3 Takeaways From Texas Longhorns Loss to Florida

The Texas Longhorns had been red hot, rolling as one of the hottest teams in the SEC with five straight wins, getting the Longhorns into a good spot as the calendar gets closer to March with a 17-9 overall record and an 8-5 record in the SEC before their road trip to Athens.

And the growing wave of burn orange momentum was washed away with a loss to Georgia over the weekend, and now the Longhorn roll has been completely halted with a second straight loss, this time falling 84-71 to the defending national champions in the No. 7 Florida Gators on Wednesday night.

Texas will have to get back on track quickly, preparing for what will be a tough road challenge, traveling to College Station for part two of the Lone Star Showdown against the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday. Taking a closer look at the Longhorns' loss, here are three takeaways from the second loss in a row.

Texas Goes Cold Down the Stretch

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope celebrates a three point basket during the second half against the Florida Gators. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns had been battling throughout the game against one of the top teams in the nation, getting out to a slight early lead, which saw the Longhorns leading 39-36 at the halfway point and throughout the second half keeping it close with the game tied at several points in the final 20 minutes.

However, the Longhorns would run out of gas throughout the final eight minutes of the ballgame as the Gators ended the game on an insurmountable 23-9 run, which allowed Florida to run away with the victory and leave Austin with the win.

Longhorns Contained Thomas Haugh, Couldn't Stop Alex Condon

Florida Gators forward Alex Condon drives the ball up court during the second half against the Texas Longhorns. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns were able to minimize the impact from Florida forward Thomas Haugh, ending the night with just five points, while he had been averaging 17.3 points per game, shooting 46 percent from the field and 34 percent from beyond the arc.

While Texas was able to contain Florida's top player, it was unable to stop another Gator forward from making his mark on the game, as Alex Condon ended the night as the game's highest scorer with 23 points while shooting a resounding 10 of 12 from the field, along with four rebounds, four blocks, and three assists.

Texas Needs More out of Camden Heide

Texas Longhorns forward Camden Heide celebrates a three-point basket during the first half against the South Carolina Gamecocks. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns were close in this game thanks to the normal top performance from Dailyn Swain and Tramon Mark, who got himself involved from the jump. However, the Longhorns weren't able to get much out of Camden Heide on the night.

The forward scored a lowly two points against the Gators, taking just two shots all game, production that is far from what the Longhorns need out of a starting player, especially with the three-point ability that Heide has.

As Texas winds down the regular season and heads into the SEC Tournament with hopes of making the NCAA Tournament, it will need more out of the experienced player.