Quick thoughts from No. 4 Texas’ 91-54 win over UTRGV

Nov 26, 2022 - 11:38 PM

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Another game, another dominant showing for the No. 4 Texas Longhorns as they cruised to an exciting 91-54 win over UT-Rio Grande Valley.

Here are some quick thought from the action.

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I really like Dillon Mitchell’s game. He’s a work in progress offensively, of course, but there’s just so much he does to impact winning for the Longhorns, from snagging boards to defending with purpose to scrapping for loose balls to, of course, his electrifying dunks. It’s quite clear why he was a top 10 prospect in the class, yet he plays selflessly and seamlessly into his role on a loaded squad. Enjoy Mitchell while he’s around because. He won’t be for very long.

Texas has flashes that give you some incredible confidence in their upside. The overmatched opponent considered, given Texas also demolished then-No. 2 Gonzaga, this group will have some stretches where they’re just in sync and electric offensively and smothering defensively, and it’s especially impressive given that they’re still fairly new at playing together. There’s some room for improvement in consistency, to be sure, but there’s times when the dominant stretches are so overwhelming that they completely change the game in minutes, and that will make Texas a difficult team to beat.

This might become one more enjoyable Texas teams I can remember watching. Thus far, they’ve been largely dominant, the offense is revitalized and has a ton of talent contributing to spread the wealth, there are highlight plays and an imposing defense that hints at sheer dominance at times, and to top it all off, the fan base has been rejuvenated, which only adds to how enjoyable this team has been to watch. Keep getting better, keep winning, and this group of Longhorns might be hard to forget.

Marcus Carr continues to thrive in his new role. It took a year and a bit of a position witch to playing off the ball, but this is the Marcus Carr Texas fans expected when he transferred from Minnesota. For the third game in a row, he’s dropped a season high in points, this time with 18 on a 6-11 shooting performance, including 4-8 from deep. And on top of that, despite his high usage, he’s taking care of the ball notable well with just eight turnovers this season to 20 assists.

Sir’Jabari Rice. Baller. Much like Mitchell — and others — Rice just does so many things that impact winning, and his scoring ability might be flying under the radar just a bit with guys like Carr, Tyrese Hunter, and even Mitchell with his highlight dunks. And more so, he’s doing it well within his role without forcing things, turning in a team-best 19-point display on 8-13 from the field. Texas clearly looks better this season, and Rice is another reason why.