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The second year of the Shaka Smart tenure at Texas begins in earnest on Friday when the 21st-ranked Longhorns open their regular season as they host the University of the Incarnate Word at the Erwin Center in Austin.Its half the planet away from where Texas began the 2015-16 campaign, when it played its opener in Shanghai against Washington. Its also a whole different world from where the Longhorns were as a team at this time last year.Texas carries a roster that has just two seniors that logged significant playing time after sending an upperclassmen-heavy squad to the court last season. The Longhorns finished a 20-13 campaign that ended in a loss to Northern Iowa in the Round of 64 of the NCAA tournament.Texas doesnt return a player that averaged in double-figure scoring last year. Two sophomore guards, Eric Davis, Jr. (7.4 points per game) and Kerwin Roach (7.5 ppg) are the Longhorns top returning scorers; Davis will start Friday while Roach (and fellow sophomore guard/forward Tevin Mack) will miss the game because of a suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules during the offseason.Fridays contest marks the collegiate regular-season debut for a talented freshman quartet -- forward Jarrett Allen, center James Banks and guards Andrew Jones and James Young -- that was ranked as a Top 5 national recruiting class.Those four players combined to register 62 of the teams 95 points and 29 of the teams 50 rebounds in a combined 113 minutes during the Longhorns exhibition win against Angelo State last week. All four freshmen reached double digits in scoring (Young 21, Jones 17, Allen 14, Banks 10).As talented as Texas is expected to be in the seasons early going, it will be only better as the season progresses, Smart said.Its not really a basketball Xs and Os thing as much as these guys figuring out how much as a team they need each other, Smart said. Especially these freshman guys who were the center of everything in their high school world and the sophomores who are now in a different role.Incarnate Word was 17-12 last season, finishing third in the Southland Conference. But the Cardinals cant be taken lightly after they upset St. Johns last season.Incarnate Word coach Ken Burmeister has posted 10 consecutive winning seasons with the Cardinals, including two conference titles, a pair of appearances in the NCAA Division II South Central Region Tournament.He has led Incarnate Word through a smooth transition into NCAA Division I play as the team has won 56 games over its first three years in the Southland Conference. That includes an 18-11 mark in 2014-15 when the Cardinals played a full Division I schedule for the first time.Were playing our share of big schools as we try to build this program, and there are times when we come away from the game excited about our potential and others when we are just ready to move on, Burmeister said. Were ready to play a game because thats when well learn the most about ourselves. We just appreciate being able to play someone like Texas.The Cardinals finished the 2015-16 season averaging 74.0 points per game, while shooting 43.5 percent from the field. Over the previous two seasons, Incarnate Word ranked in the top 10 nationally in scoring.Sophomore forward Simi Socks and junior guard Shawn Johnson return to lead the backcourt, while junior college transfer forward Devin Wyatt and freshman guard Christian Peevy headline a strong class of incoming players.Johnson is the Cardinals most athletic player and will take on an added scoring role while rebounding and defending the oppositions best player. He was first on the team in blocks and third in steals, while shooting 40.0 percent from 3-point range last year.Burmeister said his team is a fighting through some preseason injuries, most notably a back ailment for junior transfer center Myles Banks.The Longhorns have won 13 of their last 14 season openers and have posted an overall mark of 90-20 (.818) in their previous 110 season-opening games. Texas has won 14 straight home openers and is 34-5 in home openers since the Erwin Center opened prior to the 1977-78 season.Fridays contest is the first meeting between the Longhorns and Incarnate Word in mens basketball. Renell Wren Bengals Jersey . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Joe Mixon Womens Jersey . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. http://www.bengalsrookiestore.com/Bengals-Germaine-Pratt-Jersey/ . The veteran safety was a starter for the Bengals from 2008-2012. He totaled 41 tackles and three interceptions while starting all but four of the 13 games he played last season. Jonah Williams Bengals Jersey . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Drew Sample Youth Jersey . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. PITTSBURGH -- Neil Walker eyed Johnny Cuetos fastball and turned on it. Before the Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman could get the bat out of his hands, the ball was nestled into the glove of Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto. In one motion Walker flipped his bat in faux disgust then turned back toward the dugout. "You hit a ball hard and sometimes you see that its the guys night and it seemed like it was one of those," Walker said. It always seems that way when Cueto faces the Pirates. The Cincinnati ace allowed one hit over eight dominant innings as the Reds pounded Pittsburgh in a 6-0 win on Friday night. Cueto (3-0) struck out six, walked one and allowed just three balls out of the infield. Pittsburghs Brandon Inge provided the lone Pirates hit with a single to left with one out in the fifth. "He looked really good tonight, though, like the Johnny Cueto of old," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "He had great stuff, great stamina and he really pitched a heck of a ballgame." Cueto improved to 13-4 all-time against the Pirates while shaving his career ERA against Pittsburgh to 2.33. Not bad for a player who missed more than a month with a back injury. There appeared to be no such issues in his third start since being taking off the disabled list on May 19. Mixing an effective changeup with a fastball that still topped out at 94 mph in the eighth, Cueto kept Pittsburgh off balance all night. "I feel good," Cueto said. "I make the adjustment that I had to make and I feel good so far. It feels good to come back here and pitch well." Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips hit solo home runs off Pittsburghs Wandy Rodriguez (6-3) before piling on late against reliever Mike Zagurski in a rare hiccup by baseballs best bullpen through the first third of the season. Bruce has struggled against Rodriguez throughout his career entering the night just 2 for 32 (.063) against the veteran lefthander. Those numbers inched up when he took a 2-0 fastball and sent it into the first row of seats in right centre for his eighth homer of the year. "You know its there but Im a better hitter than I have shown against him in the past," Bruce said. "Its nice to get one off him and now I have to keep on going when I face him." Phillips followed suit in the sixth, lining a shot that scraped the top of the leftfield wall just over the glove of Pittsburghs Starling Marte.dddddddddddd Wandy Rodriguez (6-3) kept Cincinnati in check otherwise on a night he struggled with his command at times. The left-hander surrendered five hits and walked three with five strikeouts in seven innings. While Cuetos had his way with Pittsburgh in his 20 career starts, the Pirates have made inroads recently. They spoiled his chance at winning his 20th game in his final start last season and he left a 3-1 loss to the Pirates on April 13 with a strained back that sidelined him for five weeks. He returned with five effective innings in a 4-3 victory over the New York Mets on May 20 then backed it up an even stronger performance six days later against the Chicago Cubs. He exited with a three-run lead the bullpen ultimately gave away in a 5-4 10-inning loss. This time, Cueto hardly needed the bullpen at all. Inges single in the fifth was a harmless one-hopper in front of leftfielder Derrick Robinson. If Inge doesnt get the ball down, theres a chance the Reds no-hit the Pirates for the second time in eight months. Homer Bailey threw a no-no in Pittsburgh last September. "Luckily Brandon saved us all with a half-swing base hit," Walker said. "Maybe we should all have half-swinged tonight. Nothing else really worked for us." The momentum Inge provided lasted all of one pitch. Clint Barmes ended the inning by hitting into a double play and Pittsburgh didnt manage another baserunner the rest of the way. "Johnny was Johnny," Bruce said. "He was brilliant. Obviously, his numbers in the game spoke for themselves. Hes a huge piece of the puzzle to have back." NOTES: Votto went 0 for 3 but walked twice to push his season total to a National League-leading 46 ... The game was the 1000th played at PNC Park, which opened in 2001. The Pirates are 488-512 all-time at PNC, including 49-52 against the Reds ... Pittsburgh finished May 19-9, the franchises best record in a calendar month since September, 1992, the last time the Pirates made the playoffs ... The series continues on Saturday when Pittsburghs Francisco Liriano (3-1, 2.35 ERA) faces Cincinnatis Mike Leake (4-2, 3.02). As part of Heritage Weekend the Pirates will wear replica uniforms of the Homestead Grays while the Reds will wear Cincinnati Tigers jerseys. ' ' '