As Texas men’s basketball prepares for its opening night matchup against Duke, head coach Sean Miller knows it will be an uphill battle.

With sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis and graduate forward Lassina Traore suffering injuries, the Longhorns are already facing problems that limit the squad’s ability to keep building chemistry.

“In both our closed scrimmages, neither of those two guys participated, which made both of those scrimmages problematic,” Miller said. “No doubt about it, (that) put us in a unique situation. Your two five-men that are going to play a lot of minutes, both out at the same time.”

Vokietaitis and Traore’s injuries come at a worrying time for the Longhorns, as leading up to the Blue Devils, the team is only allowed 30 practices in 42 days.

One of Miller’s biggest concerns as a coach is how the team’s limited time together was disrupted by the injuries.

“We’re going to be a very difficult team to judge in the months of November and December,” Miller said. “All of our collective attempts to be the best that we can be, we have some limitations, simply because we haven’t been together and through experiences long enough.”

However, there have been bright spots within the Longhorns through the offseason process.

Opening their season against the Blue Devils, the Longhorns will have to face highly-touted freshman forward Cameron Boozer. A five-star prospect according to ESPN and 247Sports, it is possible that Dailyn Swain, senior guard/forward and transfer from Xavier, will be tasked with defending Boozer.

However, Miller believes that it won’t just be an individual effort from Swain to stop the freshman, but one by a squad of Longhorns.

“My early impressions of Boozer is he’s a generational freshman,” Miller said. “I think it’s unfair to even give Dailyn (Swain) that assignment. You have to guard him as a team; you have to run multiple people. You have to control his second shot.”

Aside from what could happen on the court, leaders are emerging for Miller and the Longhorns — especially in the backcourt.

Senior guards Chendall Weaver and Jordan Pope returned to the Longhorns with graduate Tramon Mark. Their veteran experience in the backcourt could prove pivotal for a squad that involves many transfers and international student-athletes.

According to Miller, Weaver specifically is one of the earliest to arrive at the gym and one of the last to leave.

“Defense, offense, drills, player development — (Weaver) wants to be good,” Miller said. “He loves the game. He really pours his heart and soul into what he does.”

And Weaver himself is excited for the game against the Blue Devils.

“We played in Charlotte before, so it’s a great environment, and I’m going to love it,” Weaver said in a Sept. 23 media availability. “And we’re playing against Duke. We know they’re going to have their fans come. We’re gonna have some fans come. It’s gonna be a great environment.”

Tipoff between the Longhorns and Blue Devils is set for 7:45 p.m. at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.