Kentucky vs Texas score today: UK basketball game updates, highlights from SEC contest

Posted by author February 15, 2025 Basketball

AUSTIN, Texas — As BYU‘s coach last season, Mark Pope tangled with Texas once. Pope’s Cougars, in their first year as a member of the Big 12 Conference — and the Longhorns’ last before leaving for the SEC — picked up an 84-72 win in Provo, Utah.

Now in his maiden campaign at Kentucky, Pope will face Texas tonight. Though he’s familiar with the Longhorns’ offensive and defensive philosophies, and his foe knows the Wildcats‘ schemes, Pope said last season’s Big 12 battle will mean little when UK and UT take the floor at 8 p.m. ET tonight at the Moody Center.

“The personnel is just way different,” he said. “Their best players are different.”

None better than freshman guard Tre Johnson, the conference’s leading scorer at 19.2 points per game.

“He’s a problem, because he makes hard shots. He makes bad shots,” Pope said. “Normally, you go into a game and you’re like, ‘OK, we’re going to force guys to take these shots, and we’re going to live with it.’ And it’s hard to live with any shots with him, because he just makes every single one. He’s an incredibly talented player.”

Johnson is far from the Longhorns’ lone weapon.

Pope also praised 6-foot-11 forward Kadin Shedrick as well as 6-7 Kansas State transfer forward Arthur Kaluma.

“So they’re really well constructed,” Pope said. “They pose a lot of problems.”

Can the Wildcats (17-7, 6-5 SEC) avoid an upset against the Longhorns (15-10, 4-8) tonight?

Follow along below with live updates from Austin, Texas:

Kentucky guards Lamont Butler (shoulder) and Jaxson Robinson (wrist) won’t suit up tonight against Texas.

Both were listed as “out” on the SEC’s availability report, which was released at 6 p.m. ET, two hours before tonight’s tipoff.

The contest between the Wildcats and Longhorns will air on ESPN. Karl Ravech (play-by-play) and Jimmy Dykes (analyst) will have the call.

Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.

You also can stream ESPN on Fubo, which offers a free trial.

Tom Leach (play-by-play) and Jack Givens (analyst) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington.

You can also listen online via UKAthletics.com.

Betting odds: Kentucky is a 3 ½-point road underdog (-105) on DraftKings, which set the over/under at 158 ½ points (-112). The money line odds are Kentucky +142, Texas -170.

Oct. 23: exhibition vs. Kentucky Wesleyan ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 123, Kentucky Wesleyan 52
Oct. 29: exhibition vs. Minnesota State Mankato ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 98, Minnesota State Mankato 67
Nov. 4: vs. Wright State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 103, Wright State 62
Nov. 9: vs. Bucknell (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 100, Bucknell 72
Nov. 12: vs. Duke (Champions Classic; State Farm Arena, Atlanta) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 77, Duke 72
Nov. 19: vs. Lipscomb, (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 97, Lipscomb 68
Nov. 22: vs. Jackson State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 108, Jackson State 59
Nov. 26: vs. Western Kentucky (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 87, Western Kentucky 68
Nov. 29: vs. Georgia State (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 105, Georgia State 76
Dec. 3: at Clemson (ACC/SEC Challenge) ∣ SCORE: Clemson 70, Kentucky 66
Dec. 7: vs. Gonzaga (Climate Pledge Arena; Seattle) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 90, Gonzaga 89 (OT)
Dec. 11: vs. Colgate (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 78, Colgate 67
Dec. 14: vs. Louisville (Rupp Arena) ∣ SCORE: Kentucky 93, Louisville 85
Dec. 21: vs. Ohio State (CBS Sports Classic; Madison Square Garden, New York) | SCORE: Ohio State 85, Kentucky 65
Dec. 31: vs. Brown (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 88, Brown 54
Jan. 4: vs. Florida (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 106, Florida 100
Jan. 7: at Georgia | SCORE: Georgia 82, Kentucky 69
Jan. 11: at Mississippi State | SCORE: Kentucky 95, Mississippi State 90
Jan. 14: vs. Texas A&M (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Kentucky 81, Texas A&M 69
Jan. 18: vs. Alabama (Rupp Arena) | SCORE: Alabama 102, Kentucky 97
Jan. 25: at Vanderbilt | SCORE: Vanderbilt 74, Kentucky 69
Jan. 28: at Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 78, Tennessee 73
Feb. 1: vs. Arkansas | SCORE: Arkansas 89, Kentucky 79
Feb. 4: at Ole Miss | SCORE: Ole Miss 98, Kentucky 84
Feb. 8: vs. South Carolina | SCORE: Kentucky 80, South Carolina 57
Feb. 11: vs. Tennessee | SCORE: Kentucky 75, Tennessee 64
Feb. 15: at Texas, 8 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 19: vs. Vanderbilt (Rupp Arena), 7 p.m., SEC Network
Feb. 22: at Alabama, 6 p.m., ESPN
Feb. 26: at Oklahoma, 9 p.m., SEC Network
March 1: vs. Auburn (Rupp Arena), 1/4 p.m., ABC/ESPN
March 4: vs. LSU (Rupp Arena), 7/9 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU
March 8: at Missouri, noon, ESPN/SEC Network

Record: 17-7 (6-5 SEC)

Ansley Almonor (forward, senior)
Koby Brea (guard, graduate)
Lamont Butler (guard, graduate)
Andrew Carr (forward, graduate)
Collin Chandler (guard, freshman)
Grant Darbyshire (guard, junior)
Brandon Garrison (forward, sophomore)
Walker Horn (guard, junior)
Kerr Kriisa (guard, senior)
Trent Noah (forward, freshman)
Otega Oweh (guard, junior)
Travis Perry (guard, freshman)
Jaxson Robinson (guard, graduate)
Amari Williams (center, graduate)

The Longhorns are 15-10 this season, with a 4-8 mark in SEC play.

Kentucky leads the all-time series with Texas, 2-0. The Wildcats won, 86-61, in the first round of the 1993 Maui Invitational. In the 2014 SEC/Big 12 Challenge, top-ranked UK earned a 63-51 victory at Rupp Arena.

Click here to see the Longhorns’ full 2024-25 schedule.

Want to learn the Longhorns’ roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.