The buzzer sounded as the ball danced on the rim. The ball, floated up by freshman guard Tre Johnson, was slammed into the net by senior forward Arthur Kaluma.
But it was too late. If the ball went in the net just a second earlier, Texas men’s basketball would have secured a huge comeback win in a bubble game against Arkansas.
Instead, both teams headed into their first overtime of the season, and the Longhorns ended up losing 86–81.
With identical overall and conference records that included wins against the same ranked teams, Texas and Arkansas have had ups and downs this season and in the game, creating a matchup fit for the return of an old-school Southwest Conference rivalry.
For most of the game, it didn’t even look like it was going to be close. Arkansas took the lead early on in the first half, leaving Texas trailing by 12 points as the team headed back into the locker room. The Razorbacks maintained around a 10-point gap in the second half until there were seven minutes left.
“I always tell our guys, whether you get off to a good start (or) a bad start in the game, you got to still work this game for 40 minutes,” head coach Rodney Terry said before the game. “We’ve got really good teams in this league, we’ve got really good coaches in this league, but no team is going to just come in and just knock a team right out in the first four (to) ten minutes of the game.”
It was Johnson who pulled the Longhorns back into the game. Making a career-high 39 points, Johnson broke the program record of points scored by a freshman in a single game. The record was set by Kevin Durant and Terrence Rencher with 37 points.
Johnson’s 39 points almost matched the entire rest of the team’s production combined at 42 points.
“He’s one of those guys that really just wants to win,” Terry said before the game. “He’s really attacked the season with the mindset that he really wanted to win at the highest level.”
In both halves and in overtime, the difference came on the three-point line and with free throws.
In the first half, Arkansas took care of the basketball, only putting Texas on the free-throw line two times and only allowing two triples. Meanwhile, the Razorbacks made 11 out of 14 free throws and seven out of 12 three-point shots.
In the second half, Texas flipped the script, drawing more fouls from Arkansas. The Longhorns got 10 points off of the free throw line compared to three from the Razorbacks.
With five successful three-point shots, including three Johnson triples, the Longhorns were able to make up ground to take the first lead since the first few minutes of the game.
Both teams entered the game looking to guarantee their bid in the NCAA tournament. With the loss, Texas now looks to play Georgia at home on Saturday at 7 p.m., hoping to break its losing streak and get some vital wins before the tournament selection on March 16.
