After a lopsided Saturday loss at last-place South Carolina, Texas basketball (16-11, 5-9 SEC) has left itself with little room for error as it tries to lock down a fifth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament.
In the final four games of the regular season, the Longhorns face three teams — Arkansas, Georgia and Oklahoma — that share their spot on the bubble. The fourth foe — No. 24 Mississippi State — has all but wrapped up an NCAA tournament spot.
This critical stretch for Texas starts with a trip Wednesday (8 p.m., ESPN 2, 1300, 98.1) to Arkansas (16-11, 5-9), which jump-started its own late-season push for an NCAA Tournament berth with a Feb. 4 78-70 win at Texas. Arkansas began SEC play with five straight losses but has won four of its past seven games against a brutal slate that includes single-digit setbacks to ranked teams in Auburn, Alabama and Texas A&M.
Can Texas find any offense aside from star freshman guard Tre Johnson, who scored 29 of the Longhorns’ points in the 84-69 loss to South Carolina? Is forward Arthur Kaluma as healthy as he showed in the first half of the season? And can the Longhorns handle a wild Walton Arena in their first trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 15 years? The once-fiery rivalry between the Razorbacks and Longhorns cooled when Arkansas left the now-defunct Southwest Conference for the SEC in 1992, but time hasn’t tempered the emotions for Hog fans when they see burnt orange.
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WATCH TEXAS BASKETBALL ALL SEASON LONG
Texas vs Arkansas score updates
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| TEXAS | 30 | 39 | 69 |
| ARKANSAS | 42 | 26 | 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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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