Defending national champion Florida arrives Wednesday in Austin as perhaps the biggest challenge — and the biggest opportunity — of the SEC season for Texas basketball.
A win should guarantee a spot in the NCAA Tournament, Texas coach Sean Miller said earlier this week. But a loss could make things dicey down the stretch for a Longhorns’ squad just a spot or two away from the NCAA bubble.
Article continues below this ad
The Longhorns had a five-game winning streak snapped Saturday with a 91-80 loss at Georgia despite big games from post Matas Vokietaitis (22 points, 8-of-10 shooting), wing Dailyn Swain (21 points, 6-of-11 shooting) and guard Jordan Pope (17 points on 5-of-9 shooting). They shot 50% from the floor while taking a 39-36 lead over the Gators in the first half.
Follow below for second-half live scores and updates Wednesday as the Texas Longhorns host the Florida Gators.
Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) celebrates scoring under pressure during the second half of Lone Star Showdown, Jan. 17, 2026 at the Moody Center in Austin. Texas A&M won the game 74-70.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
An inspirational effort for Texas, which arguably plays its best half of the season considering the competition. Texas shoots 50% from the floor against the SEC’s best defense and gets a game-high 13 from Tramon Mark. Matas Vokietaitis more than holds his own against that formidable Gator frontcourt with eight points and three rebounds. Best yet for Texas coach Sean Miller? Texas has just four total fouls, and no Horn has more than one foul. Alec Condon paces Florida with 11 points on 5-5 shooting.
Article continues below this ad
End-to-end action. Matas Vokietaitis sets a crunching screen on Xaivian Lee, gets his dunk attenpt blocked, and Boogie Fland ties the game with a 3-pointer. Texas desperately wants to enter the break with the lead.
Florida is starting to exert its will inside and on the glass. The Gators have a 12-8rebounding edge and 20 points in the paint. But Texas guards Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope have combined for 18 points and UT is shooting 60.9% from the floor.
Article continues below this ad
Florida is attacking the basket with abandon and finding little resistance at the rim from a thin Texas frontcourt. Both teams are 12-of-20 from the floor. Matas Vokietaitis has 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting for Texas while Alex Condon has eight points on 4-of-4 shooting for the Gators.
So far, so good for Texas, which is making its midrange shots count. Tramon Mark, UT’s midrange prince, has five points and the Longhorns are shooting 53.3% against the SEC’s best defense. They’re also up 8-7 on the glass, always a factor against the massive Gators.
Article continues below this ad
Matas Vokietaitis has two buckets, Jordan Pope nails a 3-pointer, and Texas is off to the hot start that head coach Sean Miller wants.
Matas Vokietaitis gets an offensive rebound and a short jumper to open the scoring. By the way, Texas is playing a fifth straight game without injured reserve forward Lassina Traore, a 6-foot-9, 245-pound senior who averages 5.3 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.
Article continues below this ad
G Jordan Pope (13.0 ppg, 2.0 apg)
Article continues below this ad
G Tramon Mark (13.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg)
F Camden Heide (6.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg)
F Dailyn Swain (17.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
P Matas Vokietaitis (15.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg)
Article continues below this ad
G Boogie Fland (11.1 ppg, 3.5 apg)
G Xaivian Lee (11.3 ppg, 3.9 apg)
F Thomas Haugh (17.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg)
Article continues below this ad
F Alex Condon (14.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg)
F Rueben Chinyelu (11.5 ppg, 11.8 rpg)
Article continues below this ad
Where: Moody Center in Austin
TV/radio: ESPN2; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM
Moneyline: Florida is favored by 6½
Article continues below this ad