Texas Longhorns Players Preview Season Opener vs. Duke Blue Devils

While speaking with the media recently, returning Texas guards Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark were asked by Texas Longhorns on SI about the season opener against the Blue Devils and didn't shy away about being ready for the early test.

"I love it," Mark said when asked by Texas Longhorns on SI. "Duke's a great challenge for us right out of the season. It'll test everything that we've been working on. These 30 days of practice that we're about to have is all for that right there."

Mark returns for his second season at Texas and figures to play a major role once again in the backcourt alongside Pope, who recognizes that the matchup with Duke is exactly what you want if you want in college basketball.

"It'll be a good test, obviously, right out the gate, throw us into the fire, see what we're made of," Pope said when asked by Texas Longhorns on SI "College basketball, that's what you ask for. That's what you want. You don't want to start off playing some random team. So I think a school like Duke, which is a very prominent team in college basketball, and I'm pretty sure they'll be highly ranked. It'll be a good opportunity for us to see where we stand and how we're looking November 4."

The Longhorns have faced Duke five times in their history, going 0-5 in those contests. All five contests were played on a neutral floor. The most recent meeting came in 2017 when Duke beat Texas 85-78 in Portland, OR. during the 2017-18 season.

If the Longhorns are able to come out with the win, it will say a lot about where the program is headed in Year 1 under Miller and co.