In what was essentially a must-win game for Texas basketball (16-10, 5-8 SEC) and head coach Rodney Terry, the Burnt Orange got the job done at the Moody Center on Feb. 15 against the No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats (17-8, 6-6 SEC).
Tre Johnson and Tramon Mark combine for 50 points in a big win for Texas basketball over shorthanded Kentucky
This win over Kentucky stops Texas's losing skid at three games. It also keeps the Longhorns above water potentially for the NCAA Tournament a few weeks out from Selection Sunday to decide the 68-team postseason field in March Madness.
Kentucky had taken control of this game early in the second half, building a seven-point lead a couple of minutes into the final frame. But the Longhorns battled back, staying within striking distance of the Wildcats well into clutch time in the second half.
all gas until the end 💪🤘#HookEm | @kcshedrick pic.twitter.com/uqWMT70Nb0
— Texas Men’s Basketball (@TexasMBB) February 16, 2025
A few big baskets down the stretch from freshman guard Tre Johnson and senior big man Kadin Shedrick in the paint sealed the deal for the Longhorns.
Texas took advantage of a Kentucky team that was without its two starting guards, redshirt seniors Lamont Butler and Jaxson Robinson, who are both dealing with upper-body injuries. Terry and the Longhorns were also without senior forward Arthur Kaluma and junior guard Chendall Weaver due to various injury issues.
Here are three takeaways from Texas's 82-78 win over No. 15 Kentucky at the Moody Center on Feb. 15.
Tre Johnson and Tramon Mark carry Texas over the finish line for the win
Johnson and senior guard Tramon Mark stole the show on the offensive end of the floor for the Longhorns tonight. Both guards scored over 25 points with multiple assists, with Mark's 26 points being a season-high for the former Arkansas and Houston transfer.
Tre Johnson with his 30th point of the game vs. Kentucky! pic.twitter.com/eVKMFPD35Q
— Hook'em Headlines (@HookemHeadlines) February 16, 2025
Mark and Johnson carried the Longhorns in the second half. The former of those two Texas gaurds was nearly perfect shooting from the field in the game's final 20 minutes, shooting 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, good for 15 second-half points.
Johnson, meanwhile, scored 17 points on 12 field-goal attempts and seven made free-throws in the second half.
Johnson made history tonight, becoming the first true freshman in SEC history to boast multiple games with at least 30 points and three assists, per Stathead. He surpassed the likes of former Kentucky guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and LSU guard Ben Simmons among the players who had put up at least 30 points and three assists in an SEC game once as true freshmen.
Texas rallies in the second half
Tonight was one of the better 40-minute games the Longhorns have played in the SEC this regular season. Despite being down four points going into the locker room at halftime, Terry and the Longhorns didn't throw in the towel down the stretch in clutch time.
The Longhorns rallied around Mark, Johnson, and Shedrick, who helped put together an 11-0 Texas run that made the difference in coming out with the W tonight. Texas showed the type of grit and toughness on both ends of the floor in the second half that we'll need to see more of from this team in the final stretch run of SEC conference play over the coming weeks.
Momentum-building win for the NCAA Tournament resume
This was a huge win for the Longhorns to get a big resume-builder a few weeks before Selection Sunday for the NCAA Tournament this postseason.
The win helps give the Longhorns some cushion for the 68-team tournament field. Coming into today, the Longhorns were one of the last four teams getting byes for the 11 seeds in the NCAA Tournament field, per ESPN's Joe Lunardi.