Texas basketball has leaned heavily on its starting core this season, with mixed results. But in Saturday’s 79-69 victory at Oklahoma, the Longhorns’ reserves delivered when needed most.
Bench energizer Chendall Weaver, combo guard Simeon Wilcher and bruising forward Lassina Traore — the only three Longhorns who see regular minutes off the bench — each made crucial plays down the stretch as Texas (13-9, 4-5 SEC) pulled away for a road win against one of its fiercest rivals.
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TEXAS AT OKLAHOMA
When/where: 6 p.m. Tuesday in Norman, Okla.
TV/radio: ESPN; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM.
The bench production proved a bit surprising since the Texas starters account for 76% of the Longhorns’ points. But it also proved promising for Texas coach Sean Miller, who says “you cannot do it in the SEC with just your starting group.”
“A big reason we won at Oklahoma was the three guys who didn’t start the game,” Miller said Monday. “It was great to see. You need guys to come in off the bench and contribute. And I think some of our best performances this year, somebody from our bench really contributed in a key way. And the Oklahoma game was a direct reflection of that.”
The game flipped when Miller went to his bench with Oklahoma leading 56-50 midway through the second half. During the final 10 minutes of Saturday’s win, Texas outscored Oklahoma 29-13 with Traore, Weaver and Wilcher seeing heavy playing time. And each shined in the final stretch with starters Tramon Mark and Matas Vokietaitis on the bench.
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With Texas leading 70-67 with less than 4 minutes remaining in the game, Jordan Pope hit a 3-pointer behind a solid screen from Traore. Wilcher, who scored in double figures for the first time in seven games, then stole the ball with 2:10 left and a 73-67 Texas lead to give the Longhorns an extra possession. Weaver grabbed four of his six rebounds in the final four minutes and all contributed to a level of defensive energy that the Sooners couldn’t match.
The scoring outburst from Wilcher proved particularly welcomed, Miller said. A former starter at St. John’s who transferred to Texas in the offseason, the 6-foot-4 junior entered the game at Oklahoma shooting 7 of 40 in SEC play and averaging 3.3 points. But against the Sooners, he made four of his seven shots and added two assists without a turnover in 21 minutes.
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“Sim Wilcher, we don’t beat Oklahoma without his play,” Miller said. “Sim has uncharacteristically not shot the ball well and I think maybe lost some confidence for a brief period of time. I think the Oklahoma game resurrected his confidence.”
Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver (2) catches the ball in an attempt to keep it in-bounds as a time-out is called and a turnover was avoided in the second half of the Longhorns’ game against the Georgia Bulldogs at the Moody Center in Austin, Jan. 24, 2026. Texas won the game 87-67.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Texas could use more from Wilcher and the bench Tuesday against South Carolina. The Gamecocks (11-11, 2-7), who are coming off an overtime home loss Saturday to LSU, rank near the bottom of the SEC in scoring (77.4 points) and field-goal percentage (44.6%) but do run a deliberate halfcourt offense that may slow the high-powered Longhorns. Sixth-year senior point guard Meechie Johnson (15.6 points, 4.2 assists) gives the team one of the most experienced floor generals in the country, and power forward Elijah Strong likes to step out to the 3-point line and open up the lane. They also play a relentless brand of man-to-man defense that belies their conference record, Miller said.
“South Carolina is very well-coached, deliberate in their attack, cohesive on defense, tough-minded (and) fundamentally sound on defense,” he said. “You can’t take that mentality of allowing anybody to sneak up on us (because) it’s such a great conference. From top to bottom, it’s the strongest conference in the country. That’s not my opinion. I think that’s the facts of the matter.”
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Texas (13-9, 4-5 SEC) at Oklahoma (11-10, 1-7): How to watch
Where: Moody Center, Austin
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TV/radio: ESPN; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM