No. 20 Texas Basketball drops Big 12 opener to Texas Tech 78-67

The Red Raiders have had the Longhorns’ number as of late – particularly in Austin, winning four out of the last five prior to Saturday’s contest. No. 20 Texas hoped to get things straightened out against rival Texas Tech at Moody Center in their final Big 12 opener, but things did not pan out how head coach Rodney Terry intended.

Tech rode a 21-point game high performance from embattled guard Pop Isaacs and an impressive shooting effort to serve the Longhorns a 78-67 loss at home, just their second since Moody Center opened.

Texas received a 20-point performance from junior guard Tyrese Hunter, who led the team in scoring, with transfer guard Max Abmas contributing 18 points. Forward Dillon Mitchell’s 16-point, 11 rebound double-double was his 6th in his first 14 games.

The Longhorns led by as many as seven points in the first three minutes of play but would relinquish that lead by halftime, 37-33 in favor of Texas Tech. The lone advantage in the second half for the ‘Horns came at the 18-17 mark on a Dillon Mitchell layup (39-37) but the Red Raiders quickly clawed back and extended their lead to as many as 13 points with under a minute to play.

Texas shot 41.3% from the floor compared to 52.8 for Texas Tech. The Red Raiders bested the Longhorns from beyond the arc, 46.7% to 33.3%, while Tech turned the ball over 9 times to the Longhorns’ 14.

Up next for the Longhorns is Cincinnati on Tuesday, January 9 in a road matchup. The Bearcats, who are 1-0 in Big 12 play upset No. 12 BYU in Provo in their conference opener on Saturday night.