No. 7 Texas wrapped up its preseason with a rough trip to Madison Square Garden, dropping an 87-74 exhibition game to No.
13 St. John’s on Sunday afternoon.
The Red Storm controlled the night for all but 36 seconds and did so behind a big showing from Auburn transfer Keyshawn Hall, who scored a game-high 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting in 32 minutes. Baylor transfer guard Tounde Yessoufou added 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and filled the box score with a game-high five steals, five assists and four rebounds in 34 minutes.
Texas got 18 points and a team-high four assists from Colorado transfer guard Isaiah Johnson in 34 minutes, but the Longhorns never looked fully settled, especially early. St. John’s jumped out to an early double-digit lead before the under-12 timeout and carried the edge in rebounds, 33-28, assists, 19-12, and points in the paint, 56-34.
Texas will now turn to its season opener against Chicago State on Nov. 2 at 8 p.m. on SEC Network, and this exhibition offered a clear snapshot of where the Longhorns still need work.
The first half was the warning sign
For Texas, the opening 20 minutes were the roughest stretch of the afternoon. The Longhorns struggled to get organized on both ends, but the issues were especially visible defensively as St. John’s shot 62.1% from the field in the first half, going 18-of-29.
Texas opened 6-of-18 from the floor before finding a little more rhythm late in the half. By the break, the Longhorns had climbed to 42.3% shooting overall, including 3-of-10 from three-point range.
The second half brought some improvement. Texas shot 54.5% on its 22 attempts after halftime, and three players finished in double figures: Johnson, Matas Vokietaitis and David Punch.
Still, the defensive problems never disappeared completely, with St. John’s continuing to generate clean looks and easy scoring chances inside.
Freshmen flashed, but the learning curve showed
Texas entered the season ranked No. 7 in part because of its freshmen, and both Marcus Spears Jr. and Austin Goosby were part of the conversation on Sunday.
Spears, a 17-year-old who reclassified into the class of 2027, lived up to his billing in spurts. The 6-foot-9, 205-pound forward, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 overall prospect in this year’s class, played 23 minutes and posted nine points, five rebounds and a team-high three blocks. One sequence stood out in particular: a second-half block, then a full-court push for a finger-roll attempt that missed before Punch cleaned it up.
Goosby started at shooting guard and scored seven points on 2-of-7 shooting, but he also had five turnovers. It was a mixed night that showed both his talent and the adjustment he’s making.
Free throws, turnovers and fouls left room for concern
This was the kind of game that brought a few of Texas’ preseason concerns into focus. The Longhorns made only 65% of their free throws, going 22-of-34 at the line.
That matters because free-throw shooting has been a point of emphasis for Miller, who said during an appearance on the Horns247 Podcast, "Part of the development of your team is building chemistry, learning and growing, which comes from different types of challenges," Miller said during his appearance on the Horns247 Podcast.
Texas also finished with 16 turnovers and 19 fouls, two numbers that will not sit well as the Longhorns head toward Southeastern Conference play. Miller has stressed the importance of the early non-conference schedule, especially with 11 newcomers in the mix, and this exhibition gave him plenty to review.
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Arch Manning did enough to keep Texas in front, throwing for 171 yards and scoring twice on the ground, including the go-ahead run. Even with the win, the broader concern lingers for Texas: the offense still has to prove it can sustain control for four quarters, and Ole Miss nearly forced the issue at the end before an interception in the end zone preserved the result. [Read more 🡒]
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Raleek Brown gave Texas the kind of ground production it needed with 157 rushing yards, and Arch Manning helped steady things by accounting for both a passing touchdown and a rushing score. Even with the win in hand, the bigger picture lingers for Texas: this was the sort of performance that can keep a postseason path open while also reminding everyone how fragile it still looks. [Read more 🡒]