Texas basketball's (12-6, 1-4 SEC) first road trip to Gainesville to the Stephen O'Connell Center in nearly three decades (since 1996) resulted in a convincing loss to the No. 5 Florida Gators (16-2, 3-2 SEC) on Jan. 18. Texas and head coach Rodney Terry were dominated in the second half to the tune of a 84-60 loss to the Gators this afternoon in Gainesville.
Double-digit scoring from Tre Johnson and Ze'Rik Onyema doesn't matter in Texas basketball's 84-60 loss to No. 5 Florida
Getting outscored 47-30 in the second half put the dagger in the Longhorns' comeback efforts in the game's final 20 minutes. A 15-0 run by the Gators in the first half was the initial momentum swing that played a role in silencing the Longhorns' upset bid.
This loss to the Gators ends the first difficult stretch run for the Longhorns, dropping four of its first five games in SEC play. After Texas started conference play with four out of five opponents ranked in the top 25, the next five games in the SEC only features two ranked foes. The Longhorns also don't face any teams ranked in the top five in the AP Poll in the next five contests in SEC play.
Here are three takeaways from the Gators' dominant 24-point win over the Longhorns in Gainesville on Jan. 18.
Texas gets decimated down the stretch in both halves vs. Florida
Florida closed out both halves of this game by putting its foot on Texas's throat before the clocked showed zeros. Texas was well within striking distance around the halfway points of the first and second halves.
Eight minutes into the game in the first half, the Longhorns were up by five points thanks to a hot start from freshman guard Tre Johnson. Scoring double-digit points in the first half, Johnson helped the Longhorns stay neck and neck with the Gators early in this game.
But the Gators took control of the momentum down the stretch in the first half, going into the locker room at halftime with a seven-point lead.
It was the final 10 minutes of the second half that really saw the Gators pull away completely from the Longhorns. Texas's backcourt scoring just 12 points in the second half helped the Gators close out the game on a 25-8 run.
This is the second straight game where the Longhorns were unable to close out a contest in the second half when it was very competitive and/or winning in the first half. Texas had a 23-point lead at one point in its last game against the Oklahoma Sooners, which was whittled down to just a four-point victory when it was all said and done for the second half.
Playing a complete 40 minutes in these big SEC games is an obvious priority that Terry and the Longhorns staff must figure out if this team wants a shot at making the NCAA Tournament this postseason.