Texas Longhorns Comeback Bid Falls Short in Loss to No. 2 Auburn Tigers

Texas Longhorns men's basketball has dropped to 0-2 in SEC play after a loss to the Auburn Tigers.

Zach Dimmitt | 17 Hours Ago

Jan 7, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Arthur Kaluma (6) shoots over Auburn Tigers forward Chaney Johnson (31) during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

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AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns men's basketball is experiencing quickly just how difficult the SEC will be this season.

Texas dropped to 0-2 in conference play Tuesday night after coming up just short of a massive second-half comeback in an 87-82 loss to the No. 2 Auburn Tigers. Arthur Kaluma finished with a career-high 32 points for the Longhorns, who cut the lead to three in the final minute after being down by as many as 21 in the second half.

But Auburn never wavered, as star forward Johni Broome led five double-digit scorers with 20 points to along with 12 rebounds, five assits, two steals and three blocks. Tigers guard Miles Kelly had 18 points while Chad Baker-Mazara had 16 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Jan 7, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Arthur Kaluma (6) drives to the basket against the Auburn Tigers forward Chris Moore (5) and center Dylan Cardwell (44) during the first half against the Auburn Tigers at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

"I feel like it's not really a sense of urgency, I feel like everybody's really just settling in to what this league really is," Kaluma said. "I feel like the team is coming together in a way that is going to be very beneficial for us come later this March, so we just got to stay the course, keep playing and fix the kinks that we need to."

Jordan Pope finished with 19 points for Texas, which included 11 of 11 from the foul line. Longhorns guard Tre Johnson had another tough shooting night, as he posted 11 points on 5 of 13 shooting.

After a mostly competitive start, Auburn used an 8-2 scoring spurt in the final two minutes of the first half to take a 39-27 lead headed into halftime. Texas had just one assist headed into the break.

However, Kaluma's tough shot-making combined with efficient trips to the free throw line allowed the Longhorns to chip back into the deficit. After Kaluma hit a catch-and-shoot triple to cut the lead to 83-78 with 50.2 seconds to play, the Longhorns got the steal on the ensuing inbound but Pope missed a 3-pointer that would have made it a two-point game.

The Longhorns showed some impressive fight after Saturday's forgettable 80-60 loss to the No. 13 Texas A&M Aggies, but Auburn showed why its the top team in the country, something that will become offiical when the latest AP Top 25 drops Monday. Texas' next opponent, the No. 1 Tennessee Volunteers, will still have their top spot for Saturday's meeting in Austin despite a 73-43 loss to No. 8 Florida on Tuesday.