AUSTIN -- In their toughest test up to this point in non-conference play, Texas Longhorns men's basketball showed the same second-half toughness they have to start this season, but it wasn't enough against the two-time defending national champions.
No. 25 UConn Huskies came into the Moody Center Sunday and took down Texas 76-65 behind 21 points and 11 rebounds from Alex Karaban, who returned from a two-game absence. After trailing by as many as 22, the Longhorns put up a fight in the second half thanks to a game-high 24 points from freshman guard Tre Johnson, but it wasn't enough.
Arthur Kaluma had 20 points and nine rebounds. He was the only other Longhorn in double figures.
UConn guard Solo Ball finished with 16 points on 4 of 9 from deep while Tarris Reed Jr. and Samson Johnson both 12 points from the frontcourt.
The Huskies have now won three in a row after going 0-3 at the Maui Invitational and showed that a slow start to their season was hardly on their minds.
Texas struggled to get anything to fall early while the Huskies built an early lead by getting to the free throw line and taking advantage of the Longhorns' breakdowns on defense.
UConn jumped out to a 13-4 lead befoee using a 9-0 run to extend things to 22-6 after Karaban swished a triple. Texas answered with a 6-0 run of its own in a sequence that was the only time in the half the Longhorns didn't look completley dead on offense. This was highlighted by dunks from Johnson and Weaverr, which cut the deficit to 22-12.
The Huskies hardly blinked. Ball and Karaban quickly responded with two 3-pointers before Ball scored seven straight points of his own a few minutes later, extending the lead to 35-16 with 5:14 to play in the half.
The lifelessness on offense and from the free throw line continued for Texas as the Longhorns headed into halftime down 42-24. Kaluma scored the final 10 points of the first half for Texas.
The Longhorns had just one assist in the first half compared to UConn's 12.
UConn's Johnson found major success at the rim to begin the second half as the Texas defense continued to allow easy buckets. Luckily for the Longhorns, an early barrage of triples kept them somewhat afloat for a potential comeback, as Mark, Kaluma, Pope and Johnson all nailed 3-pointers before the 14-minute mark.
The Huskies kept their foot on the pedal, but another 3 from Johnson made the Moody Center come back to life with Texas now down 60-48 with 13:08 to play.
Johnson continued to handle the reins while the Longhorns picked up the effort on defense, but the inability to keep Tarris Reed Jr. out of the paint late proved costly for the comeback efforts. Texas cut the lead to as little as eight but it was too little too late.
The Longhorns will host New Mexico State on Thursday.
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Michigan State basketball is starting to gain some ground with the class of 2026 as it still searches for its first commit. The Spartans reportedly have a visit lined up with one of the top class of 2026 power forwards next month. According to League Ready's Sam Kayser, four-star small/power forward Julius Avent is set to visit Michigan State on Aug. 30, the day after Spartan football's home opener against Western Michigan. Per Kayser, Avent is also scheduled to visit Penn State on Sept. 6 and Xavier on Sept. 12. The prospect plays for Bergen Catholic High School in New Jersey. He is ranked the No. 2 class of 2026 class of 2026 recruit in the state, the No. 13 power forward in his class and the No. 80 overall prospect in his class, per the 247Sports Composite rankings. According to Jamie Shaw of On3/Rivals, assistant coaches from Michigan State, Xavier and Virginia Tech, as well as Penn State head coach Mike Rhoades, were watching Avent at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam last week. Joe Tipton of On3/Rivals reported the week prior that Michigan State coach Tom Izzo had been watching when Avent dropped 20 points at Nike EYBL Session 4 on July 12. "The 6-foot-7 (forward) has a college-ready frame and really battles in the interior," Tipton wrote. "He can handle the basketball when needed and can also knock down a jump shot." Michigan State offered Avent last month. He also holds offers from Seton Hall, Washington, Villanova, Mississippi State and George Washington. With a commitment from Avent, Michigan State would be stacked at the forward positions in 2026. With Kaleb Glenn expected to be back from injury and Cam Ward and Jordan Scott each having a season under their belt, this group could be dominant. Not to mention, there's the chance of Coen Carr returning, though it would be surprising if he doesn't establish himself as a draft prospect this coming season and decide to move on to the next level a year early. Slowly but surely, the Spartans are moving in the right direction on the recruiting trail. Don't miss anything Michigan State recruiting when you follow the official Spartan Nation page on Facebook, Spartan Nation, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be sure to share your thoughts on the Julius Avent when you join our community group, Go Green Go White, WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE. Give us a follow on X @MSUSpartansOnSI as well.
New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman has stirred up a whirlwind, looking to fulfill his priority of bringing a frontline starter to New York. In his latest round of relentless phone calls, MLB insider Jon Heyman reports that Cashman spoke to San Diego Padres general manager, A.J. Preller, about two-time Cy Young candidate Dylan Cease. Cease has been a source of interest for MLB teams since 2022, when he pitched to a spectacular 2.20 ERA with 227 strikeouts in 184 innings, coming second in the Cy Young voting. Landing with the Padres last season, Cease again flashed potential, tossing to a 3.47 ERA with 224 strikeouts through 189.1 innings of work. That year, he placed fourth in Cy Young voting. But as much as Cease is talented, he is also flawed. In 2023, just after his best year, Cease posted a lackluster 4.58 ERA, and this season has been no better. Through 113.2 innings this year, Cease owns a 4.59 ERA with 144 strikeouts. Cease has been quite the strikeout artist since his debut, but the rest of his results haven’t always been that good. His 42 walks and 16 home runs surrendered on the year make him a risky bet. According to Heyman, the Yankees are one of four teams that have “checked in” on Cease. He notes that trading Cease is a long shot since the Padres are in contention, but they still may be inclined to do so as he is in the last year of his contract. One might also add that his performance this year probably won’t help them reach the World Series. For the Yankees, or any other interested team for that matter, dealing prospects or players for a slumping half-year rental might not be the best idea. Still, the Padres might just receive a decent haul for Cease since the market for spotless, front-line aces is non-existent at this trade deadline.
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
Few names are more synonymous with Turner wrestling than Goldberg. However, it doesn't appear the WCW legend is likely to get one more match on the platform with AEW. The WWE Hall of Famer wrapped up his career with a retirement match against Gunther. He would lose to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at Saturday Night's Main Event, seemingly bringing an end to his legendary in-ring career. Unfortunately, it does not appear all were happy with how the bout played out. Goldberg's retirement speech following the match was cut short due to broadcast restrictions, and while he had high praise for his opponent, he expressed major unhappiness about he match itself and its presentation. He made several thinly veiled shots at WWE management for the lack of promotion for the match, and expressed being upset over it not taking place on a Premium Live Event. Could a potential Goldberg match in AEW happen? The talk of his displeasure with the match immediately led to rumors over whether or not Tony Khan and AEW would bring Goldberg in to give him a more fitting sendoff. He made his name on the Turner platform while a member of the WCW roster, so a return to the airwaves on Dynamite or Collision could potentially bring synergy. That, though, appears unlikely. WrestleVotes reported on Thursday that AEW sources indicated there is no direct connection between AEW and Goldberg at the moment. It reports the 58-year-old is still believed to be a under WWE contract as is, so any contact would be risky territory for either side. Additionally, said sources noted it would be surprising to see AEW move towards bringing Goldberg in given its good standing with fans following AEW All In: Texas. AEW, of course, did serve as the landing space for Sting's legendary retirement run, one that came to a close at AEW Revolution in 2024. It is also not clear as to whether or not Goldberg would be healthy for one more match, as he revealed he broke his hand during his final outing.
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