Texas Longhorns Battle With No. 5 UConn in Tough Road Loss

Sean Miller hasn't been shy to rip the Texas Longhorns as of late.

Defensive issues and foul trouble have shown "signs of weakness." The team is at a "crossroads," Miller has said.

The adversity has hit this team hard early this season, but that didn't stop Texas from putting up a real fight in its first true road game of the year Friday night in Hartford against No. 5 UConn in a 71-63 loss.

Poor Free-Throw Shooting Dooms Texas

Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain reacts during the first half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope both scored 15 points apiece for Texas while Simeon Wilcher added nine points off the bench.

However, Dailyn Swain had his worst game of the season, something that was low-lighted by struggles from the foul line. He finished with a season-low nine points while going 3 of 8 from the free throw line, which proved brutal down the stretch as Texas was looking to stage a comeback.

The Longhorns finished 19 of 28 at the foul line. The chances were there, but Texas couldn't convert.

For UConn, Alex Karaban had a game-high 18 points while big man Tarris Reed Jr. had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists. True freshman Braylon Mullins showed off his elite shooting ability with 10 points.

Mark got the scoring started for Texas with three makes in a two-minute span to give the Longhorns an early 7-6 edge but Mullins powered UConn with a 7-0 run that featured some tough outside shots.

A triple from Karaban a few minutes later put the Huskies up 16-10, but Pope and Weaver responded for Texas with a pair of 3-point makes of their own to make it a 18-16 deficit for the Longhorns.

However, another 7-0 run by UConn -- and another Mullins triple -- gave the Huskies a 25-16 edge at the 10:22 mark.

UConn used this momentum to head into halftime with a 43-34 lead.

Connecticut Huskies forward Alex Karaban drives to the basket while defended by Texas Longhorns forward Kadin Shedrick during the second half at Moody Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

In the second half, the Longhorns went about seven minutes without a field goal until a driving layup from Vokietaitis cut the lead to eight at 57-49 with 10:01 left in the game. This was a part of a 6-0 run for Texas but the Huskies stopped it with a driving layup from Malachi Smith.

Texas then got into the double bonus and stayed busy at the foul line but one too many missed free throws and an inability to finish in the paint prevented the Longhons from cutting further into the lead.

UConn had its own inconsistencies on offense down the stretch which kept the game close, as a pair of free throws from Vokietaitis cut the lead to five before the 4:20 mark. Swain's struggles from the foul line continued, as he missed two more to

UConn followed this up with an absolute dagger into the hearts of Texas. After nearly losing the ball out of bounds at the end of the shot clock, Solo Ball threw up a shot from near halfcourt that hit nothing but net. Wilcher tried to quickly push the ball up-court but was blocked, leading to another 3-pointer from Karaban

This gave the Huskies a nine-point lead with 3:19 to play and the Longhorns never quite recovered.

Texas will now end non-conference play with just one win over high-major opponent after beating NC State in Maui. If the Longhorns want to make it to the NCAA Tournament, they need to build a resume during SEC play.