Texas Basketball: 5 thoughts from first two games of the season

A potent 2018-19 Texas basketball team needs to iron out a few wrinkles before it plays at the high level that we know they are capable of in the Big 12.

A good start to the 2018-19 campaign for the Texas basketball program played a part in a huge week to start off the month of November. Texas basketball also had a big week on the recruiting trail that helped to make this opening week a very memorable one for head coach Shaka Smart and the rest of the locker room.

This Texas basketball fan base should be very excited about what lies ahead for this program under the direction of Smart. He was on a seat that was seemingly heating up to start 2018-19, but that should be cool for now. Smart notched a win in his first two games of the regular season, and neither came easy to him.

The regular season started with a bang with a comfortable 12-point victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers at home. After that 71-59 win at the Frank Erwin Center on Nov. 6 to open things up this season, the Texas Longhorns did a nice job in holding on at a neutral site against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Arkansas fell the Horns in dramatic fashion in El Paso, TX, on Nov. 9 by the final score of 73-71 in overtime. That could be the grinding win that the Horns needed to really get things juiced up for the rest of the non-conference slate. It doesn’t get much easier from here on out. Texas basketball is off to a pretty good start.

Here’s a look at the five thoughts and takeaways from the first two games of the 2018-19 regular season for the Texas Longhorns.