THE GOOD NEWS
The 31-7 finish set a record for wins at Texas, which shared the Big 12 championship with Kansas before earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. This is just another sign of the stability Rick Barnes added to the program in his 10 seasons with the Longhorns. Although other programs make overtures to lure Barnes, he likes the resources at his disposal, which allow him to regularly lure prize recruits. The salary he commands is also nice. All but one Longhorn was an underclassmen and the lone senior averaged just 3.8 minutes.

THE BAD NEWS
Barnes must either develop his returning frontliners into more consistent performers or rely on recruiting help. In addition, his formidable guards played too many minutes. G D.J. Augustin was a wizard running the point, but could tire late in the games from both physical and mental strain. Although Augustin is an ace student, he must give the NBA a look with several analysts projected him as a first-round pick. If he leaves after his sophomore season, he'll be hard to replace.

KEY RETURNEES
Assuming Augustin returns to run the show, Texas should be favored to win the Big 12 with Kansas expected to lose much of its experience. G A.J. Abrams often lurked along the 3-point arc and benefited from kick-outs Augustin provided off dribble penetration. F Damion James is a stout rebounder and C Connor Atchley a solid shot blocker with a nice jumper. G Justin Mason rounds out the starting five and also returns.

ROSTER REPORT

--With 118 3-pointers, G A.J. Abrams moved into a tie for second on the Big 12 single-season chart. In four NCAA Tournament games he averaged 20.3 points on 28-for-59 shooting on 47.5 percent shooting.

--F Damion James broke the Texas record for rebounds in a season with 393. The mark was set last season by Wooden Award winner Kevin Durant (390). James was the second-leading rebounder in the Big 12 behind Kansas State's Michael Beasley.

--Counting the Big 12 Tournament, G D.J. Augustin posted 42 assists to 15 turnovers in seven postseason games. He finished with 731 points, fourth on the Texas single-season scoring list.

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