Texas has been dominant on the defensive end in helping coach Rick Barnes near a milestone. It might get a stiffer test against one of the highest-scoring teams in the nation.
The 19th-ranked Longhorns look to give Barnes his 300th win at the school Wednesday night when they host in-state opponent Lamar, which is averaging 96.0 points.
Texas (5-1) has held teams to an average of 61.8 points and 35.3 percent shooting - 29.5 from 3-point range - but its defense wasn't up to par in its last game.
The Longhorns allowed an opponent to shot over 40.0 percent for the second time this season Saturday and needed a layup with 37 seconds to play from freshman guard Cory Joseph to hold on for a 62-59 victory over Rice.
"This game was good for us," Barnes said. "It still got down to where were are going to have to make some stops."
Barnes improved to 299-116 at Texas, and he's already the all-time winningest coach in Longhorns history. Tom Penders ranks second with a mark of 208-110.
Joseph had 14 points and sophomore swingman Jordan Hamilton scored 13 on Saturday for the Longhorns, who made nine 3-pointers in the second half and hit a season-best 11 in 25 attempts.
"It was clear that they were going to let us shoot all of the 3s that we wanted to shoot," Barnes said. "Early in the game, they weren't even guarding Jordan on the perimeter."
Shooting from long range could be a factor against Lamar, which allowed its first five opponents to make 46.7 percent from beyond the arc before holding NAIA opponent St. Gregory's to 21.4 percent (3 for 14) in a 118-69 win Saturday.
Texas is shooting 33.3 percent from 3-point range, but Hamilton has made 17 of 36 attempts (47.2). He leads the Longhorns with 22.7 points per game and is second with an average of 7.2 rebounds.
Barnes improved to 102-15 against in-state foes during his time at Texas, and the Longhorns will look to improve that mark versus Lamar (4-2) while trying to extend their home winning streak over non-conference opponents to 23.
Barnes also is 37-1 versus intrastate non-conference rivals, with the lone loss coming at Houston on Nov. 17, 1998, in his Longhorns debut.
The Cardinals have lost all four meetings against Texas, falling 96-82 at home in the last matchup Dec. 27, 1995.
They had lost two in a row before beating Texas-Pan American 85-82 on Nov. 23 and the Cavaliers on Saturday.
Charlie Harper scored 17 points to lead seven players in double figures last weekend. The junior forward is contributing 13.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
"We did a lot of good things tonight," coach Steve Roccaforte told the school's official website. "Anytime you can win by 50 points (actually 49), you're going to do a lot of good things.
"Our defense still isn't nearly where it needs to be. We need to be tougher defensively. We need to rebound better defensively. We need to challenge the ball in the paint."
The Cardinals could have a tough time competing on the glass as Texas is among the leaders in the nation with 43.2 rebounds per game.
Lamar is 5-34 against Top 25 teams, with its last win coming by a 72-64 score over No. 12 Louisiana Tech on Jan. 26, 1985.
