Men’s Basketball falls 72-69 at No. 23/23 Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. — Freshman guard Tre Johnson recorded a game-high 22 points, but Texas (14-7, 3-5 SEC) fell 72-69 at No. 23/23 Ole Miss (16-5, 5-3 SEC) on Wednesday night in the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. The Rebels marked the seventh AP-ranked opponent that the Longhorns have faced in their last eight contests.

The back-and-forth contest featured 14 lead changes and 11 ties. Johnson converted 6-of-16 field goals and 8-of-8 free throws to go along with three assists against just one turnover in 33 minutes. Senior Arthur Kaluma added 12 points (5-12 FG), a game-high seven rebounds and tied his season high with four assists in 36 minutes.

Texas jumped out to an 11-2 advantage following a Ze’Rik Onyema layup at the 15:18 mark. Ole Miss answered with a 10-1 spurt over the next two-plus minutes to tie the contest at 12-12 after a Jaemyn Brakefield jumper with 12:54 remaining.

A Brakefield layup gave the Rebels a 17-16 advantage at the 10:15 mark, before the Longhorns went on a 16-2 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to build a 32-19 cushion following a Devon Pryor follow dunk with 5:43 left. A Pryor jumper gave Texas a 36-25 advantage at the 3:46 mark, but Ole Miss closed out the half on a 9-2 run to pull to within 38-34 at the break.

The Rebels used an 8-2 spurt in the first three minutes of the second half to take a 42-40 advantage after a Brakefield free throw with 17:11 left. The contest remained a one-possession game until a Dre Davis dunk in transition gave Ole Miss a 63-58 cushion at the 5:02 mark.

The Rebels took a 66-61 lead following a Davis free throw with 3:18 remaining, before Texas responded with five-straight points to tie the game at 68-68 after a Kadin Shedrick dunk at the 1:25 mark. A Kaluma free throw pulled the Longhorns to within 70-69 with 49 seconds left.

After a defensive stop, the Longhorns had a chance to take the lead but Johnson could not convert a running floater off the glass with 12 seconds remaining. Davon Barnes hit a pair of free throws with eight seconds left to increase the Ole Miss cushion to 72-69. Johnson missed a three-point attempt from the left corner that could have forced overtime, and the Rebels claimed the win.

Texas returns to the court when it travels to face LSU on Saturday, Feb. 1. Tip is scheduled for 5 p.m. Central at the Maravich Assembly Center, and the contest will be televised nationally by SEC Network.

Texas Basketball Postgame Notes

#23/23 Ole Miss 72, Texas 69

January 29, 2025

Black Pavilion at Ole Miss (Oxford, Miss.)

Attendance: 8,480

Team Notes

• Tonight’s matchup marked the first meeting in Oxford between the two schools since an 82-74 Ole Miss victory on Dec. 7, 1974.
• Ole Miss (No. 23) marked the seventh AP-ranked opponent that the Longhorns have faced in their last eight contests.
• Texas limited the Rebels to 39.7-percent (23-58) from the floor, including a 7-of-21 (.333) mark from three-point range, during the game.
• The Longhorns registered a plus-9 rebound margin (42-33), including a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass.
• Texas tied its team season high in free throw percentage (.857, 12-14).

Tre Johnson

• Topped the 20-point mark (game-high 22 points) for the seventh time in his career (19 games)
• Reached double figures in scoring for the 18th time in his career
• Went a perfect 8-of-8 from the free throw line and has converted 18-of-18 free throws in his last two games

Arthur Kaluma

• Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the 16th time this year (20 games) and 84th time in his career (121 games)
• Tied his season high in assists (4), one shy of his career high: 5 while he played at Creighton (at St. John’s on Feb. 18, 2023)

Devon Pryor

• Set his career high in rebounds (5), previous: 4 vs. UIW (Nov. 6, 2023)