Texas basketball got back in the win column with a surprising upset over the No. 9 Baylor Bears. The program needed the win like it needed air.
The Longhorns ended an abysmal 1-3 stretch to start Big 12 play mostly against teams who will finish toward the bottom of the league. The game gave the team its first quality win of the season.
It was a rare back and forth battle for much of the game. Texas led by as many as eight points in the first half while Baylor led by as much as six. Albeit, for most of the battle the two teams seemed to trade baskets.
Late in the game, the Bears hit a three point basket to tie the game at 73. With 5.1 seconds remaining, Texas guard Tyrese Hunter inbounded to Texas forward Dylan Disu who returned the basketball to Hunter. The guard swiftly dribbled up the court to rattle in a contested layup to beat the buzzer as time expired.
The Longhorns saw four players score double figures. Hunter led the attack with 21 points followed by Disu with 19, fellow guard Max Abmas with 15 and backup post player Kadin Shedrick with 10.
The top-10 win is huge for a program that desperately needed it. The schedule difficulty ramps up following the game. The Longhorns’ next five opponents all entered Saturday ranked in the Top 25. After consecutive losses to West Virginia (7-11) and UCF (11-6), the team can’t afford to take any game for granted.
The Longhorns improve to 13-5 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. They next take on the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners (15-3) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN.