Tre Johnson shows Carmelo Anthony why he’s the future of Texas basketball by closing out win over Syracuse

“Tre’s a big-time player,” Texas coach Rodney Terry said. “He’s going to learn through these experiences, and I’m telling you, he’s going to close games out for us.”

It was the Longhorns’ best win of the young season and the first major sign of what could be possible. Texas (4-1) will face either Texas Tech or Saint Joseph’s in Friday’s championship game.

“We got some depth,” Terry said. “We’ll have some other guys step up for us, and I look for Tre Johnson to have a big-time game tomorrow.”

For those wondering if these Horns are tough, the 16-point lead in a hostile environment and the blood from Arthur Kaluma’s forehead answered that.

Kaluma, a Kansas State transfer, knew Syracuse big man Eddie Lampkin all too well from Lampkin’s days at TCU and Colorado. It was no surprised that Lampkin was bleeding in the second half, too. Kaluma had 16 points and 10 rebounds while Lampkin, a bruiser from Houston, had 14 points in easily his best game ever against Texas.

While those two were battling, multiple Syracuse defenders were trying to get under Johnson’s skin. How would the freshman handle that? The double technical foul with 5:56 left showed Johnson won’t bow down to anybody. He still finished with 16 points despite 4-of-18 shooting and five turnovers.

With all the attention on Johnson, UT’s Chendall Weaver was busy having a whale of a second half. He scored nine of his 10 points after the break, and the rebound and sensational reverse layup with 2:53 left was the biggest.

Asked how he’s improved this offseason, Weaver said, “Really just working hard. Teams didn’t respect me as a shooter, so I stayed in the gym all day.”

The Longhorns were boosted by the debut of Tremon Mark, who was finally cleared from a right ankle injury. Mark had six points on 2-of-5 shooting and two rebounds in 19 minutes. He’s expected to be a sizable scoring contributor as this rolls along. Forward Jayson Kent was held out with a right wrist injury.