Despite a 25-point night from Max Abmas, No. 12 Texas couldn’t handle No. 8 Marquette’s explosive offense, dropping its second game of the year on the road to the Golden Eagles.
Simply put, the Longhorns were outplayed in all facets in a 86-65 blowout orchestrated by former Texas head coach Shaka Smart. After a back-and-forth start, the Golden Eagles’ offense took off in the waning minutes of the first half and never looked back, leaving the Longhorns in the dust.
Texas jumped out to an early 9-3 lead behind three consecutive triples from Max Abmas, but once Marquette made adjustments to deny the graduate transfer open looks from beyond the arc the offense failed to adjust. The Longhorns went ice cold for much of the first half, staying alive due to Marquette’s similarly cold offense, but three straight triples towards the end of the first half from the Golden opened the floodgates, which Texas couldn’t close.
Unlike the UConn loss, which saw Texas at least make a late push after trailing big early, the Longhorns never found a spark to cut into the double-digit lead. Aside from Max Abmas pulling up from midrange, Texas’ offense had no semblance of flow, shooting just 41.7% from the field and 4-of-16 from downtown.
The Longhorns had no answer for Marquette guard Tyler Kolek, who led the way for Marquette in the win. The leftie torched Texas’ defense, sinking four threes, punishing the Longhorns inside and dishing out six assists in a 28-point effort. Kam Jones played second fiddle, with 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting from deep on a night in which the Golden Eagles shot 46.7% from distance.
Sophomore guard Chendall Weaver was a rare bright spot for Texas, posting a season-high 10 points in his best all-around performance of the season. After a few sloppy plays early, the UT Arlington transfer gave the Longhorns an edge defensively and high-flying athleticism that no one else displayed.
For anyone not named Max Abmas or Chendall Weaver, it was a night to forget. Ithiel Horton, Kadin Shedrick and Tyrese Hunter combined for just 11 points, and while sophomore forward Dillon Mitchell was active defensively he struggled to find a rhythm on offense.
Texas looked like a team that cannot get forward Dylan Disu back in the lineup soon enough, as it struggled to match the physicality of Marquette forward Oso Ighodaro down low. While Texas head coach Rodney Terry has preached patience in the graduate student’s recovery, he had previously mentioned December as a target for Disu’s return.
The loss is an eye-opener in the early goings for the Longhorns, who probably won’t play another ranked opponent until Big 12 play. While the season is young, Texas has struggled on nights when it can’t heat up from beyond the arc, and the defensive effort especially in the second half was problematic.
Additionally, offensively the team is still searching for its identity. The return of Disu will help, but for large stretches of the game the offense devolved into Abmas heaving up a prayer in the shot clock. While chemistry should build, conference play starts in exactly one month, and games like these expose the rough nights Texas is capable of having when the team isn’t clicking.
The Longhorns drop to 6-2 on the year and 0-2 against AP Top 25 opponents. They will return home Saturday to host 0-6 Houston Christian, looking to clear this game from their system.
