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

The Texas Longhorns avoided a late collapse for their third straight win.

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller reacts during the first half in a 74-70 loss against the Texas A&M Aggies at Moody Center | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns look to be turning things around this season as they earned their third straight win in the back half of conference play.

The team secured a 79-68 win over the Ole Miss Rebels at home on Saturday that got a little shaky with under three minutes to go, but a strong surge in the closing minutes would be enough to give the Longhorns a much needed victory in conference play over former Texas head coach Chris Beard.

With a week off until their next game, the Longhorns seem to have found their identity in the closing hours of the regular season.

The Good - Dominant Big Man Performance

Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) rebounds against Georgia Bulldogs forward Justin Abson (25) during the second half at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Longhorns found a strategy that clearly worked against the Rebels, feeding the ball to their big man, Matas Vokietaitis, in the game. In the first half, the Longhorns center put up 16 points while going 5 of 7 from the field and draining eight free throws, making six of them.

To keep with what was working, they fed him in the second half as well, and he was exceptionally efficient, going four for four from the floor and three of four from the free-throw line to finish with 11 points in the decisive victory. Vokietaitis also added seven rebounds in 35 minutes, which was second on the team in the win.

The Bad - Ole Miss First Half Offense

Mississippi Rebels guard Ilias Kamardine (6), guard Patton Pinkins (23), forward Malik Dia (0), and forward James Scott (4) during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

For the Longhorns, their key to victory against the Rebels was keeping their offensive percentages low, as they entered the matchup among the lowest-rated offensive teams. The Rebels showed that in the first half, scoring just 25 points in the first 20 minutes of the game.

They finished 9 of 33 from the field, for a 27.3 percent field goal rate, and just 2 of 12 from beyond the three-point line, which was only good enough for 16.7 percent. No player from the Rebels scored in double digits in the first half, and AJ Storr led the team with seven points at halftime.

The Ugly - Rebels' Closing Ability

Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard reacts to a foul during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Moody Center | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

For as much as the Rebels struggled in the first half of the contest, they stormed their way back to take a 68-65 lead with 3:35 left to play in the game. The Longhorns took over after that, Jordan Pope would nail a three to tie the game, and an and-one would send him to the free-throw line to take the lead.

The Rebels would finish 0 for 7 on their last seven shot attempts, while the Longhorns would explode for a 14-0 run in the previous 2:43 of the game. While it was typically the Longhorns struggling to close out games, they were experts this time and got their third straight victory.