Durant and young 'Horns head into Big 12 play

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Durant and young 'Horns head into Big 12 play

AUSTIN — For Texas and its crew of talented freshmen, the last two months were a fun, sometimes frustrating, always exciting, introduction to the season.

Now comes the hard part with the start of Big 12 Conference play. Kevin Durant and crew are about to learn what it takes to survive in a tough, physical league.

The Longhorns (10-3), last season's Big 12 co-champs, open conference play Saturday at Colorado (4-6).

"This is when it gets really intense. This is a different level of play," said sophomore guard A.J. Abrams, the old man in a starting lineup with four freshmen. "Last year there were a lot of veterans on the team. This year is going to be different."

So far, the Longhorns have been a textbook study of the steps talented freshmen take in adjusting to the college game.

The Longhorns lead the league in scoring but rank 11th in points allowed. They are undefeated at home with a tough win over old Southwest Conference rival Arkansas.

They went to New York City and beat St. John's but lost to Michigan State. They went to Arizona and got blown out by then-No. 22 Gonzaga.

They beat No. 14 LSU — the team that knocked the Longhorns out of the NCAA tournament last season — in Houston, but also blew a big lead in an overtime loss at Tennessee.

For every step forward, the kids were forced to take a step back. Coach Rick Barnes said his team must be more physical to win the rugged Big 12.

"Right now, it's on," Barnes said. "We know what conference play brings."

Texas knew it would be an up-and-down season when freshmen would be expected to fill the rather large void left when P.J. Tucker, Daniel Gibson and LaMarcus Aldridge left school early for the NBA after last season.

The Longhorns still opened the season at No. 21 thanks to a recruiting class that ranked among the best in the country, mostly because of Durant.

Long and lean, the 6-foot-9, 225-pound Durant has been every bit as good as expected, showing the ability to score from just about anywhere on the court. He's been arguably the best freshman in the country, with team-leading averages of 21.5 points and 10.2 rebounds.

No Texas freshman has led the team in scoring and rebounding for a season.

He likely would have jumped straight from high school to the NBA if the league hadn't imposed a minimum age limit. Instead, he's been named the Big 12 rookie of the week four times in what figures to be his only season in burnt orange.

D.J. Augustin has been dependable at point guard with flashes of brilliance. He scored 25 points against LSU and has given the Longhorns the solid play they sometimes lacked at that position last season.

The Longhorns also start freshmen Damion James and Justin Mason.

After playing Colorado, the Longhorns face Missouri and Oklahoma at home, then go on the road to Oklahoma State and their last nonconference game at Villanova. A rough January wraps up with Nebraska on the road and Baylor at home.

"They'll find out," Barnes said. "This will be one of the hardest months they ever go through."