Texas men’s basketball ended its final non-conference game of 2021 with a monster 78-33 win over Incarnate Word. Here are four takeaways from the final game at the Drum this year: 

Good defense leads to good offense

The Texas defense looked morbid on Wednesday against Alabama State, with the unranked Hornets leading the Longhorns 13-2 early on. But Texas looked much better defensively on Tuesday night, snatching up 29 defensive rebounds and 42 rebounds overall. There were even a couple of scuffles on the court as the Longhorns fought to keep the ball out of the hands of the Cardinals. Senior forwards Christian Bishop and Timmy Allen were some of the most aggressive players on the floor, fighting through a mob of Cardinal defenders so Bishop could score. 

Fast and Furious

Texas ended the night with 17 fastbreak points while preventing Incarnate Word from scoring any of their own. The sluggish pace of the offense has been a concern for the Longhorns, but tonight, they were able to set themselves up to score before defenders had a chance to get into place. However, the real test for the Texas offense is still to come with conference play beginning on New Year’s Day against West Virginia. 

A TREmendous Performance

Junior forward Tre Mitchell is just one of many transfers that has lived up to his preseason hype and expectations. The Pittsburgh native ended the night with 14 points, six rebounds, two blocks and three steals. Mitchell has already put up double digit point totals on seven separate occasions this season, including a mighty 19-point performance in the team’s loss to now-No. 15 Seton Hall. 

Double-double for Disu

Junior forward Dylan Disu’s impact on the Longhorns has been immediate. Disu has appeared in four games for Texas so far, scoring over 10 points in three of those appearances. Tuesday, the former Vanderbilt Commodore netted his first double-double for Texas with 14 points and 11 rebounds, alongside five blocks. Disu’s skills on both sides of the floor cannot be emphasized enough as the most important stretch of the season begins.