Texas Longhorns Suffer Embarrassing SEC Tournament Loss to Ole Miss

The Texas Longhorns have lost five of their last six games, and will now await their NCAA Tournament fate.

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain drives to the basket past Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns are trending down in the worst of ways as the NCAA Tournament approaches.

Malik Dia scored a game-high 23 points and Ole Miss (13-19) never trailed in a 76-66 win over Texas in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville on Wednesday.

Texas entered the game needing at least one win in the SEC Tournament to feel a bit more comfortable about its NCAA Tournament hopes. But after losing five of their last six games, the Longhorns (18-14) will be now be sweating it out on Selection Sunday.

Texas Dominated by Ole Miss

Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia celebrates after Texas Longhorns call time out during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Though the final score might not show it, the Longhorns were out-played in nearly every fashion against one of the worst teams in the SEC.

Dailyn Swain had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Texas but he was the lone bright spot for the Longhorns.

Ole Miss forced 13 turnovers, had 12 total steals, and out-scored Texas 50-18 in the paint. The Longhorns

Jordan Pope (16 points) and Matas Vokietaitis (10 points) were the only other Longhorns outside of Swain to finish in double figures.

Ole Miss jumped on Texas early, forcing multiple turnovers and getting blocks in the paint against a Longhorns offense that has been among the best in the country this season.

The Rebels headed into halftime with a 41-30 lead thanks to a hot start from Dia, who had 17 points in the first half after hitting a number of midrange jumpers.

Despite multiple trips to the foul line from Swain to help cut into the lead, the Longhorns went over seven minutes without a field goal in the second half. They eventually cut the lead to three at 66-63 after a triple from Pope highlighted a 6-0 run, but Ole Miss controlled the final few minutes.

The Rebels went on 10-1 run from that point on. Like clockwork, Texas' continued to get gashed, especially in the paint.

The Longhorns have had some notable highs this season but also some forgettable lows. Texas' resume features some impressive wins but some head-scratching loss, none worse than the defeat to Ole Miss on Wednesday.