Longhorns' Balbay out for the year

AUSTIN - Longhorns junior guard Dogus Balbay is out for the rest of the year after tearing the ACL is his left knee during the game against Texas Tech. His teammates said they felt the effects immediately.

"I was hurt just like he was," freshman guard Avery Bradley said. "I was actually really hurt for that to happen to someone who works as hard as him."

Though Balbay leads the Longhorns in assists per game with 3.9, it's his disruptive presence the Longhorns said they'll miss the most.

"He brought the defense and he set the tone every game," freshman forward Jordan Hamilton said. "He's a big part of the team."

Junior forward Gary Johnson agreed.

"He's a big part of this team still, but just the defensive presence that he brought to it-- it's going to be pretty big so we have to come together as a team to take up that space," Johnson said.

If there was ever a time for the Longhorns to use their much-talked about depth, it may be now. Five players have run the point for Texas this year, and players say it will take at least that many to fill Balbay's void.

"We're definitely going to have to step it up because Dogus was such a big part of our team," Bradley said. "He's such a good player. But we've been saying since the beginning of the year, our team is so deep and we all have each other and we know somebody will take that role and step up for us."

Head coach Rick Barnes said the team's depth will help ease the situation.

"Everybody says you can have too much. We've lost three players this year to injuries," Barnes said. "And I still think we've got enough to do what we need to get it done."