Oklahoma-Texas Prospects Struggle in Final Game

The Sooners and Longhorns SEC bout didn’t go as expected for two NBA Draft prospects.

Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) brings the rebound down in the second half of the Longhorns' game against the Sooners at the Moody Center in Austin, March 8, 2025. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It’s not often teams like Oklahoma and Texas have some of the top basketball prospects in the nation, especially at the same time. But this season, in Longhorns’ sharpshooter Tre Johnson and dynamic Sooners’ Jeremiah Fears, they had just that.

Both were formerly five-star prospects, with Fears only losing a star due to his reclassification late in the cycle. And both have proven their worth in their lone season with their respective squads.

Johnson has proven himself one of the most elite scorers in the country, regardless of class, pouring on 20.6 points on 45% shooting so far. Fears has done the same to a lesser extent — averaging 16.4 points on the same mark from the field — and a legit point guard prospect with around four rebounds and assists per game.

On Saturday, Oklahoma and Texas matched up in a long-awaited Red River Rivalry game, one that had massive implication for the impending NCAA Tournament. Fans were primed for Fears and Johnson to face off.

But the NBA Draft prospects, who are both projected somewhere in the top-10, both struggled.

Despite his scoring dominance so far this year, Johnson shot an abysmal 0-for-14 from the field against the Sooners, still managing to shoot a perfect 100% from the line for seven points. One positive was his seven rebounds and six assists, as many scouts have been wondering just what his value is outside is scoring the ball.

Fears saw a similar output, scoring 13 points on 2-for-14 shooting, hitting nine of his 10 free throws. He managed to add seven rebounds.

Oklahoma eventually came out on top, 76-72, potentially punching its ticket to March Madness with two massive SEC wins to end its season.

In the end, one game isn’t likely to sway the opinions of scouts, as both Johnson and Fears will continue to highlight the upper ranks of the 2025 NBA Draft cycle.

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