Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt vs. Texas: Key Stats & Matchup Preview for SEC Showdown

Vanderbilt hosts Texas for their first SEC showdown. Discover five key stats that tell the story of the Longhorns’ season before tip-off.
Taylor Hodges|
Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson puts the ball up in the first half as the Longhorns take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Moody Center, Feb. 5, 2025. Arkansas won the game 78-70.
Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson puts the ball up in the first half as the Longhorns take on the Arkansas Razorbacks at the Moody Center, Feb. 5, 2025. Arkansas won the game 78-70. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Vanderbilt Commodores

Vanderbilt and Texas will meet for the first time as SEC opponents on Saturday at Memorial Gymnasium for what will be the ninth-ever meeting between the two teams.

The Commodores and Longhorns have faced off just twice this century with Texas winning both games in 2013 and 2016. Of the eight previous games, five of them were played before John F. Kennedy became President (1961).

What that means is the Commodores and Longhorns aren’t familiar with one another. And excluding the biggest college basketball fans, most Vanderbilt fans aren’t familiar with Texas. So, with that in mind, here are five stats that tells the story of the Longhorns’ season:

2-6

That’s the Longhorns’ record against teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this season. Their two wins came against then-No. 22 Missouri, 61-53, and then-No. 13 Texas A&M, 70-69, in back-to-back games.

66.7

That’s how many points Texas is allowing its opponents to average through 23 games, but is No. 51 in scoring defenses nationally. For a comparison, Vanderbilt’s offense is averaging 80.9 points per game, which is 38th amongst all teams.

78.4

That’s the Longhorns’ average for points scored this season and ranks No. 82 in the nation. Vanderbilt’s defense has allowed slightly less points per game with opponents averaging 71.6 ppg.

19.2

That’s how many points Texas’s leading scorer, Tre Johnson, has averaged this season. Johnson’s average ranks 30th nationally and just six spots behind Duke freshman Cooper Flagg.

15.3

That’s the Longhorns’ Basketball Power Index that ranks No. 24 in ESPN’s BPI Rankings.

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Taylor Hodges
TAYLOR HODGES

Award-winning sports editor, writer, columnist, and photographer with 15 years’ experience offering his opinion and insight about the sports world in Mississippi and Texas, but he was taken to Razorback pep rallies at Billy Bob's Texas in Fort Worth before he could walk. Taylor has covered all levels of sports, from small high schools in the Mississippi Delta to NFL games. Follow Taylor on Twitter and Facebook.

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