The Good, The Bad, and Ugly of Texas Basketball's Blowout Win vs. No. 21 Georgia

Texas Longhorns men's basketball team dominates second half in win over Georgia Bulldogs for another top-25 win.

Jan 17, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; 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. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

After back-to-back AP top-25 victories at the start of the month, the Texas Longhorns went on a two-game losing streak, including losing at home to their bitter rivals, the Texas A&M Aggies, for the first time this decade.

Now, though, they have dominantly broken that streak, dominating the ranked number 21 Georgia Bulldogs for their third top-25 win of the month.

With all three of their conference wins this season coming against ranked opponents, the Longhorns continue to show they are one of the most volatile teams in the country.

The Good - Texas Defense

Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) celebrates a 87-67 win against the Georgia Bulldogs after the game at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Bulldogs entered the contest with the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, averaging 94.8 points per game, and were seventh in the country with an average scoring margin of plus 18.9 against their opponents.

The Longhorns' defense showed no fear, and despite the Bulldogs shooting 59.1 percent within the arc this season, which ranks 20th in the country, they held them to 50 percent for the contest.

They essentially did it by limiting the number of rebounds the Bulldogs could get. As they normally snag 42 rebounds per game this season, the Longhorns held them to just 25 on the game, taking away their ability to get second shots and opportunities.

The Bad - Lack of Points From the Bench

The Longhorns were electric offensively, led by Dailyn Swain and Tramon Mark, who scored 26 and 23 points, respectively. Both players were not only the game's two leading scorers but also 10 points above their season-average points per game so far.

Still, despite scoring 87 points in the blowout win, the Longhorns got 83 of those points from their starting five, with the only player scoring off the bench being Chendall Weaver. Despite bench players accounting for 37 percent of the minutes, they accounted for just 5 percent of the team's points in the contest.

The Ugly - Bulldogs Second-Half Defense

The Longhorns found themselves trailing at halftime against the Bulldogs 30 to 37, mainly in part to the nine free throws they gave the Bulldogs in the first half. It didn't matter in the second half as the story was all about the Longhorns' offense.

They shot 68.8 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from beyond the three-point line, both of which are 20 percent and 10 percent higher than their season average, respectively. They had four players score 10 or more points and used their rebounding to keep the ball in their possession.