Texas Basketball: 3 key players that must improve after loss to Gonzaga

Tre Mitchell, C

Getting off to a strong start during the regular season didn’t do much to help the former UMass Minutemen star sophomore center Tre Mitchell in the eventual loss to Gonzaga. Mitchell came up with a night where he registered a double-digit scoring outing and four combined blocks and steals in the season-opening win over the Houston Baptist Huskies.

That didn’t translate to much of any success, though, for Mitchell as he went into the meeting with Gonzaga. In this loss to Gonzaga, Mitchell registered just six points, one rebound, one assist, one steal, no blocks, and one turnover. And he shot just 1-of-5 from the field, hit on his one attempt from beyond the arc, and was 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.

For the second straight game, the Longhorns elected to have Mitchell coming off the bench instead of in the starting unit. Upon the return of the former Vanderbilt Commodores standout sophomore power forward Dylan Disu, it will be interesting to see if Beard adjusts his starting five at all.

Going with the small-ball unit definitely didn’t help the Longhorns out much against the Zags.

Gonzaga proved a difficult foe for Mitchell in the paint. He struggled to get much of anything going when he was on the floor down low. This could be something to watch against some of the other better frontcourt units Texas will face this season.

Through two games, Mitchell is shooting just over 36 percent from the field and is well below 35 percent on two-point jumpers. He will need a strong response to start to right the ship when Texas faces Northern Colorado on Nov. 17.