Last Season: 22–12, Sweet 16

	Thomas' offseason work should motivate him this season.

Junior C James Thomas spent his summer shooting the rock. Then he took some time to dish one, proposing to longtime girlfriend Latoya Vice. "It went great," he says. "She didn't say no." Now the 6'8" Thomas (10.7 ppg, 8.9 rpg) is saying yes to an expanded role in UT's offense. When he got post touches last season, he handled the rock like ... well, a rock. So he added a turnaround J, a lefty jump hook and a swagger to his working man's repertoire. With D1 assists leader T.J. Ford doling out the party favors (8.3 apg as a frosh) and junior wings Brandon Mouton (13.7 ppg) and Royal Ivey (10.9 ppg) tearin' up the floor, no wonder Thomas is jacked to fulfill the football-like expectations in Austin. "I got my girlfriend a ring," he says. "Now it's time to get my teammates one."

One Step Ahead: Rick Barnes' Northeastern ties from his days at Providence give him a Big 12 edge: Thomas (Schenectady) and Ivey (Queens) are the league's only non-juco New Yorkers. The Horns have also held serve in Texas, with three Mickey D's in three years (Ford, junior PF Brian Boddicker and frosh PF Brad Buckman).

One Step Behind: Barnes was a man-to-man maestro at Clemson and Providence, but he's still trying to marry his D-first philosophy with the up-tempo club he's assembled in Austin. The Horns gave up 73.2 ppg last season (ninth in the conference), and their defensive FG% (43.8) was No. 183 in the nation.

2002-2003 NCAA PREVIEW
MEN
1. Arizona Wildcats	9. Georgia Bulldogs
2. Kansas Jayhawks	10. UCLA Bruins
3. Oklahoma Sooners	11. Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Pittsburgh Panthers	12. Kentucky Wildcats
5. Florida Gators	13. Virginia Cavaliers
6. Texas Longhorns	14. Michigan State Spartans
7. Duke Blue Devils	15. Xavier Musketeers
8. UConn Huskies	16. Indiana Hoosiers

This article will appear in the November 25 issue of ESPN The Magazine.