AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Texas Longhorns couldn’t overcome its offensive shortcomings in the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Tennessee’s tough defense certainly caused some issues, but the Longhorns shot well below their season average for the second consecutive game in a 62-58 loss Saturday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Texas shot 36% from the field, making 20 of 55 attempts, but during the regular season, the Longhorns made 47% of their shots. In a 56-44 first-round win over Colorado State on Thursday, the Longhorns shot 40%.
Tennessee connected on six foul shots in the final 0:25 to send the Longhorns home with a 21-13 overall record. The Vols led the entire second half, but when Texas cut their lead to 56-55 after a Max Abmas layup with 0:34 remaining, Tennessee’s foul shooting clinched a berth in the Sweet 16.
Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry, who was an assistant under Tennessee coach Rick Barnes while Barnes was at Texas, said the Vols simply play hard-nosed yet clean basketball.
“They force you into tough shots and limit your second-chance opportunities,” Terry said. “They run a tough gap defense and it’s hard to get in the teeth of the defense without guys making competitive plays. They did a really good job of that in the first half.”
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Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) fouls Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) dunks the ball against Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Texas forward Dylan Disu, right, drives to the basket past Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo (0) loses the ball against Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) moves the ball agaimst Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) celebrates his basket against Tennessee during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Texas guard Max Abmas (3) steals the ball against Tennessee during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka (11) reacts to play against Texas during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Texas forward Kadin Shedrick (5) shoots against Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka (11) during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka (11) shoots against Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka (11) loses the ball against Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) ring the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) shoots against Texas forward Kadin Shedrick (5) during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka (11) shoots agaimnst Texas forward Kadin Shedrick (5) during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) steals the ball as Texas guard Chendall Weaver (2) looks on during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Texas head coach Rodney Terry watches play against Tennessee during the first half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht hugs guard Josiah-Jordan James after their win against Texas in a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack (15) goes to the basket against Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) loses the ball ahainmst Texas forward Dillon Mitchell (23) during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo (0) and Texas forward Dylan Disu (1) work for a rebound during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes embraces Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) after a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht (3) celebrates with Tennessee guard Josiah-Jordan James (30) after a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament against Texas, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo (0) goes to the hoop against Texas forward Brock Cunningham (30) during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Texas guard Tyrese Hunter (4) goes to the hoop against Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo shoots over Texas forward Brock Cunningham (30) and forward Dylan Disu (1) during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo blocks a shot by Texas guard Tyrese Hunter during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler passes around Texas guard Max Abmas during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes watches during the second half of a second-round college basketball game against Texas in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee players celebrate a win over Texas after a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament against Texas, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Jahmai Mashack (15) and Tennessee forward Tobe Awaka (11) celebrate during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament against Texas, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart) -
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht dunks over Texas forward Dylan Disu during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht dunks over Texas forward Dylan Disu during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee forward Jonas Aidoo shoots over Texas forward Brock Cunningham (30) and forward Dylan Disu (1) during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson) -
Tennessee guard Dalton Knecht dunks over Texas forward Dylan Disu during the second half of a second-round college basketball game in the NCAA Tournament, Saturday, March 23, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Chendall Weaver was terrific off the bench for the Longhorns with 13 points and a 6-for-6 performance from the foul line. Tyrese Hunter scored 13 points on 6 of 11 shooting with six rebounds.
Dylan Disu and Abmas struggled from the field, combining to shoot 7 for 28. Disu finished with 12 points on 4 of 18 shooting while Abmas scored 10 on 3 of 10 shooting.
“We felt like we were getting good looks and that we’d hit enough shots to get back in the game,” Disu said. “Unfortunately, they didn’t fall for us down the stretch.”
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The Vols scored 15 points off 17 Texas turnovers and outrebounded the Longhorns 42-36, including 14-7 on the offensive glass. Tennessee scored 36 points in the paint to Texas’ 20.
Dalton Knecht scored a game-high 18 points on 5 of 18 shooting for the Vols, who overcame a 3-for-25 night from 3-point range. Knecht made four foul shots in the final 0:10 to keep the Vols in front. Tennessee made two more field goals than Texas even though they shot for a lower percentage and made four more free throws than the Longhorns.
Disu ends his collegiate career after three seasons at Texas following his transfer from Vanderbilt, and the Pflugerville native said the experience with his hometown school “means the world to him.”
“We had a rough 1-3 start to our conference slate, but to push through as a team and be as connected as we were down the stretch to get to this point … I’m so happy I was able to get to the tournament one more time with my teammates and for this university.”
