Chris Beard Sees Longhorns vs. Arkansas Scrimmage as ‘Test’ for Texas, Explains Why

When Texas Longhorns men’s basketball coach Chris Beard began his first season at the helm last year, the burnt orange easily won a gimme exhibition game 96-33 against Texas Lutheran.

But the Horns have ramped up the scrimmage competition headed into Beard’s second season. On Saturday, No. 12 Texas will host the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks for the first organized game at the new Moody Center. Beard says the charity exhibition game will give the Horns an important early-season test to see where they stand before facing one of the toughest schedules in college basketball this season.

“We really want to test ourselves,” Beard said. “It's always been the objective of our nonconference schedules to prepare ourselves to play in the Big 12 … To play nationally ranked teams beginning with Arkansas was by design.”

Arkansas has developed into one of college basketball’s top programs in recent years. Under coach Eric Musselman, the Razorbacks have made it to back-to-back Elite Eights. Quite the scrimmage before Texas plays teams like Gonzaga, Creighton and Illinois in non-conference play before scrapping through the war zone that is the Big 12 conference, a league that has produced the past two national champions.

“We’re at Texas, and you don't come to Texas to do anything, but to play the best,” Bears said. “… So this is like a Tom Penders schedule. This is like a Rick Barnes schedule. This is like an aggressive Shaka Smart schedule. This is a Texas basketball schedule.”

Though the charity game won't count toward the all-time records, Texas has faced Arkansas 101 times, the seventh-most meetings the Horns have had with any other school in program history.

But it's the Razorbacks who lead the all-time series 58-43, though Texas got the last laugh in 2018, which saw the Horns and coach Shaka Smart come away with a 73-71 win in overtime.

Saturday’s scrimmage won’t count for either team in the standings, but a win will come with an ample share of bragging rights and could provide a significant measuring stick for both teams.

“It's easy to sit up here and talk about, but it's really difficult to to perform with the schedule we put in front of these guys,” Beard said. “But you know, that's the goal. And I think this year schedule will pay dividends.”

The Longhorns and Razorbacks will tip-off at 3 p.m. CT at the Moody Center. Texas begins the regular season at home on Monday, Nov. 7 against the UTEP Miners.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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