Sean Miller, Texas men’s basketball head coach, described St. John’s as an “athletic crucible” heading into Sunday’s exhibition at Madison Square Garden.
It didn’t take long for the Longhorns to find out what he meant.
No. 7 Texas fell 87-74 to No. 13 St. John’s on Sunday, struggling to match the Red Storm’s physicality in what became a difficult first public test for Miller’s new-look Longhorns.
Texas looked outmatched throughout the opening half, struggling to defend the paint, secure rebounds and take care of the basketball.
Despite defense being a major point of emphasis for Miller this season, the Longhorns had few answers for the Red Storm.
St. John’s shot 62.1% from the field in the first 20 minutes, including a blistering 15-of-19 on two-point attempts, with much of that production coming in the paint where the Red Storm scored 28 of their 49 first-half points.
“It was a lot of drives. It was transition. They were the faster, harder-playing, more confident team in the first half,” Miller said after the game.
And it wasn’t just one player causing problems.
Sophomore guard Tounde Yessoufou, junior guard Ian Jackson and graduate forward Keyshawn Hall combined for 41 points, shooting a remarkable 14-of-19 from the floor in the first half.
The Longhorns looked just as sloppy on the offensive side of the ball. St. John’s defensive pressure compounded with Texas’ poor-decision making, contributing to 10 first-half turnovers which the Red Storm converted into 14 points.
“When you play St. John’s, number one, you’re going to deal with supreme effort, and you really feel that effort with their full-court pressure, half-court pressure and rebounding,” Miller said. “At halftime … we had that deer-in-the-headlights look.”
Texas held its only lead of the afternoon for just 23 seconds in the first minute, and with the Red Storm consistently finding success around the basket, the Longhorns spent much of the opening half trying to keep the deficit manageable.
Despite its struggles, Texas briefly appeared to find its footing late in the half. A three-pointer from junior forward David Punch cut the St. John’s lead to just six points with under three minutes remaining.
But whatever momentum Texas had quickly disappeared.
The Red Storm closed the half with a 12–0 run, taking a commanding 49–31 lead into the locker room.
While the defensive struggles followed Texas out of halftime, there were significant signs of offensive improvement, particularly through sophomore guard Isaiah Johnson. Johnson scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the second half, helping Texas outscore St. John’s 43-38 over the final 20 minutes.
But the damage had already been done, and the same physicality problems that troubled the Longhorns in the first half followed them to the final buzzer.
Even as St. John’s shooting cooled off, Texas struggled to finish defensive possessions. The Red Storm grabbed 10 offensive boards in the second half, turning those opportunities into 12 second-chance points.
And the interior problems never really went away, as St. John’s scored another 28 points inside the paint, finishing with a commanding 56-34 advantage inside.
If there’s any bright side for Texas, it’s that Sunday’s exhibition was just that — an exhibition. With 11 newcomers making their first public appearance together, there were always going to be some growing pains against a ranked opponent.
The loss won’t count towards the Longhorns’ regular-season record, but it provided a harsh introduction to the challenges facing Miller’s team.
“This experience is great for us, but we have a long way to go to become a really good team,” Miller said.
