3 Takeaways from Texas Longhorns Loss to No. 5 UConn

Despite a strong second-half effort, the Texas Longhorns fell to UConn for the second year in a row.

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope drives the ball to the basket against Southern University Jaguars forward AJ Barnes and guard Fazl Oshodi during the second half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

On Friday night, the Texas Longhorns (7-4) traveled to Hartford, Connecticut to take on the No. 5 UConn Huskies (10-1). It was only a year ago that the Longhorns fell to UConn in Austin.

A little over a year later, the Longhorns have once again been handed a loss by Dan Hurley's squad by a score of 71-63. Despite a strong second-half effort, the Longhorns were put at a disadvantage with a nine-point deficit entering halftime.

If Texas didn't shoot just 39 percent from the floor, head coach Sean Miller's squad likely would have been in position to pull off an upset against a championship contender.

A Stark Difference in Shooting Percentage

Dec 3, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) shoots a three point basket against Virginia Cavaliers guard Sam Lewis (5) during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns have been one of the better shooting teams in the country this season. With a 50.6 field goal percentage, many teams this season have had a hard time stopping the Texas offense.

Friday night was a litmus test not only for the Longhorns' offense, but also for UConn's defense. The Huskies have allowed just over 61 points per game, while Texas has scored nearly 90 points per game.

The Huskies defense prevailed this time around by making things difficult all night. The Longhorns shot just 38 percent from the field and only 31 percent from the three-point line.

Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope led the way for Texas on offense with 15 points each. Unfortunately, some of Texas' more explosive weapons had a quiet night. Matas Vokietaitis and Dailyn Swain, two Longhorns that have averaged above 15 points per game this season, each had a rough night with only nine points apiece.

Nobody Said Sean Miller's First Season Would Be Easy

Dec 3, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller reacts during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

With their fourth loss of the season, the Longhorns are already behind the eight ball when it comes to résumé building opportunities. Texas' only quality win this season came against NC State a little over two weeks ago.

If Miller is going to take the Longhorns to an NCAA Tournament, he'll likely have to do it through conference play against some of the premier programs in the SEC. With how the conference has stepped up its game in men's basketball, the head coach of the Longhorns will get plenty of chances at Q1 wins.

Nobody said the Miller's job of turning Texas into a contender was going to be easy, and there's no reason to panic due to the quality of teams the Longhorns have lost to this season. Duke, UConn, and Virginia are all currently ranked inside the top-25, and Arizona State appears to be a Big 12 contender with a 8-2 record through their first 10 games.

The Huskies' Well-Rounded Scoring

Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Mihailo Petrovic (77) takes a three point shot past UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

One of the things that stuck out about the Texas loss was how effective the UConn's ball movement was. While Alex Karaban led the Huskies in scoring with 18 points, he didn't seem to be the focal point of the offense. As a team, UConn totaled 23 assists compared to Texas' seven assists.

While Malachi Smith only totaled four points for the Huskies, he also tallied nine assists to help open up the offense. UConn's consistent ball movement allowed its players to find open shots on a more consistent basis. If the Longhorns should take away anything from their Friday-night loss, they might consider emphasizing ball movement against future opponents.