Line: Texas -34.5, O/U 129.5

Tonight, Texas tips against Incarnate Word at the FEC. Incarnate Word, another team with a less-than-stellar record (2-10) marks an additional lower-profile game in which Texas will have to stay focused early on so they don't climb into the hole they did against Alabama State (16-4 in the early going). This is another game that may not get people into the seats, but luckily for fans (and media), conference play starts January 1st against West Virginia.

The Cardinals (ranked 352nd in KenPom) have greatly struggled this season, playing a tough schedule and getting blown out in every game against a top-25 team (Baylor, Texas Tech, Purdue). They also took major Ls against other teams like D-II Concordia and had couple of 30-plus-point losses to Abilene Christian and Rice.

I said this on my podcast with Ari recently, but I've been calling this Longhorns team the "Slow-Time Lakers" because of the snail's pace at which they play (347th in the nation out of 358 teams). If you're a Houston rap fan, you'll get this reference: this team plays a chopped-and-screwed offense. To the point Dustin McComas made on my postgame thread a few days ago, it's so slow that the team can't get into any kind of flow offensively. Nothing comes easy on this end of the floor.

The Cardinals are ranked 280th in PPG at 67.4 and 346th in allowed PPG at 79.8. If Texas can't get it going offensively against this team, there are going to be issues. UIW is 221st in pace themselves, so the game will probably be slow and methodical, as you will be used to as a Texas fan.

Here is UIW's starting lineup.

Here's Texas' projected starting lineup. (Note: not sure who they're gonna run out there to start the game, as it changes weekly. So here's just a guess).

What I'm looking for in this game:

• More minutes for Dylan Disu.

Dylan Disu has been the best player on the floor for Texas in limited minutes, much of which is his confidence offensively. He's a great defender and rebounder as well, but he has no fear going up for shots, part of why he's scored well in fewer minutes than other players on the team. Ideally, he'll be a fully in the rotation by conference play, and in my opinion, should start as part of a three-forward starting lineup, along with Mitchell and Allen.

• Something from Devin Askew.

Askew started the last two games, and in the win versus Alabama State, he, in 14 minutes, had 0 points, 0 assists, and one rebound. He passed up wide-open shots a few different times, including a three so open he could've taken two dribbles before popping it. Instead, he drove the lane, gave up an opportunity for a floater, and sent it off to the perimeter where some one was guarded. If he won't even shoot the ball, I'm not sure how he's playable.

• A three-forward lineup.

The three best players on this team are all in the front court - Tre Mitchell, Timmy Allen, and Dylan Disu. With the slow pace they play anyway, I think it makes absolute sense to have these three on the floor at the same time, especially with the struggles in the back court, which I have addressed several times already. I think these three would be an excellent frontline defensively and on the glass as well. If size is an issue, having two 6'9 guys (and a 6'6 guy who plays like he's 6'9) on the floor may help that.

• More assisted baskets.

The Longhorns average just 14 assists per game, which is 138th in the nation. There is a lot of scoring done by players, especially in the front court, that are one-man offensive actions. I'd like to see more pick 'n' pops with Mitchell and Disu (as they're both solid shooters from deep). Part of the reason they're not hitting threes is that they're not getting great looks (though sometimes they are and still missing). I'd like to see more activity trying to get guys open from deep. Which leads me to my next point...

• Better shooting from beyond the arc.

Texas is ranked 241st in the nation in three-pointers made per game at 6.7. I get that the pace impacts this stat, but they're still only shooting 34.4% from three, which is 150th in the nation. I say this on literally every single postgame and pre-game thread, but there has to be some improvement here if they want to compete in the Big 12. The disjointedness of the offense can be overlooked if guys start hitting from deep. Until that happens, this offense will continue to look broken.

Additional notes:

• Ramey has played a total of 19 minutes the last two games. It will be interesting to see how he's used tonight.

• If you didn't know, Jaylon Tyson entered the transfer portal yesterday. Unfortunate, as he seems like a player that would have gotten a lot of minutes next year.