As the No. 7 Longhorns prepare for another NCAA tournament run, they find themselves in a drastically different position from last season.

    Kevin Durant owned the Forty Acres in 2007 and, while he put fans in the seats, the team failed to effectively gel around its super-stardom bound forward.

    The result showed with a disappointing second round exit at the hands of USC.

    This year, the second-seeded Longhorns can be truly considered a complete team.

    Everyone has heard about D.J. Augustin. The sophomore point guard played a perfect second fiddle to Durant last year, but has emerged as arguably the top point guard in the country and succeeded his former partner as the figurehead for Texas basketball.

    Augustin averages almost 20 points per game to go with 5.7 assists per game. He also sports a 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

    A.J. Abrams and Damion James have also made themselves known--Abrams for his dead-eye 3-point shooting (99 3's on the year) and James for his scrappy play and ability to take over a game.

    But the unsung hero for Texas has been junior forward Connor Atchley. Rising from obscurity, the Clear Lake grad has finally earned his scholarship coach Rick Barnes awarded him after initially wanting him to walk on.

    And fans' attitudes about the forward have changed too. A look at Facebook groups with the name "Connor Atchley" in the titles and you'll find some dating back to last year with less than flattering comments. Now the former "consistent liability" is being hailed as the "Vince Young of Longhorn basketball." Quite the jump.

    He's stepped up with timely 3-pointers and put-backs and has a knack for blocking shots (a team-high two a game). Who would've thought.

    Outside of their solid starting five that also includes Justin Mason, Texas' depth could be cause for concern. Freshmen Gary Johnson and Alexis Wangmene have shown flashes but that's about as deep as the squad goes.

    Their shallow bench probably won't be a factor against Austin Peay in the opening round. With a name that most casual fans would guess is a high school not far from the UT campus, the Governors (hailing from Tennessee, dontcha know?) are making their sixth tournament appearance and are hoping to put up a good fight.

    Forward Drake Reed leads the team with 14.6 ppg and will do his best Fly Williams impersonation. The hot-dogging Williams led the Govs to back-to-back tournament appearances in the 1970s and their first ever NCAA win.

    Beyond that, Texas will face Miami (FL) or St. Mary's in the second round. If the Longhorns can make it out of Little Rock alive, they should receive a boost with the rest of the tournament playing out in Houston and San Antonio.

    But first, they'll need to take care of business against the Governors.

    One things for sure, it won't be a one man show this time around. 

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