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Texas men, new Moody Center both pass the eye test in Longhorns' season-opening win

mark rosner
·4 min read

The Texas Longhorns are in more of a hurry this season, and the coach of their opening night opponent suggests a destination for the fast-breaking No. 12 team in the country.

“That’s a team that’s got a chance to play in late March,” Joe Golding said after his UTEP team was defeated 72-57 Monday night.

A long run in the NCAA Tournament would be a satisfying ending to a season that began Monday night in a new arena, Moody Center, filled by 11,313 attendees, including some occupying standing room in a building with 10,763 listed as capacity.

The Longhorns showed a new strength, accumulating a 16-1 edge in fast-break points while winning their 21st straight home opener. They turned 19 UTEP turnovers into 21 points.

Texas also displayed weakness, getting out-rebounded 32-27. UTEP had a 17-4 advantage in second-chance points.

What interested coach Chris Beard most was the spectacle, the fan support, the students who arrived early.

Texas' Dillon Mitchell looks for a path to the basket during the Longhorns' 72-57 season-opening win over UTEP at Moody Center on Monday. It was Texas' 21st straight home-opening win.
Texas' Dillon Mitchell looks for a path to the basket during the Longhorns' 72-57 season-opening win over UTEP at Moody Center on Monday. It was Texas' 21st straight home-opening win.

“They impacted the game,” Beard said. “They were loud. They were having fun.”

There was much to cheer. Guard Tyrese Hunter, the Big 12 freshman of the year last season for Iowa State, scored a game-best 18 points. Another acquisition from the NCAA transfer portal, former New Mexico State guard Jabari Rice, scored 14 and led the Longhorns with six rebounds.

Marcus Carr didn’t shoot well, missing 6 of 8 field goal attempts, but he converted 8 of 10 free throws and led Texas with six assists. Dylan Disu, the tallest Longhorn at 6-foot-9, scored all 10 of his points in the second half, when he didn’t miss a shot.

Ze’Rik Onyema led UTEP with 10 points. Tae Hardy scored nine, including the first basket in Moody Center, a layup.

Texas' Timmy Allen salutes the student section Monday night. A crowd of 11,313 were on hand to watch the Longhorns christen Moody Center. Normal capacity for the building is 10,763. "They impacted the game," UT coach Chris Beard said of the crowd. "They were loud. They were having fun."
Texas' Timmy Allen salutes the student section Monday night. A crowd of 11,313 were on hand to watch the Longhorns christen Moody Center. Normal capacity for the building is 10,763. "They impacted the game," UT coach Chris Beard said of the crowd. "They were loud. They were having fun."

UTEP trailed by only eight with seven minutes remaining. Then Texas created separation with eight consecutive points in a span of less than two minutes. First, Rice turned an offensive rebound into two free throws, no surprise to his new teammate, Hunter.

“During the recruiting process, just looking at his highlights, I was like, this dude's a dog,” Hunter said.

More: In Year 2, Texas coach Chris Beard gets the chance to further reshape his roster

Hunter then made a fast-break layup, Disu made a fast-break dunk, and Rice had a layup, giving Texas a 16-point lead. Carr assisted on the last two baskets.

The crowd loved it.

Texas players Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen plead their case to the official during Monday night's 72-57 win over UTEP. It was the first game of the season for the Longhorns and also the first regular-season basketball game in Moody Center history.
Texas players Marcus Carr and Timmy Allen plead their case to the official during Monday night's 72-57 win over UTEP. It was the first game of the season for the Longhorns and also the first regular-season basketball game in Moody Center history.

“I want to give a shoutout to the fans; that was crazy,” Rice said.

Beard does not love coaching against friends. He reluctantly made an exception last season by inviting long-time pal Jason Hooten and Sam Houston State for the Longhorns’ first game in 3,234-seat (the setup that night) Gregory Gym since they left for the Erwin Center in 1977. Hooten liked the financial boost and the experience playing against a good team in a cramped gym.

“I kept begging him and begging him,” Hooten said after the Longhorns' 73-57 victory. “He said, ‘OK, I’ll play you, but I’m only going to play you in that little bitty gym with that thing completely packed.’”

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Another friend came for the first game at Moody Center. Golding was a player at Abilene Christian in 1996-97 when Beard worked there as an assistant coach. Longhorns fans are perhaps more familiar with Golding than they would like. He coached the Abilene Christian team that beat Shaka Smart’s Longhorns 53-52 in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Soon Smart left for Marquette, Beard came to Texas and Rodney Terry left the head coaching position at UTEP, returning to the Longhorns as an assistant and opening a spot for Golding.

Beard’s Texas Tech team defeated Golding’s Abilene Christian squad in the final game played at Lubbock Municipal Coliseum in 2018.

“I didn’t want to play this game,” Golding said of the Moody opening. “I hate playing friends. But we played the last game at Lubbock Municipal Coliseum, and it would be cool to play the first game here. That’s a story we are gonna be able to tell for a long time."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Big crowd squeezes into new Moody Center to watch Texas dispatch UTEP