What three things did we see as the Texas men's basketball team topped Rice on Wednesday?
Red-hot shooting from almost every spot on the court carried Texas to an 80-64 win over Rice on Wednesday at Moody Center.
The Longhorns (3-0) converted on more than 60% of their shots for the first time since 2022 in the nonconference game against an old Southwest Conference foe. That included at least 10 3-pointers for the third time this season.
Here are three observations from Texas' win:
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Threats from outside
Texas coach Rodney Terry wanted to bring in more outside shooters during the now-annual offseason restructuring of a college basketball squad, and his work continues to pay off. Five players made at least one 3-pointer as Texas converted on 10 of 22 shots from long distance. Point guard Tyrese Hunter made three of his five 3-point tries while scoring a season-high 18 points. Backcourt mate Max Abmas showed off his touted range with several treys from way outside the arc and ended with 13 points. The Texas big men even got in the act, with bench energizer Brock Cunningham nailing a pair of 3-pointers and Virginia transfer Kadin Shedrick flicking in his first 3-pointer of the season from the baseline and compiling 15 points and four rebounds in his first start of the season. Ithiel Horton also made a 3-pointer. As a team, Texas is shooting 46.4% from 3-point range.
They said it: “It's a recipe that we toyed with a little bit in the Big 12 Tournament (in 2023). Putting four shooters out there was a big part of our success last year. It makes it really hard on the defense because you have to respect everyone, and it opens up the game in the post. It bodes well for the future.” — Cunningham
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Second-half switch sparks quick run
Texas didn’t start slowly while building a 9-6 lead four minutes into the game, but Terry didn’t like the tone of the contest, especially on the defensive end. The Longhorns chased Rice off the 3-point line — the Owls made just 4 of 22 from long distance — with aggressive perimeter defending but did allow Rice to convert 50% of its 2-point shots in the game. Terry inserted Cunningham into the starting lineup in place of Horton in the second half alongside forwards Mitchell and Shedrick and the backcourt of Abmas and Hunter. Texas responded by stretching a 43-32 halftime lead to a 56-40 bulge five minutes into the second half.
They said it: “That’s two games that we came out and didn't have the urgency we needed starting halves. It was really important that you come out and have a level of urgency in terms of what you're doing. I thought that Brock gave us a great lift in the first half, and he was playing really well. And I thought that he'd come and set the tone for the second half, and he did that with communication and playing at a level of intensity that you need to start a half.” — Terry
All a board for Dillon Mitchell
Mitchell has made defending and rebounding his hardcourt mantra, and the 6-foot-8 sophomore again turned those words into lots of action. He pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds while setting a career-high with 34 minutes. In addition, he scored six points on 3-of-6 shooting, dished out three assists, blocked a pair of shots and had one steal. Best of all for the Texas coaching staff, Michell proved a dervish on the defensive end while helping hold Rice (1-2) to 38.3% shooting from the floor.
They said it: “He's a problem on the glass. Good around the basket, good at 15 feet, a shot blocker, a long and lengthy defender who can switch one through four. So, yeah, he's improved, and he's going to keep improving, probably until he goes to the NBA here soon.” — Rice coach Scott Pera
What’s next for Texas?
The Longhorns will travel to New York for the four-team Empire State Classic at Madison Square Garden, where they’ll face some of college basketball’s true bluebloods. Texas will open the event Sunday against Louisville (2-1), which has won two official national championships and had a third in 2013 vacated because of NCAA violations. On Monday, the Longhorns will face either Indiana or Connecticut, which have won five NCAA titles apiece.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What did we see as the Texas men's basketball team topped Rice?
