The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Texas Basketball's Win vs. LSU

The Texas Longhorns got their fifth straight win after taking down the LSU Tigers

Feb 3, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) and Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) react to a basket during the last few seconds of the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns have continued to show that they have turned the corner on the season after a sluggish start to the year, and continue to put themselves into a position to be on the right side of the bubble and find themselves playing in the NCAA Tournament.

After their fifth straight win, an 88-85 victory over the LSU Tigers, the Longhorns came out firing and found themselves in trouble at specific points in the second half, but they comfortably led for nearly 30 minutes.

Entering the final five-game stretch of the season, the Longhorns will look to stay hot and continue their winning streak.

The Good- First Half Offense

The Longhorns' offense has become lethal as of late, currently ranking 28th in the country in points per game with 83.8. They flexed their offensive prowess in the first half of the win over the Tigers, putting up 48 points to carry a double-digit lead into halftime.

Jordan Pope and Dailyn Swain paced the team with 11 points, and Tramon Mark was the only other Longhorn in double-digit points with 10. As a team, they shot 63 percent from the field, including an impressive 66.7 percent from beyond the arc after going 6-9 on three-pointers, including Pope, who was a perfect 3-3 from range.

Feb 14, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) shoots a three point shot against the Missouri Tigers during the second half of the game at Mizzou Arena. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Bad- Turnover Production

The Longhorns have struggled all season, forcing opponents to turn the ball over, ranking 322nd in opponents' turnovers per game with 9.9. That point was underscored in their contest against the Tigers, after they forced only five in the game.

The Tigers aren't turnover machines by any means, as they turn the ball over just 10.8 times per game, which ranks in the top 100 in the country. Forcing the defense to make costly turnovers will only become more critical as the season continues, and forcing the Tigers to only half of their season average is not exactly a sign of improvement.

Jan 21, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller reacts to the action during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Ugly - Second Half Defense

The Longhorns were cruising comfortably in this one, up by 15 points heading into halftime, and looked like they could be in line for their first complete game of the season from start to finish. Their second-half defense, on the other hand, had different ideas.

They allowed the Tigers to score 52 points in the second half, compared to just 33 in the first half. They shot 64.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from beyond the three-point line, going 4-7. The Longhorns are allowing only 74.2 points per game to opponents, yet allowed 52 in just one half to the second-to-last team in the conference.

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