Texas basketball vs. UTEP: 3 bold predictions for the season opener
A pivotal season for head coach Chris Beard in his second year with the Texas basketball program begins in less than 24 hours. Texas will open up the 2022-23 regular season schedule at home at the shiny new Moody Center in Austin on Nov. 7 against the UTEP Miners out of Conference-USA.
Beard and the Longhorns will open up the 2022-23 regular season as heavy favorites over UTEP. Texas is a whopping 21-point favorite over UTEP.
According to the ESPN Basketball Power Index Texas has a 96.8 percent chance of beating UTEP.
And the Longhorns are likely to be heavily favored in each of the first two games of the regular season. After facing UTEP on Nov. 7, Texas will host the Houston Baptist Huskies at home at the Moody Center on Nov. 10, which could be an even more sizable blowout.
The season opener against UTEP finally offers the Longhorns basketball faithful the chance to see some of the highly-anticipated new additions to the team. It is also the first opportunity to see how Texas is able to build on the success under Beard in Year 1, which included the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in nearly a decade.
Bold predictions for Tyrese Hunter and Texas basketball in the opener vs. UTEP
Here’s a look at three bold predictions as Texas opens up the regular season at home on Nov. 7 against UTEP.
Productive game for Texas freshman Dillon Mitchell with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal in 16 minutes. Played extremely hard, showed his passing and defensive versatility and filled his role well in a blowout win for the Longhorns. pic.twitter.com/eCy0E4MMSm
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) October 29, 2022
Dillon Mitchell notches a double-double in his first college game
One of the most anticipated new additions for the Longhorns this season is the former elite five-star Montverde Academy forward recruit Dillon Mitchell. The true freshman forward is likely going to find himself in the starting rotation right away for the Longhorns if Beard and his staff want some size in the frontcourt.
If Mitchell is in the starting five for Texas against UTEP in the opener, that will give him the opportunity to break out in his first collegiate game.
Mitchell’s athleticism and inside scoring ability should give him a sizable edge over UTEP both in terms of scoring and rebounding. He can live above the rim, allowing him to effectively crash the boards on both ends of the floor against a pretty undersized and athletically overmatched UTEP frontcourt.
And if Mitchell is going to be a force on the boards, it will be easier for him to reach double figures in scoring in his first collegiate game.