Texas had no problems Thursday night with Houston Christian. The Longhorns jumped to a 16-0 lead in the first six minutes, shot 51.5% from the field for the game and ultimately won 82-31 while holding Ron Cottrell's Huskies to just 21.7% shooting from the field.
"They are so good defensively," Cottrell said.
No argument here.
Texas is currently ranked No. 1 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. Granted, it's way early. But it should be noted that Chris Beard's teams — first at Texas Tech, then at Texas — have finished no worse than 18th in adjusted defensive efficiency in five straight years. So it's reasonable to assume the Longhorns will cause problems for offenses all season, which is among the reasons next week's showdown with Gonzaga and CBS Sports Preseason Player of the Year Drew Timme projects as one of the sport's best early matchups.
Six Longhorns scored in double-figures against Houston Christian — among them five-star freshman Dillon Mitchell. The 6-foot-8 forward from Florida took five shots, made all five of them and finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds in just 18 minutes. He has not missed a shot through two games this season, the first of which was Monday's 72-57 victory over UTEP.
Texas remains No. 12 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Longhorns' next game is Wednesday -- when they'll host Gonzaga inside the Moody Center, their new $375 million on-campus basketball arena.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Drew Timme finished with 22 points and three steals in Monday's 104-63 win over North Florida. The Zags' next game is Friday against Michigan State. | -- | 4-0 |
| 2 |  | Armando Bacot finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 69-56 win over UNC Wilmington. The Tar Heels' next game is Friday against Charleston. | -- | 2-1 |
| 3 |  | Marcus Sasser finished with 21 points and three assists in Monday's 83-36 win over Northern Colorado. The Cougars' next game is Friday against Saint Joseph's. | -- | 2-1 |
| 4 |  | CJ Fredrick finished with 20 points and three assists in Monday's 95-63 win over Howard. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Duquesne. | -- | 3-0 |
| 5 |  | Mark Mitchell finished with 18 points and two assists in Monday's 71-44 win over Jacksonville. The Blue Devils' next game is Friday against USC Upstate. | -- | 3-1 |
| 6 |  | Ricky Council finished with 22 points and three rebounds in Monday's 76-58 win over North Dakota State. The Razorbacks' next game is Friday against Fordham. | -- | 3-1 |
| 7 |  | Adam Flagler finished with 21 points and eight assists in Monday's 117-53 win over Mississippi Valley State. The Bears' next game is Friday against Norfolk State. | -- | 3-1 |
| 8 |  | Jalen Wilson finished with 21 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 82-59 win over North Dakota State. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Duke. | -- | 4-0 |
| 9 |  | Tyreke Key finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Monday's 75-43 win over Tennessee Tech. The Vols' next game is Sunday against Colorado. | -- | 4-0 |
| 10 |  | Jaylen Clark finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 76-50 win over Sacramento State. The Bruins' next game is Friday against Long Beach State. | -- | 3-1 |
| 11 |  | Ryan Kalbrenner finished with 24 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's 96-61 win over North Dakota. The Bluejays' next game is Monday against Holy Cross. | -- | 4-0 |
| 12 |  | Marcus Carr finished with 11 points and four steals in Thursday's 82-31 win over Houston Christian. The Longhorns' next game is Wednesday against Gonzaga. | -- | 3-1 |
| 13 |  | Trayce Jackson-Davis finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 101-49 win over Bethune-Cookman. The Hoosiers' next game is Friday against Xavier. | -- | 3-0 |
| 14 |  | Wendell Green finished with 16 points and four assists in Monday's 70-52 win over George Mason. The Tigers' next game is Friday against South Florida. | -- | 4-0 |
| 15 |  | Emanuel Miller finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Monday's 73-72 win voer Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Horned Frogs' next game is Friday against Lamar. | -- | 3-1 |
| 16 |  | Armaan Franklin finished with 21 points and four rebounds in Monday's 73-61 win over North Carolina Central. The Cavaliers' next game is Friday against Monmouth. | -- | 3-0 |
| 17 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finisehd with 23 points and six assists in Monday's 117-75 win over Nicholls. The Wildcats' next game is Friday against Southern. | -- | 2-1 |
| 18 |  | Caleb Daniels finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 81-68 win over La Salle. The Wildcats' next game is Friday at Temple. | -- | 2-3 |
| 19 |  | Wade Taylor finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Monday's 87-54 win over UL Monroe. The Aggies' next game is Friday against Abilene Christian. | -- | 3-1 |
| 20 |  | Jett Howard finished with 21 points and five assists in Monday's 75-56 win over Purdue Fort Wayne. The Wolverines' next game is Friday against Eastern Michigan. | -- | 3-1 |
| 21 |  | Darrion Tramel finished with 18 points and three steals in Monday's 80-57 win over Cal State Fullerton. The Aztecs' next game is Friday against BYU. | -- | 2-1 |
| 22 |  | N'Faly Dante finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 80-45 win over Florida A&M. The Ducks' next game is Friday against UC Irvine. | -- | 4-0 |
| 23 |  | Brandon Miller finished with 14 points and 13 rebounds in Monday's 75-54 win over Longwood. The Crimson Tide's next game is Friday against Liberty. | -- | 3-1 |
| 24 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 17 points and three assists in Tuesday's 84-53 win over Milwaukee. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Austin Peay. | -- | 4-0 |
| 25 |  | DaRon Holmes finished with 13 points and five rebounds in Monday's 73-46 win over Lindenwood. The Flyers' next game is Friday against SMU. | -- | 4-0 |
| 26 |  | Zed Key finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds in Thursday's 82-56 win over Charleston Southern. The Buckeyes' next game is Wednesday against Eastern Illinois. | -- | 2-1 |
