Five Quick Thoughts: Texas tops Vanderbilt 79-72 to move on in the SEC Tournament

Needing at the very least a few wins in the SEC Tournament to keep alive hopes of making the NCAA Tournament’s field of 68, Texas earned a hard-fought 79-72 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores in the first round in Nashville, Tenn. on Wednesday.

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Texas led for almost 35 minutes against a Commodore team that bullied them for most of their previous meeting in Nashville. Tramon Mark and Tre Johnson led Texas with 19 points apiece, while Jordan Pope added 14 points. Arthur Kaluma had 11 points. Jayson Kent pulled down 10 rebounds in 16 minutes.

The Longhorns shot 46.3% from the field, 25% from three-point land, and a very important 25-for-34 from the free-throw line, including a quality 13-for-17 mark in the second half.

Rodney Terry‘s team continues the fight for its NCAA Tournament life on Thursday against Texas A&M. Before we get there, here are five postgame thoughts.

Take a bow, Tramon Mark

Mark, the Arkansas transfer who started his career at Houston, has an idea of what it’s like to compete in the SEC Tournament. And even though the league has elevated compared to last season, there’s a level of physicality and possession-to-possession determination that’s needed to succeed in this conference tournament.

Mark was able to set the tone for his teammates by becoming the point guard for the Longhorn offense for much of this game. It’s a big reason why Julian Larry only played four minutes. Though Mark didn’t pile up assist totals, netting just two, he also didn’t turn the ball over and created a flow on offense the Longhorns desperately needed.

As talented as they are, Pope and Johnson are not facilitating ball-handlers. And for Larry, the adjustment from the mid-major ranks to the SEC is ongoing. Mark gets it, and he was able to make the most of opportunities with the ball in his hands. He was 5-for-8 from the field and also hit 9-of-11 free throws.

Should teams provide heavy pressure in the backcourt, it may not make sense for Mark to be the instigator on offense. But Vanderbilt didn’t go that route on Wednesday, trying to make the most of their halfcourt defense. The Commodores would guard Johnson out to 25 feet and deny as much as possible, and with additional opportunities Mark did well to find the space available and get to the rim. As did a number of his teammates, as 14 of the Longhorns’ 25 made field goals were dunks or layups.

Texas finally got downhill early and often, and it did so following the example of Mark.

Jordan Pope hit his clutch shots

Though Pope has left a lot to be desired as a point guard this year, his contributions as a scorer have been welcome additions over the past few games. Eleven of Pope’s 14 points were in the second half, including the two free throws that iced the game in favor of the Longhorns.

Maybe the freedom from ball-handling duties on every possession helped Pope get to the spots he wanted at a higher clip. He had a five-point stretch near the under-eight timeout in the second half that built the Texas lead to 17 points. Those points were very obviously needed as Vanderbilt got back within seven in the final two minutes.

Pope is never going to be the perfect point guard for high-major college basketball, and if and when teams start to bring pressure again he’ll be charged with starting the offense more often. But he found a freedom versus Vanderbilt that led to an efficient 4-for-7 night from the field and a turnover free game for the Oregon State transfer.

Tre Johnson with an unimpressive 19 points

Said in jest.

After going 0-for-14 against Oklahoma, Johnson bounced back nicely versus the Commodores. He may not have been extremely efficient, shooting 6-for-19 from the field, 3-for-10 from three, and 4-for-4 from the line, but his presence opened things up for other Longhorns.

He still had 19 points. Johnson needed a quality performance to continue his collegiate career, as everyone at Texas and in the NBA knows that as soon as his 2024-25 season in Austin is finished he’s lottery bound. But Johnson didn’t want to go home quite yet, and his 19 point in the SEC Tournament days after earning All-SEC accolades and freshman of the year honors keeps his time in burnt orange going.

It was a bad shooting night for Vandy

Especially in the first half.

The Commodores were a miserable 9-for-29 from the field in the first half, with a 1-for-9 mark from three-point land. They finished the game with a respectable 15-for-29 shooting outing in the second 20 minutes, but still struggled from outside with a 2-for-10 venture from three-point land.

Free-throw shooting didn’t help the Commodores mount a comeback, as a stretch from the under-four timeout to the 1:34 mark in the second half that cut the Texas lead to seven was all created by field goals. That was about the only real threat Vanderbilt mounted in the game, and by that point the lead was too large to be overcome.

Texas deserves credit for getting the rebounds, pulling down 34 and winning on the defensive glass. But a better shooting night from the Commodores and this one looks different.

Bring on the Aggies

Texas now faces a Texas A&M team that received a bye into the second round based on their fifth-place finish in the SEC. The Longhorns and Aggies split the regular season series, with each home team taking the wins in the respective games.

The Aggies bullied Texas in an 80-60 win in College Station on January 4, while a massive comeback capped by a Mark floater helped the Longhorns eek out a 70-69 win in Austin on January 25.

Another win would bolster Texas’ resume that by all accounts has them among the first four teams out.

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For Texas and for Terry, getting that win and getting it over Buzz Williams‘ Aggies would be a nice accomplishment in a weekend where they need several more.