How Texas basketball is restoring the juice after a thrilling comeback win
Tramon Mark and the Longhorns broke the hearts of No. 13 Texas A&M on Saturday. The thrilling 70-69 Texas victory capped a 22-point comeback and electrified the crowd at the Moody Center. But more importantly, something critical might have been restored to the basketball program in Austin.
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Since Rodney Terry’s team fell short against Miami in the 2023 Elite Eight, the Longhorns basketball program has been sorely lacking in one critical component: Juice.
Texas is a football school with a historic baseball program, meaning baseball will always stand on its own because legions of people have followed it for generations and continue to do so. But for the other sports at Texas—especially basketball—to elevate, they need Juice. The word means a palpable momentum, something you have to consume, a feeling of “I can’t miss this.”
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The Longhorns have harnessed it a few times in their history: the “Runnin’ Horns” of Tom Penders, TJ Ford’s Final Four run, Kevin Durant’s unforgettable season, and the 2023 Elite Eight appearance.
Heading into this season, though, it was easy to fade the Longhorns’ hopes. A loaded SEC schedule, a roster lacking cohesion, and no dominant presence down low made their prospects look bleak. A first season in a new conference without momentum wouldn’t bode well for Terry’s future in Austin, either. And while the once-interim coach isn’t completely out of the woods, Saturday’s win was a step in the right direction. Texas is still on the bubble and if they stumble this piece will look as good as one of Buzz Williams’ party bus driver-esque gameday fits. But they’ve won two of three SEC games and are showing signs of breaking through the NCAA tournament bubble entirely. Here’s how the Longhorns might be restoring Juice to the program…
- Tre Johnson is a one-and-done to be sure, but he’s a must-see. Like Durant, Johnson is a spectacle. Whether it’s at the Frank Erwin Center or Moody, Longhorn crowds will come if there’s something they have to see on the hardwood. Arch Manning throwing T-shirts alongside Cedric Baxter and a hyped atmosphere will grow as the buzz around Johnson increases. The freshman from Lake Highlands can go on white-hot scoring sprees that Longhorn fans haven’t witnessed in years. He took over the Texas A&M game with a 30-point outing where he was unconscious down the stretch. Johnson won’t be here long, and Longhorn faithful won’t want to miss him while he is.
- Beating your rivals: Texas has already beaten Oklahoma and Texas A&M. They have matchups with LSU and Arkansas in the next week, but most importantly, a chance to show Ole Miss coach Chris Beard what he lost when he showed up on the news in jail tinted orange instead of the burnt kind. If the Longhorns continue to stack up big wins, the excitement will grow.
- Cohesion: The transfer portal is mostly criticized in football, but basketball is where it’s at its worst. Case in point is a team like Texas, that has individually talented parts that at their worst don’t add up to be greater than the whole. Mark, Jordan Pope, and Arthur Kaluma paired with Johnson should be an elite scoring group, but without cohesion, it turns into “your turn, my turn” ISO basketball that becomes easy to defend. Texas beat A&M with 16 assists and signs of ball movement that show this team could be coming together in a way that produces something pleasing both aesthetically and wins wise.
The Juice isn’t back yet, but there are signs it’s brewing.
