Tre Johnson (32 points), Texas upend No. 15 Kentucky

Field Level Media|published: Sat 15th February, 22:57 2025

Feb 15, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Kentucky Wildcats center Amari Williams (22) and Texas Longhorns forward Kadin Shedrick (5) battle for the loose ball during the first half at Moody Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Tre Johnson poured in a career-high 32 points, including eight in the final 3 1/2 minutes, as Texas roared back to upset No. 15 Kentucky 82-78 on Saturday in a key Southeastern Conference game in Austin, Texas.

The Longhorns (16-10, 5-8 SEC) trailed by four at halftime and by 69-64 after a layup by Kentucky's Amari Williams with 3:51 to play. Texas leapfrogged to the front for good via a 14-1 run that featured a three-point play by Johnson, four points from Tramon Mark, a putback dunk by Kadin Shedrick and culminated with a jumper and a pair of free throws by Johnson, the Longhorns' freshman phenom.

Johnson also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, and Mark scored 26 as the Longhorns snapped a three-game losing streak. Texas played without Arthur Kaluma, its second-leading scorer and top rebounder.

Otega Oweh led Kentucky with 20 points while Williams added 18 and 12 rebounds and Ansley Almonor had 11 points. The Wildcats (17-8, 6-6), who were missing second-leading scorer Jaxson Robinson and Lamont Butler due to injuries, had a two-game winning streak snapped.

The Wildcats led by as many as seven early on before Texas rallied to tie the game at 15-all on a 3-pointer by Jordan Pope at the 11:55 mark. Five consecutive points by Mark propelled the Longhorns to the front at 20-17 with 10:35 to play, and Texas pushed its lead to five on a layup by Johnson with 8:50 left until halftime.

Kentucky swung back, using an 11-6 spurt to tie the game at 30-all after four straight points by Almonor, with the final two coming on a layup with 4:21 remaining. The Wildcats regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Trent Noah with 3:44 left and pushed their advantage to five before Texas tied the game at 37-all on a layup by Mark.

Kentucky scored the final four points of the half to carry a 41-37 edge into the break.

Johnson led all scorers before halftime with 15 while Mark added 11 for Texas. Williams had nine to pace the Wildcats and Almonor scored eight.

--Field Level Media