Longhorns Country

Texas Basketball Suffers Crushing Loss to Arizona State at Maui Invitational

The Texas Longhorns were on the wrong end of an early-season thriller at the Maui Invitational.
Zach Dimmitt|
Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark drives the ball to the basket against Rider Broncs guard Flash Burton during the first half at Moody Center
Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark drives the ball to the basket against Rider Broncs guard Flash Burton during the first half at Moody Center | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

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Texas Longhorns

The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team won't be heading back to Austin with early-season hardware this year.

Texas suffered a crushing 87-86 loss to Arizona State in the Maui Invitational opener on Monday, blowing a 10-point lead with 7:33 left in the second half before Sun Devils guard Moe Odum capped a 36-point night with a go-ahead triple with 10.6 seconds to play.

Odum's shot came with Arizona State down 86-84 after Texas guard Dailyn Swain, who had a team-high 24 points, missed a pair of free throws to potentially ice the game.

"We also knew coming in the game that Moe Odum is a terrific point guard," Texas head coach Sean Miller said. "And I think there are times in the game where we did a good job on them, but look when a guy gets 36 on you and goes 6 for 12 from 3, and hits the game winner, sometimes you got to tip your cap, and he was terrific. Too much for us to overcome."

Tramon Mark had a chance to win the game for Texas on the final possession but slipped on the floor and lost the ball as the final seconds ticked off.

The Longhorns will now play Division II Chaminade for the second game in Maui and risk leaving the tournament without a quality win.

Texas' Odd Collapse

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller
Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller reacts during the second half against the Kansas City Roos at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns trailed 39-34 at halftime before working their way back into control headed into the closing stretch.

Texas shot 76 percent from the floor in the second half but continued to commit fouls to send Odum and Arizona State to the line, as the Sun Devils went 28 of 36 on free throws.

This proved to be the difference. Arizona State was able to scrap its way back as a result despite Texas' efficient shooting in the second half. The Longhorns committed 28 fouls on the night.

Texas center Matas Vokietaitis finished with 15 points and eight rebounds while Mark had 11 points.

The Longhorns have still yet to beat a power conference opponents this season and will have limited opportunities to do so the remainder of non-conference play.

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Zach Dimmitt
ZACH DIMMITT

Zach Dimmitt is the Deputy Editor for Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI. He also contributes as a writer for the On SI channels of the Oregon Ducks, Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Bills on SI, Philadelphia Eagles on SI and Seattle Seahawks on SI. Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Dimmitt received his Bachelor’s Degree in journalism at the University of Texas at Austin in 2022. He originally started with SI’s Fan Nation network in 2021, providing extensive coverage of the NFL and NBA along with college football and basketball. In that time, Dimmitt has published thousands of stories and has reached millions of people across multiple fan bases. You can follow him on X at @ZachDimmitt7

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