Texas men’s basketball fires Arkansas into battle

In its final battle before the games count, Texas men’s basketball topped No. 10 Arkansas 90-60.

“We did better last weekend in a back-to-back game against a really good team,” Longhorns head coach Chris Beard noted. “And then we got better again today against another really good team.”

Coach Beard mentioned Texas’ first battle, which was against No. 3 Houston and of the closed-door variety. Saturday’s game against the Razorbacks was at the new Moody Center and all proceeds were donated to organizations supporting social justice and educational opportunities for Central Texas youth.

“It’s a good win,” Longhorns senior forward Timmy Allen said. “[The Razorbacks] are a young team. They are really talented, but we have a lot to work on. Foul trouble, turnovers. We try to be a low turnover team.”

Timmy Allen, one of the most reliable players for Texas, had 12 points and four assists. Two of the highly touted freshmen were the story with Arterio Morris and Dylan Mitchell shining.

Both Morris and Mitchell were five-star recruits, according to 247 Sports, and they showed why on Saturday. Morris paced the Longhorns with a game-high 19 points. Mitchell recorded 10 points, five rebounds and several highlight plays showcasing his athleticism.

“We prepared a lot, we took a lot in preparation,” Longhorns freshman forward Dylan Mitchell said. “So we just go out, play our game. They play together. Talking, communicating. The biggest thing was just being aggressive.

Texas opens its season at 8:00 PM at home against UTEP on Monday, November 7th. The Longhorns enter the season ranked No. 12 in the AP Top 25.