Austin, TX (Sports Network) - The third-ranked Texas Longhorns lift the lid on the 2009-10 season when they play host to the Anteaters of UC-Irvine on Sunday afternoon at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin. The game is part of regional action in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

UC-Irvine, which plays its basketball out of the Big West Conference, opened its season on Friday night by whipping the University of La Verne in an 82-54 final. Starting with this clash, the Anteaters play their next five on the road, returning home to face Hawaii on December 2nd.

Under head coach Rick Barnes, Texas has been a perennial favorite in the Big 12 every year and a serious player on the national scene as well. The Longhorns went 23-12 last season, and the return of four starters and eight of the top 10 scorers has everyone associated with the program salivating at the possibilities.

This bout represents the first-ever meeting between UC-Irvine and Texas on the hardwood.

UC-Irvine jumped out to a 15-0 lead in Friday's season opener against La Verne, and never looked back en route to the easy 28-point victory. A total of four Anteaters scored in double figures, led by Michael Hunter's 14-point effort. Pavol Losonsky and Darren Moore each tallied 12 points, while Eric Wise added 10 of his own. Peter Simek had a solid outing off the bench, registering nine points and six rebounds. UCI shot 47.4 percent from the field compared to just 30.8 percent for La Verne. The Anteaters hit 25-of-33 free throws and had nine steals and six blocked shots in the game.

Texas boasts some of the top talent in the Big 12, starting with senior swingman Damion James (15.4 ppg, 9.2 rpg). He enters this season just 110 rebounds shy of the becoming UT's career leader in that department. Senior center Dexter Pittman (10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and junior forward Gary Johnson (10.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg) are both expected to elevate their games in an effort to take some of the pressure off James, while guys like Justin Mason (6.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and Varez Ward (4.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg) serve as complementary players. J'Covan Brown is one of six freshmen on the UT roster this year, and he is expected to start alongside Mason and Ward in the backcourt today.