3 Takeaways from Texas Longhorns' Road Loss to Kentucky

The Texas Longhorns now drop two consecutive games after a loss to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller yells across the court during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns needed a bounce-back performance over the weekend after their momentum was stopped but they failed to protect their home court, as the Texas A&M Aggies rolled into Austin and came away with a victory.

The Longhorns set out for better results, heading on the road for another conference test, taking a trip up to Lexington to take on the Kentucky Wildcats, who entered the game rattling off three straight victories. And on Wednesday night, the Longhorns came up short in what was a back-and-forth contest, losing 85-80 to the Wildcats.

Texas won't have much time to linger on its loss to Kentucky, as the Longhorns return home to the Moody Center for another difficult conference matchup, taking on the No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs. Taking a deeper look at the Longhorns' loss on Wednesday, here are three takeaways from the matchup.

Dailyn Swain Still Performs in Loss

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) celebrates after center Matas Vokietaitis (8) scores a basket during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

While the Longhorns won't want to take any moral victories in their loss that drops them to an 11-8 overall record and 2-4 in conference play, the Longhorns can take away that Dailyn Swain continues to play like the best player on the court in burnt orange.

Swain ended the night as the game's leading scorer with 29 points, while shooting over 60 percent from the field, making the only two three-pointers for the Longhorns, and was a perfect seven-of-seven from the free throw line. The forward also contributed with six rebounds, three assists, and two steals before fouling out late in the second half.

Jordan Pope Struggles After Recent Performances

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) sets a play against Texas A&M Aggies during the second half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

One of the main reasons for the Longhorns consecutive wins was important contributions from guard Jordan Pope, who had averaged 19 points per game over the last three ballgames for the Longhorns. In the win against Alabama, Pope had a season-high 28 points, followed up with a 12-point contribution in the win against Vanderbilt, and then 17 points in the loss to Texas A&M.

However, against the Wildcats on Wednesday, Pope struggled, ending the night with just eight points, with a rough shooting performance, as he shot 22 percent from the field and came up empty from three-point range in six attempts.

Texas' 3-Point Woes Killed Momentum

Texas Longhorns guard Simeon Wilcher (7) drives to the basket during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Longhorns battled throughout the night and at times found high levels of success, with their largest run of the night being seven-to-nothing in the first half.

However, while the Longhorns tried to build momentum and grow a lead, their three-point shooting ruined any chances of that. As a team, Texas shot poorly from beyond the arc, shooting 11 percent from three-point range, making just two of its 18 attempts.