Despite a heroic effort from star freshman Tre Johnson, Texas basketball (16-12, 5-10 SEC) fell 86-81 in overtime Wednesday at Arkansas. Now, the Longhorns return to Austin to face Georgia Saturday with hardly a sliver of room for error in their hunt for an NCAA Tournament berth.
Johnson, a 6-foot-6 guard projected as an NBA lottery pick in June’s draft, set a new single-game record for a Texas freshman with 39 points. His record-setting performance helped Texas rally from a 14-point deficit in the second half and force overtime, but it couldn’t carry the Longhonrs to a needed win against Arkansas (17-11, 6-9).
Read below for a recap and highlights.
WATCH TEXAS BASKETBALL ALL SEASON LONG
Texas vs Arkansas score updates
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1 |
2 |
OT |
F |
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TEXAS |
30 |
39 |
12 |
81 |
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ARKANSAS |
42 |
27 |
17 |
86 |
Final OT: Arkansas 86, Texas 81
Texas freshman Tre Johnson scores 39 points to set a single-game freshman record, surpassing Kevin Durant and Terrence Rencher, who each had 37 points in a single game. But it can’t help Texas avoid an agonizing loss that places the Longhorns firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
:24 OT: Arkansas 81, Texas 76
Texas had a chance to tie the game with 26 seconds left, but Tre Johnson turns the ball over. He’s human after all, even in this career game.
:54 OT: Arkansas 79, Texas 76
Tre Johnson has 34, but Arkansas has the ball. The Hogs are 4-for-4 from the floor in OT and 2-for-2 from the line.
2:34 OT: Arkansas 75, Texas 74
Tre Johnson has scored a career-high 32 points for Texas, including 22 in the second half and OT. But the freshman has played 36 minutes against a steady stream of double-teams. Does he have eough juice left? Or do the Texas “others,” to quote Shaquille O’Neal?
OT: Texas 69, Arkansas 69
DJ Wagner makes one of two free throws with 7 seconds left in the game for Arkansas, which gives Texas freshman Tre Johnson a chance to win the game. His layup goes just off the rim and a follow dunk by Arthur Kaluma is too late. Let’s play an extra 5 minutes.
1:04 2H: Texas 69, Arkansas 68
Tre Johnson, again. The Texas freshman, the SEC’s leading scorer, converts a driving layup and gives the Longhorns their first lead since a 3-0 start to the game. Johnson has 27.
3:34 2H: Arkansas 66, Texas 63
Tre Johnson drains another 3, and the Longhorns have suddenly made the Arkansas crowd very nervous. Now, if Texas can play defense without fouling. Over the past five games when Texas has gone 1-4, every Longhorn foe has attempted at least 20 free throws. Arkansas has attempted 18 foul shots so far. But give Texas credit for scrapping away and staying in the game.
7:42 2H: Arkansas 61, Texas 52
Arkansas had built its lead to 14 points before Jordan Pope hit his first 3-pointer of the game for Texas. The Horns are doing just enough to hang around, but they’ll need someone to step up and help Tre Johnson (17 points) on offense. Tramon Mark, who’s back on the court after a knock to the head, and Jordan Pope have combined for seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.
11:39 2H: Arkansas 52, Texas 43
Tre Johnson has made three of his five 3-point shots, including one that pulled Texas within seven points. But the Hogs have had an answer each time.
15:08 2H: Arkansas 47, Texas 38
Kadin Shedrick drains a 3-pointer and gets a block on the other end. Texas is just trying to find anything that can spark a run, but an untimely turnover or a missed defensive assigment just seems to sap any momentum. Keep an eye on Tramon Mark; he’s undergoing some concussion protocols after colliding with Tre Johnson and banging his head on the court.
Halftime: Arkansas 42, Texas 30
The Hogs are 7-of-12 from 3-point range. But here’s a more concerning stat for Texas fans; the Longhorns are just 1-7 in games in which they trailed by double-digit points. Free throws are a concern once again against Arkansas; Texas is 2-for-2 from the line while the Hogs are 11-of-14. Tre Johnson has 10 points and three asssists, but no other Horn has more than six points.
4:01 1H: Arkansas 31, Texas 24
Tre Johnson is doing his best to keep Texas in the game. The freshman has 10 points and three assists (which should be four, but a goal-tending call on the Hogs wipes out a dime to Devon Pryor). Speaking of Pryor, he has six points and three rebounds off the bench.
7:09 1H: Arkansas 23, Texas 16
The Longhorns are 6-of-21 from the floor, but at least Devon Pryor had a highlight-reel dunk. Arkansas has cooled off after a hot start and has made just one of its last nine shots. I’d think Texas coach Rodney Terry would love to see Tramon Mark rekindle some of the scoring magic he showed with the Hogs last season, but Mark has missed all four of his shots.
10:50 1H: Arkansas 18, Texas 12
The Longhorns are shooting just 27% from the floor, and freshman Tre Johnson has eight points. A familiar offensive pattern for Texas. But it’s defense that has cost UT recently; its 86 points allowed per game over the last five games is the ninth-worst among all Division I schools in that span.
15:42 1H: Arkansas 11, Texas 7
The insertion of Jordan Pope back into the starting lineup paid immediate dividends. He opens the game with a steal, an assist to Tre Johnson for a 3-pointer and a nice pass to Kadin Shedrick on a pick and roll that leads to a Hog foul. But it’s been all Arkansas since; the Hogs are 3-for-3 from long distance.
Texas v Arkansas starters: Tip set for 8:10 p.m.
The ESPN2 broadcast of Texas vs Arkansas will start at approximately 8:10 pm. after the conclusion of Auburn’s game against Ole Miss. No need to check the score; No. 1 Auburn is rolling. Ole Miss, which is led by former Texas coach Chris Beard, has now dropped three straight games.
Texas v Arkansas starters: Jordan Pope back as starter for UT
After three games coming off the bench, guard Jordan Pope will return to the starting lineup for Texas. He replaces Julian Larry as a starter. Pope, a first-year transfer from Oregon State, had a midseason stretch when he reached double-figure points in nine of 10 games, including a 42-point outburst in a nonconference game against New Orleans and 27 points in an SEC win over OU. But he’s reached double figures in points just once in the past 10 games and had a total of 20 points on 7-of-24 shooting as a reserve.
Post Kadin Shedrick, forward Arthur Kaluma, shooting guard Tre Johnson and wing Tramon Mark join Pope in the starting lineup for Texas.
Arkansas will start guards Johnell Davis, DJ Wagner and forwards Trevon Brazile, Karter Knox and Zvonimir Ivisic.
Texas v Arkansas: Who will miss key SEC game?
The bad news on Texas’ pregame injury report? Guard Chendall Weaver is out again, but that’s no surprise since Rodney Terry said earlier this week that the junior wouldn’t play against Arkansas. He’s now missed 12 games since injuring his right hip in an 87-82 loss to No. 1 Auburn Jan. 7. But there’s good news, too: Forwards Arthur Kaluma and Devon Pryor are absent from the injury report.
For Arkansas, guard Boogie Fland and forward Adou Thiero are out. Fland hasn’t played since Jan. 18, but Thiero had 14 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes during Arkansas’ 78-70 win over Texas in Austin Feb. 5.
Texas vs Arkansas time
Day: Wednesday
Start time: 8 p.m.
Location: Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas
How to watch Texas vs Arkansas
TV channel: ESPN2
Livestream: Fubo (free trial), ESPN+, SEC+
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas basketball vs. Arkansas: Updates, live score from SEC game
