FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Texas center Matas Vokietaitis topped the Longhorns in scoring with 21 points on Wednesday night, but it wasn’t enough to stop a red-hot Arkansas team, as the Longhorns fell 105–85 at Bud Walton Arena. The loss dropped Texas to 18–12 overall and 9–8 in SEC play, while No. 20/19 Arkansas jumped to 22–8 and 12–5.
The Razorbacks shot a blistering 58 percent from three-point range (11-of-19) and became the first team to top 100 points against Sean Miller’s team.
Vokietaitis converted nine field goals and also added seven rebounds, two assists and a block in 24 minutes. Graduate guard Tramon Mark contributed 18 points (6-of-12 FG) and dished three assists without a turnover. Junior Dailyn Swain finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. Sophomore forward Nic Codie provided a bounce off the bench, posting a season-high 11 points and seven boards in a career-best 27 minutes. Senior Chendall Weaver hit 11 points and four rebounds.
The Longhorns found themselves in an early hole after Arkansas used a 13–0 run to surge ahead 19–4 just over six minutes into the game. Texas cut the margin to 36–26 on a Vokietaitis tip-in late in the first half, but the Razorbacks countered with a 15–4 surge and took an enormous 56–34 lead at halftime.
Arkansas continued to pull away after the break, pushing its advantage to 72–44 behind a Darius Acuff Jr. three-pointer at the 15:21 mark. The Razorbacks shot 58 percent from the floor (35-of-60) and never looked back. Even with an 8–1 run by Texas that ended with a Swain jumper to cut the gap down to 99–84 with just over two minutes remaining, the Longhorns were never in position to mount a serious comeback. The Longhorns won the offensive glass, 10–5, but struggled at the free throw line, making a season-low 51.9 percent (14-of-27).
On Saturday, the Longhorns will end their regular season at home, hosting the Oklahoma Sooners at Moody Center. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Central, with coverage on SEC Network. A win over the Sooners would give the Longhorns 10 SEC wins and almost guarantee them a berth in the NCAA Tournament, while a loss could put them in the “Last Four In” category with the conference tournament looming.
