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Chris Beard evaluates Texas' big performances off the bench

Screenshot 2023-07-18 at 4.54.37 PMby:Riley Gates•12/11/22•

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 06: Texas Longhorns head coach Chris Beard looks on during the second half of the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Madison Square Garden on December 06, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

The Texas Longhorns cruised to an 88-43 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. In the win, the Longhorns had 10 different player score, including a team-high 16 from Christian Bishop. After the win, Chris Beard explained his bench’s performance.

“Yeah, I think probably depth,” Beard said. “You know, we have a team that doesn’t really have starters, in my mind. We have guys in the rotation and I think that’s kind of by design. I don’t think you win a national championship by having the leading scorer in the country. I think you’ve got to have balance. And so, I think any time we get several guys to double-digit scoring, any time we have three or four guys that have special performances.”

Perhaps the most impressive part of Texas’ game was the bench having two players score double figures. Dillon Mitchell was the lone starter in the game with double digits, scoring 13 on 6-of-7 shooting. Bishop came off the bench to score 16 and Brock Cunningham had 13 coming off of the bench.

Texas has been a well-balanced team all season long. Two Longhorns — Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr — average double figures, while five players after that average six points per game or more. With balanced scoring like that, Texas could be a threat on the national level this season.

Texas hopes to take next step

The Longhorns are nearing the end of their nonconference slate and gearing up for Big 12 play. Texas is currently 7-1 overall with two wins over top 10 teams. Big 12 play will start for Texas on Dec. 31 but not before Texas plays four more nonconference games. The Longhorns face Rice, Stanford, Louisiana and Texas A&M-Commerce before opening the league slate up against their rival Oklahoma Sooners on New Year’s Eve.

Texas is hoping that this season is another significant step in the turnaround under Beard. Last year, the Longhorns went 22-12 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Beard’s first year. After going as far as the national championship during his Texas Tech tenure, expectations are high for Beard to take his alma mater to the next level.