3 Takeaways from Texas Longhorns' Loss to Arizona State

With some late-game mistakes, the Longhorns fell to the Sun Devils in the first round of the Southwest Maui Invitational.

Nov 18, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) shoots a three point basket against Rider Broncs guard Jamir McNeil (5) during the second half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

On Monday night, head coach Sean of Miller and the Texas Longhorns played in the opening round of the Southwest Maui Invitational. After a four-game win streak at home, the Longhorns carried their explosive offense all the way to Hawaii.

Despite the Longhorns offense having a much better second half, Arizona State's offense continued to build on their five-point lead at halftime. With a late 10-2 run that brought them within two points of the Longhorns, the Sun Devils eventually took the contest by a score of 87-86.

Dailyn Swain, the Xavier transfer, was the main scorer for the Longhorns on Monday night. While Matas Vokietaitis, Jordan Pope, and Tramon Mark all reached double-digit scoring, Swain shined with 24 total points against the Sun Devils.

Dailyn Swain Continues to Prove Himself Offensively

Nov 18, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) is congratulated by forward Camden Heide (5) during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

For the second time in his last two games, Swain reached the 20-point mark for the Longhorns offense. Against the Sun Devils, the junior guard totaled 24 points shooting 10 of 14 from the floor. The Xavier transfer also logged five rebounds and three assists in the Longhorns' loss.

After transferring from Xavier during the offseason, Swain has averaged 15.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in six games for the Longhorns. If there's anybody that can take over the game for Texas right now, it might be Swain. While it's still early in the season, the junior from Columbus, Ohio looks dominant.

Maurice Odum Shined for the Sun Devils

Nov 15, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller reacts during the second half against the Kansas City Roos at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Maurice Odum, a guard for the Sun Devils, gave the Longhorns quite the fright on Monday night. Shooting 7 for 21 from the floor along with 16 made free throws, the senior totaled 36 points against the Texas defense. It's an understatement to say that the guard was a one-man show.

While the Longhorns aren't particularly known for their stout defense, Odum is definitely one of the first X-factor players that Sean Miller's squad has faced this season. It wasn't that the Longhorns were necessarily allowing him to just drive the lane, Odum was just making contested shots from three.

While shutting down a player with a hot hand is difficult, the Longhorns have to find a way to make opposing offenses uncomfortable in the future.

Foul Troubles for the Longhorns

Nov 18, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) looks to shoot against Rider Broncs forward Shemani Fuller (3) and guard Caleb Smith (2) during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

There was a glaring issue for Texas throughout the entire game. While being a physical team can be a positive trait for a basketball team, there's such a thing as being too physical. In Monday night's loss, the Longhorns totaled 28 fouls, allowing the Sun Devils to shoot 28 for 36 from the free-throw line.

Arizona State was considerably better with only 21 fouls. Not only did the Longhorns have less opportunities at the free throw line, they also shot worse than the Sun Devils as well. Texas made just 20 of their 27 free-throws to shoot 74% from the line.

While there were some questionable calls made that sent the Sun Devils to the line, the Longhorns are going to need to be more efficient with how often they foul their opponents.