Little Rock, AR -- (Sports Network) - A.J. Abrams connected on 6-of-10 from three-point range en route to depositing a game-high 26 points, as the Texas Longhorns sped past the Austin Peay Governors, 74-54, in first round action of the NCAA Tournament's South Region.

Texas (29-6) had no trouble controlling the game's action on either end of the court, as its 49.1 percent field goal shooting was too much for the Governors to overcome. Dexter Pittman came off the bench to log 11 points and 10 boards, while Damion James posted a double-double of his own with 10 points and 10 boards. Connor Atchley added 12 points for the victors, and sophomore sensation D.J. Augustin was held to six points, but doled out a game-high eight assists.

In the second round on Sunday, Texas will square off against Miami-Florida, as the Hurricanes overcame a five-point halftime deficit to dispose of Saint Mary's-CA, 78-64 in the day's first game in Little Rock. Miami's head coach, Frank Haith, worked under Rick Barnes as an assistant coach with Texas for three seasons (2001-04), so the teams will likely be familiar with each other's style of play in the round-of-32.

"It's hard because he knows us," Barnes said after being asked about going against his former coaching mate. "If you sit close enough to the court today, you could have heard [the] same calls, same plays, same actions."

Austin Peay (24-11) needed to rely on its outside shooting, but its 28.8 percent shooting from the field wasn't enough to pull off the upset special. Ernest Fields paced the Govs with 14 points and nine rebounds, while Todd Babington chipped in 11 points and five caroms. The Ohio Valley Conference champion hadn't been in the tournament since 2003, and remains winless in the postseason event since a 90-87 victory over Providence in 1987.

After a stale two minutes of play, Texas' Justin Mason started the game's scoring with a layup, and the Longhorns were off and running.

Texas continually contested every shot from the Governors, as they pulled ahead 19-3 midway through the opening stanza.

The interior for Texas was too much for Austin Peay throughout the game, as Texas owned a 25-19 rebounding edge in the opening period. A perfect synopsis of the contest occurred with three minutes left in the first period. Austin Peay's Fields corralled an errant Texas shot and looked to outlet his rebound. Unfortunately, Pittman was standing directly behind Fields and ripped the rebound away with one hand, turning the would-be change of possession into a three-point play for the Longhorns.

"Early in the game we didn't make a lot of shots," Austin Peay's Fields said. "They started making their shots after a couple tries. I mean, the more we tried, I mean, we started making shots along the way, and we started to catch up and then they took another run."

Austin Peay shot just 7-of-28 from the field in the first half, while Texas connected on an impressive 16-of-36 for a 39-24 halftime lead.

The second half resembled the same Longhorn dominance. Austin Peay continued to rely on its outside shooting, but the shots simply weren't falling for the Govs. Instead, it was Texas' three-pointers that reigned, as Justin Mason and Augustin hit back-to-back threes four minutes into the half to put Texas ahead, 49-27.

With ten minutes left, the lead swelled to 66-36 after an Abrams tally from behind the arc. Austin Peay continued to fight, but couldn't overcome Texas' athletic ability and size.

Austin Peay battled back to make the score a respectable 71-54 with two minutes left in the contest, but Abrams responded with yet another three- pointer to put the final nail in the coffin.

"I kind of got in a good rhythm," Abrams said. "My teammates did a good job of setting screens. D.J. was penetrating and kicking the ball out and giving me wide open looks. I have to give credit to my teammates for that."

The Governors' top two scorers coming into the game, Drake Reed (14.6 ppg) and Derek Wright (11.7 ppg), were held to seven points on 1-of-13 shooting from the floor.

Game Notes

Today marked the first ever meeting between the two programs...The Longhorns have made 10-straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament...Texas is 14-4 in first round action since the tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985...Austin Peay has compiled a 2-7 record in NCAA Tournament play...Texas owned a 44-35 edge on the glass...The Longhorns drained 10-of-22 from behind the arc, compared to a 6-of-23 effort from the Governors.