As the curtain rises on SEC men’s basketball play, why wait around? Let’s start the explosions already.

Texas opens league play at No. 13 Texas A&M on Saturday in the Lone Star Showdown. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Reed Arena (SEC Network).

That’s not exciting enough? Look at next week. Texas is back home to host No. 2 Auburn and then No. 1 Tennessee next Saturday.

There’s not really any time for a dramatic build-up to the weekend clash between the Longhorns and Aggies, rivals with matching 11-2 records.

UT coach Rodney Terry said he’s been talking trying to play “SEC basketball right now” ever since the UConn game back on Dec. 8. “Playing with urgency, playing with a pretty good pace of play, trying to have a physical mindset, he said.

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The Horns will learn quick whether they’re cut out for this new league on the hardwood. As for basketball in the SEC, apparently, it just means more there, too.

Texas forward Kadin Shedrick said Terry has stressed two things in recent practices: being a defensive-minded team and rebounding. All that’s required is effort and heart.

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“We know this is big-boy basketball,” Shedrick said. “If you look up and down the whole SEC, just really good teams, really athletic teams, really physical teams. So we’ve got to raise our standard and become one of those teams that another team will look at the next night and be like, yeah, it’s a really physical team. We’ve got to be ready for that.”

At least the Horns dive into this meat-grinder fully staffed. Veteran 6-foot-8 forward Jayson Kent has finally been cleared from a right wrist injury after missing eight games. Super 6-foot-6 freshman Tre Johnson missed two games in December with a right hip problem.

Both Kent and Johnson played in UT’s final non-conference game of 2024, a 77-53 win over Northwestern State, to knock off any rust.

“That was the first real game all season long where we’ve had a full complement of guys that we feel that gives us a 10- or 11-man rotation that can play for us,” Terry said.

Texas will need everyone against A&M, a team that’s played a better non-conference schedule. UT lost to Ohio State 80-72 in the season opener. A&M beat the same team 78-64. Coach Buzz Williams’ crew has also taken down Creighton, Rutgers, Wake Forest and a pesky Texas Tech bunch and Purdue.

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The Aggies are just relentless on the glass, leading the nation in offensive rebounds per game (17.1) and seventh overall in rebound margin (plus-11.6). Yes, it helps to have scoring machine Wade Taylor IV, but like Terry tells his bunch, rebounding is nothing more than effort and heart.

There have already been some terrific Lone Star Showdown battles this athletic year. The Horns won the football matchup 17-7. The Aggies won a thrilling five-set slobber knocker on the volleyball court in Austin. Texas also won 2-0 in women’s soccer.

Meeting on the basketball court is the next step, which conjures up all sorts of memories about Kevin Durant vs. Acie Law and the old classics in G. Rollie White or the Erwin Center.

Saturday’s matchup is just the first. The two teams will meet again in Austin on Jan. 25. There’s no telling what’ll happen in the SEC race between now and then, though.

“Having a chance to have Texas and Texas A&M play again, it's great for state of Texas,” Terry said.