorded a double-double with 21 points and 15 rebounds. The backcourt tandem of A.J. Abrams and D.J. Augustin added 17 and 16 points, respectively, but the remainder of the roster could muster a mere 12 points in the loss. The Longhorns' lack of offense was a bit surprising considering the team is one of the top offensive units in the nation, shooting .493 from the floor, resulting in 81.5 ppg. Augustin and Abrams represent one of the best backcourts in the country. Both are able to light up a scoreboard, with Augustin averaging 19.8 ppg, followed by Abrams' 18.8 ppg. Augustin is also the team's primary distributor, doling out 6.5 apg. James is the team's frontcourt leader, averaging a double-double with 12.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Big man Conner Atchley gives the team further offensive depth with 12.0 ppg.

TCU has yet to win a road game this season, so expecting the Horned Frogs to record a victory in Austin may not be realistic. Barnes will get his team refocused after two straight losses and the Longhorns should be sharp in this one.