Austin, Texas ? Dexter Pittman breaks a sweat long before the Texas Longhorns hit the basketball court.

The beefy center who is part of Texas’ celebrated freshman class is on a mission to drop more than 100 pounds off his 6-foot-10 frame, and that means diet, extra exercise and hitting a stationary bike for 30 minutes before a game.

“I feel like Lance Armstrong right now,” Pittman said. “My teammates call me Dex Armstrong because I’m on the bike so much.”

They also call him Dex-A Trim.

“Ya’ll don’t see him before the game,” said A.J. Abrams, a guard who stands only 5-10 and weighs 150. “He’s got a full sweat on.”

Everything Pittman’s doing is working. He weighed 388 pounds after his last high school basketball game. Before Tuesday night’s 90-50 win over Texas Southern, he was down to 295.

His dropped pounds mean more minutes on the court. Against Texas Southern, Pittman scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds in 11 minutes. He was 5-of-6 shooting.

Not bad for a guy who’s doing twice as much conditioning as his teammates.

“He went to our shootaround and he did another 45-minute individual workout after that,” before the game, coach Rick Barnes said. “He really wants to be a good basketball player. Obviously, he’s got great hands and light feet.”

Texas center dexter pittman goes to the basket against Texas Southern on Tuesday in Austin, Texas. The freshman is on a mission to drop more than 100 pounds off his 6-foot-10 frame.

The Longhorns could use his size in the next two games against No. 22 Gonzaga on Saturday in Phoenix and No. 10 LSU and the Tigers’ Glen “Big Baby” Davis in Houston on Dec. 10.

“He’s a big body,” Abrams said. “He can bang down low, and he can score. And he’s getting better on defense, which will help us out.”

During recruiting, Barnes asked Pittman what he thought would be his ideal playing weight. Pittman told him about 340. Barnes said 270.

That means 25 pounds to go.

“I was kind of in shock,” Pittman said.

“I’m not sure everyone appreciates what he’s done,” Barnes said. “I told our guys to go to the weight room and pick up 90 pounds because that’s what he’s lost.”

Pittman is one of seven Texas freshmen who make up one of the nation’s top recruiting classes. Kevin Durant is the standout in the group and is living up to his billing as one of the top players in the country with averages of 22.3 points and 9.5 rebounds.

But Durant is expected to go pro after this season. If Pittman can mold his body into what Barnes wants, he could turn into one of the best players in the bunch over the long run.

Barnes expects to keep pounding Pittman under his strict regimen until at least January when Big 12 play starts. That’s when Texas will need him to earn more playing time in a league known for its physical style.

Joseph Jones, Texas A&M’s bullish power forward and Pittman’s old AAU teammate in Houston, scored 59 points in three games against Texas last season, and the Longhorns could use the muscle in the middle.

“He played against my old body,” Pittman said. “Now, he’ll play against my new body.”