3 Takeaways from Texas Longhorns' Ugly Loss to Ole Miss in SEC Tournament

The Texas Longhorns looked to get back on track after dropping their last two games of the regular season. After earning the No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament, the Longhorns would not earn a bye and would have to play in the first round against the No. 15-seeded Ole Miss Rebels.

And Texas' participation in the SEC Tournament was not long, as the Longhorns took another step in the wrong direction late in the season, falling 76-66 against the Rebels in the first round of the Tournament.

The Longhorns will now have to sit around, unable to add any more notches to their resume, and will have to wait for the rest of conference tournaments to play out across the country before finding their NCAA tournament fate. Taking another look at the loss, here are three takeaways from the matchup.

Another Sloppy Start Leads to a Loss

Mississippi Rebels forward James Scott strips the ball from Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Longhorns got things started with another one of their patented ice-cold starts to a ballgame against the Rebels. Through the first four minutes of the game, Texas did not register a single point and missed its first six shots of the night.

And through the first half, things didn’t get much better for the Longhorns offensively as they shot 31 percent from the field to end the first half trailing by 11.

While the Longhorns battled throughout the second, getting the game within three points down the stretch, the early start was a tone-setter. Texas turned the ball over 13 times and forced just three from Ole Miss, all the while being outscored in the paint 50-18, leading to a game in which the Longhorns didn’t lead for a single second.

Matas Vokietaitis Couldn't Get Himself Into the Ballgame

Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis grabs a rebound against Mississippi forward James Scott and guard Ilias Kamardine. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When the two teams met in Austin back in early February, center Matas Vokietaitis played a huge part in the win with a game-high 27 points while shooting 90 percent from the field and posting seven rebounds, two assists, and a block.

This go around against the Rebels, the seven-footer was unable to replicate his offensive production and ended up a non-factor in the game, with 10 points while shooting 3 of 10 from the field and six rebounds, along with three turnovers and four fouls.

Texas Makes Its NCAA Tournament Hopes Trickier

Mississippi Rebels guard Ilias Kamardine drives to the basket past Texas Longhorns forward Camden Heide. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Longhorns had put themselves in a fairly safe position headed towards the end of the regular season after their victory on the road against the Texas A&M Aggies. However, they did not end with any momentum, dropping their last two games of the regular season.

And now, with the loss against Ole Miss, it marks the Longhorns fifth loss in their last six games.

Texas headed into the SEC Tournament firmly planted in the bubble in latest bracketology predictions and will remain there, as the Longhorns were unable to add to their resume. The Longhorns will now have to wait for their fate on Selection Sunday to find out whether they'll be safely in the NCAA Tournament, in the First Four, or, worst-case scenario, miss out on the madness altogether.