Horns Squeak By Mountaineers Despite Themselves

Sophomore sensation LaMarcus Aldridge made plays at both ends of the court in the final seconds to help propel the second-ranked Horns past #13 West Virginia 76-75 to advance to tonight’s final of the Guardians Classic.

The much-heralded Texas backcourt looked like a group playing in only its third game of the year. All-American candidate Daniel Gibson turned the ball over 9 times, and the Longhorns turned it over 24 times as a team. Fortunately, the bigs took care of business on the inside, out-rebounding West Virginia 41-22. Aldridge made a layup with 3.6 seconds left to give the Horns a one-point lead. But the Mountaineers took the ball the length of the court and had what looked like an open layup to win the game, but the rangy Aldridge stepped into the paint to block Mike Gansey’s potential winning shot. Gansey, who scored 28 in the contest, admitted Aldridge may have gotten a piece of his body on the shot but tipped his cap to the Horns big man. “I don't know if I got bumped," Gansey said. "I was open. I don't know how he got on me. Texas deserves credit. They're so long and athletic."

With P.J. Tucker and Aldridge back anchoring the team and the speedy Gibson running the show, the Horns will definitely get tighter as the year rolls along and are heavy favorites to take the Big XII title. And while they have several games in the upcoming weeks, there is no doubt fans are already licking their chops for the best game on the college schedule in ’05, when the Horns play #1 Duke on December 10.

The Horns will meet #18 Iowa tonight for the championship of the Guardians.