The stage was set for Texas to take its first step into the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with a much-anticipated basketball showdown. On Saturday night, they faced a historic rival, marking the beginning of a grueling five-game stretch against teams ranked in the top 15 of the Associated Press poll. But their debut in the SEC was far from the warm welcome they had hoped for. Texas found themselves on the losing end of a dominant 80-60 defeat at the hands of No. 13 Texas A&M, in front of a raucous crowd at Reed Arena. What started as a 37-37 tie at halftime quickly turned into a one-sided affair as the Aggies pulled away after the break.
A&M head coach Buzz Williams couldn’t have been happier with the result. “It’ll be rare,” he said, reflecting on the magnitude of the victory. “Managing a 20-point win in SEC play this season is not something you’ll see often. The first 100 minutes of the game felt like a zero-possession contest, and that’s just how thin the margin is, especially in a league this elite. I think this will be a rarity.”
But for Williams, a victory is a victory, no matter the margin. A&M (12-2, 1-0) has now won eight straight games, snapping Texas' four-game win streak in the process. For the Longhorns (11-3, 0-1), the loss served as a harsh introduction to SEC play, one that will undoubtedly fuel their fire as they prepare for their next challenge: a showdown with No. 2 Auburn on Tuesday night at home. Meanwhile, A&M will look to extend its winning streak when it faces No. 12 Oklahoma on Wednesday.
In other SEC action over the weekend, Auburn (13-1) crushed Missouri 84-68 at home, and No. 5 Alabama handed Oklahoma its first loss of the season, dominating 107-79 in Tuscaloosa. It’s clear: the SEC is stacked, and every team will be fighting tooth and nail for supremacy.
Texas and Oklahoma made the move from the Big 12 to the SEC last summer, joining A&M and Missouri, who transitioned to the SEC back in 2012. The rivalry between Texas and A&M goes way back, and their basketball clash on Saturday marked the first time in 13 years they faced off as league rivals. The game was electric, but it was the Aggies who came out on top.
The momentum really shifted in A&M’s favor midway through the second half. Leading by just five points (57-52) with a little over seven minutes to play, Aggies guard Hayden Hefner grabbed an offensive rebound and laid it in for a 59-52 lead. Hefner wasn’t done yet—just a couple of minutes later, he drained a critical 3-pointer to extend the lead to 66-55. From there, Texas was unable to mount a serious comeback.
“(The Aggies) really took it to us,” said Texas head coach Rodney Terry. “They played tough, got a lot of points in the paint, and we didn’t match that intensity. We settled for shots that didn’t fall, and gave up second-chance opportunities. You can’t do that against a team like A&M, especially on the road in that kind of environment. We’ve got to learn from this one and bounce back stronger.”
The Aggies were led by SMU transfer Zhuric Phelps, who dropped 18 points, while Tramon Mark led the Longhorns with 14. Texas will have another shot at A&M when the two teams meet again on January 25 in Austin at the Moody Center, the Aggies’ first game in the Longhorns’ home arena. With both teams now fully entrenched in the SEC, there’s no doubt that this rivalry is going to keep heating up.
The atmosphere in Reed Arena was absolutely electric. Hefner, reflecting on the intensity of the game, remarked, “That was definitely one of the most lively games we’ve had, for sure, because of the rivalry. It was awesome to see so many students make the drive back to the game, especially since school doesn’t start for about another week. The energy in the arena was just incredible.”
The rivalry between Texas and A&M is something fans have been waiting for, and this game only added fuel to that fire. Texas’ entrance into the SEC has brought fresh excitement and new rivalries to the forefront, but this battle with A&M showed just how tough the conference is. Every team is fighting for supremacy, and no win will come easy.
Looking ahead, Texas has its work cut out for them. They’ll need to regroup quickly as they face Auburn, one of the nation’s top teams. If the Longhorns want to make a statement in their new conference, they’ll need to learn from their mistakes in this game and come out stronger in their upcoming matchups.
As for A&M, they’re riding high on a winning streak and are proving that they’re a force to be reckoned with in the SEC. Texas’ early struggles in the conference are nothing to panic about, but it’s clear that the road ahead will be a tough one. There’s no room for complacency, and every game will be a battle.
The SEC is one of the toughest conferences in college basketball, and Texas and A&M are just two teams trying to carve out their place in it. As the season progresses, the intensity of the games will only ramp up, and fans can expect to see more thrilling matchups between some of the best teams in the country. Whether it's the Aggies making a statement or Texas bouncing back with a huge win, the SEC is sure to provide plenty of excitement in the months to come.
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