The first season in the SEC hasn’t gone completely smoothly for Texas basketball, but Tre Johnson has been a constant bright spot for the Longhorns. There was no better example of that than Wednesday night when Johnson carried his team during a massive bubble clash against Arkansas.
Johnson got bucket after bucket, no matter who was guarding him in a Razorbacks jersey, as he dragged Texas back from a double-digit deficit and eventually giving it a lead on a tough layup with just over a minute remaining. However, DJ Wagner tied it back up with a free throw and Arkansas came away with the 86-81 win in overtime.
By the end of the game, Johnson had racked up 39 points to break the Texas freshman record that was previously held by Kevin Durant and Terrence Rencher, per Texas beat reporter Brian Davis. He made tough shot after tough shot, draining 14-of-28 shots from the field and finishing 7-for-11 from beyond the arc.
TEXAS FRESHMAN RECORD 39 POINTS
Every bucket from Tre Johnson’s big night
@TexasMBB pic.twitter.com/gtQcT1krf2
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) February 27, 2025
An epic performance like this one will also help raise Johnson’s draft stock, which was already ascending after a nice stretch of SEC play for Texas. The 6-foot-6 wing can score from all three levels and is able to play both with and without the ball already, allowing him to fit right in with just about any NBA offense.
Johnson hasn’t gotten as much buzz as guys like Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, but he is averaging over 20 points per game in the best conference in the nation. The Texas native plays against some of the best and deepest rosters in the country each night and is usually able to do what is needed to give Texas a chance to win.
Johnson and this Texas basketball team have a lot of work to do to sneak into the NCAA Tournament. This loss dropped the Longhorns to just 5-10 in SEC play, which would be an unprecedented number for an at-large team even in such a strong conference. Johnson and company must pick up some wins over Georgia, Mississippi State and Oklahoma to close their regular season if they want to have a chance in the conference tournament.
Regardless of Texas’ fate at the end of this season, Johnson will almost surely find himself in the lottery when the NBA Draft rolls around. Any player who can break a record previously held by Kevin Durant has a chance to be special, and Johnson has shown that capability time and time again.
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