The University of Texas began a competition in men’s basketball in 1906. 

• As of 2018, the Longhorns rank 17th in total victories among all NCAA Division I college basketball programs with 33 appearances in the NCAA tournament, 3 visits to the final 4 (1943, 1947, 2002), 7 visits to the Elite 8, and one National Champion recognition from the Premo-Porretta Power Poll in 1933.

• Texas is second only to Kansas in both all-time wins and all-time win percentage in the Big 12 with 27 conference championships.

• Texas played in two Final Fours and one Elite Eight during the first decade of the NCAA Tournament.

• Texas has the 5th longest winning streak in college basketball history.

1910- 1919  Texas has the 4th highest winning percentage in the USA. 

1913-1914 Season 11-0 – Texas last year as an independent team Coach Theo Bellmont.

Two football players- Clyde Littlefield and Gus “Pig” Dittmar- lead the team, and Littlefield is the first Longhorn basketball player named as an All American.

Littlefield, during his playing years at Texas, led the basketball team to 40 straight victories.

1914 -1915 – Season 14-0 Coach Bellmont

1915- 1916 12- 0 record Coach Roy Henderson



 MOMENT NO. 46
Jan. 15, 1917: Texas defeats Southwest Texas 52-15 in the first game played in the newly-built Men’s Gym. The contest marked the first home game for the Horns to be played indoors. The $9,000 facility was built adjacent to Clark Field with a seating capacity of 2,500. It would serve as the home of the Longhorns for the next 12 years.

5 of the 6 starters are football players

Henderson still holds the Longhorn basketball record with the highest winning Conference percentage for two or more seasons as coach. 

Texas and A & M play against each other for the first time. 

MOMENT NO. 55
Feb. 27, 1917: The Longhorns defeat Texas A&M 24-16 in College Station to capture their third straight SWC Championship. It would be the only time in school history that the Longhorns captured three straight conference championships.

1916-1917 13-3 record  Coach Eugene Van Gent 

44 game winning steak ends with a loss to Rice on January 30th 1917

5TH Longest winning streak in men’s college basketball belongs to the Longhorns

1.UCLA 88 1971-74 John Wooden

2.San Francisco 60 1955-57  Phil Woolpert

3.UCLA 47 1966-68John Wooden

4.UNLV 45 1990-91 Jerry Tarkanian

5.Texas 44 1913-17 Theo Bellmont, Roy Henderson, Eugene Van Gent

USA enters WWI

1919-1920 17-3 Record  Coach Roy Henderson

Texas wins the “state championship” on the last game against the Aggies.   The team was composed of military men with their releases from the war effort. Ensign Al DeViney and  Captain Greer joined the team

1921-1922 20-4 RECORD  COACH THEO BELLMONT  

MOMENT NO. 69
Jan. 6, 1922: The Longhorns open the 1921-22 season with a resounding 55-10 home win against Southwest Texas. The contest marks the first time that the UT players take the court with the word “Texas” on their jerseys.

 1923 – 1924 23-0 record “Doc” Stewart

This is the last team in school history to go undefeated.

MOMENT NO. 76
Mar. 8, 1924: Texas posts a 17-11 victory against archrival Texas A&M in College Station. The win clinches the fourth and final undefeated season in school history, as the Horns register a 23-0 record. Texas also claims the SWC championship with a 20-0 record.

Coach Stewart Implements an offense that focuses on ball movement with minimal dribbling and man to man defense

Albert “Abb” Curtis, During His Senior Year At The University Of Texas, Played On Undefeated Teams In Football And Basketball And Was The School’s No. 1 Scholar-Athlete. Curtis Was Inducted Into The Texas Sports Hall Of Fame In 1973.

MOMENT NO. 58
Feb. 26, 1924: Texas makes its first trip to Fayetteville, Ark., and tops the Razorbacks 30-26. The game was the first of 149 games in the series against Arkansas. The following night the Longhorns defeated the Razorbacks again 32-21.

1927-1928 – Record 18-2 Fred Walker



According To Longhorn Hoops, The History Of Texas Basketball By Richard Pennington Coach Walker Is Accused Of Taking Some Of The Texas Player’s Complimentary Tickets And Selling Them For His Own Benefit. Some Of The Team Members Ask The UT Administration To Dismiss Coach Walker. Captain Bull Elkins Refuses To Play Any More Games For Coach Walker. 

1932-1933 22-1  Coach Ed Olle

Jerry Gray changes basketball shooting technique forever by shooting with just one hand instead of two.

“Premo-Porretta National Champs

Gray is the first Longhorn to score more than 300 points in a season.

A TCU coach attributes some of his success to a new idea called “recruiting” instead of selecting players thru tryouts and scouting the intramural leagues.  

MOMENT NO. 40
Mar. 4, 1933: The Longhorns defeat Texas A&M 51-20 in Gregory Gym to claim their sixth SWC Championship and first since 1924. Texas finished the season 22-1. Since then, no Longhorn team has finished with a better overall record.

1942-1943 19-7 record Coach H.C. Gilstrap

MOMENT NO. 6
March 26, 1943: Texas tops Washington 59-55 in the NCAA Western Regional in Kansas City. Since the NCAA Tournament used an eight-team field, the win advances the Longhorns to the National Semifinals (regional final). It marks the Horn’s first of three appearances in what becomes the Final Four. UT’s season comes to an end with a 58-54 loss to Wyoming on March 28.

SWC Co-Champions

The 1942 Longhorns advanced to the NCAA tournament and beat the Washington Huskies before losing to the ultimate winners of the National Championship – Wyoming Cowboys.  John Hargis scored  59 points in two games to set a record that was once established at 43 points. 

John Hargis was Texas’ star on the 1943 roster and he came through in the NCAA Tournament to score 59 points in the Horns’ two games. He finished with a tournament-record 30 points in the first-round contest.

But it was a 17-year-old freshman Roy Cox who helped Texas notch its first tourney win. Cox cut through the Washington defense for a layup that gave Texas a lead it would not relinquish. The Horns won, 59-55, and were one win away from punching their ticket to the tournament final in New York.

Hargis nearly surpassed his own NCAA Tournament scoring record in the West Region but Wyoming won 58-54 and ultimately won the national championship against Georgetown, 46-34.

1946- 1947 26-2   COACH GRAY

MOMENT NO. 2
March 25, 1947: The Longhorns defeat City College of New York 54-50 in Madison Square Garden in the NCAA Third-Place Game. This marks the highest national finish in school history. UT’s legendary “Mighty Mice” team, featuring three starters 5-10 or shorter, posts a 26-2 mark, the best record in the country.

One Of The Best Teams In Texas Basketball History. The Horns Had The Best Record In The Country Going Into Tournament Play.

The Mighty Mice – Al Madsen, Slater Martin, And Roy Cox All Under 5’11” In Height Lead The Team. 

John Hargis Plays An Important Role In The 1942-1943 And 1946-1947 Teams. 

Texas 42, Wyoming 40 March 21, 1947, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City

Hall of Famer Slater Martin helped Texas tear through the Southwest Conference in 1947, as the Longhorns went 24-1 overall and 12-0 in SWC play.

The Longhorns got revenge against Wyoming and, although it took four years, Hargis was there to help. Following the 1942-43 basketball season, Hargis enlisted in the Marines and served for three years before returning to school and the Horns’ hoops roster.

Back on the team, Hargis made up half of a dynamic duo with guard Slater Martin. Both went on to play in the NBA, but Martin made the greater impact at the game’s highest level. In professional ball, Martin teamed with George Mikan on the Minneapolis Lakers as they won four NBA championships between 1950 and 1954. Martin added a fifth ring with the St. Louis Hawks in 1958 and entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1982.

With Hargis and Martin leading the way, the Horns tore through the SWC in 1947, winning all 12 of their league games and compiling a 24-1 record during the regular season.

In the playoffs, Texas got revenge against Wyoming winning 42-40, but lost a heart breaker to Oklahoma. Oklahoma prevailed on a jump shot in the waning seconds of the game. The Sooners’ won 55-54. The game was characterized as “one of the fiercest cage battles ever witnessed in a regional playoff “ by the AP’s Kansas City bureau.

Slater Nelson “Dugie” Martin Jr. sets a scoring record in 1949 with 49 points in a game against TCU. Martin is inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on May 3, 1982. He is the only Longhorn to be so honored. His jersey number 15 is retired by the University of Texas on January 31, 2009, making him the second Longhorn basketball player to have his number retired. He is also the first Longhorn to play in the NBA.

The 1947 UT basketball team in their Gregory Gym locker room after defeating Arkansas for the SWC championship. From the left, Tom Hamilton, John Hargis, Al Madsen (back), Slater Martin, coach Jack Gray (front), Roy Cox, Dan Wagner, and John Langdon.

1947-1948 20-5 RECORD COACH GRAY NIT QUARTERFINALS

NIT Invitation But Lost To NYU In The Last Second. Team Led The Nation In Free Throw Shooting With A .730 Average. (351 Of 481 Shots)

1959-1960 18-8 RECORD COACH HAROLD BRADLEY- SWEET 16

MOMENT NO. 43
Feb. 29, 1960: Led by Jay Arnette and Albert Almanza, the Longhorns defeat Rice 86-62 to clinch their 12th SWC Championship in school history and their first outright title since 1947. The Longhorns finished the season with an 18-8 record, marking one of the biggest turnarounds in school history after a 4-20 mark in 1958-59. Texas would finish the season in the NCAA “Sweet 16.”

 MOMENT NO. 59
Feb. 16, 1960: The Longhorns defeat No. 11 Texas A&M 79-62 as Jay Arnette scores 25 points and Albert Almanza adds 18. The victory marks the highest-ranked opponent that UT ever beat in the 47-year history of play in Gregory Gym.

Coach Bradley Is One Of The First Texas Coaches That Thinks  Offering A Scholarship Is  Good For Both The School And Athlete. 

Since SWC Is A Weak  College Basketball Conference Professional Sports In Texas  Jeopardized Fan Allegiance To The College Game.  

Sweet 16 Appearance 

MOMENT NO. 53
Jan. 5, 1960: Jay Arnette’s driving lay-up beats SMU 58-56. The victory sets the tone for an 11-3 mark in Southwest Conference play and helps the Longhorns post their first winning season in six years and first outright league title since 1946-47.

1962-1963   21-5 RECORD    COACH BRADLEY

Lou Maysel from the Austin American Statesman called Bradley ” a cage magician…{who has} transformed a dozen bumpkins into impressive-looking chargers who look like they might run away with the SWC.”

Bad sportsmanship reaches its peak. After Texas beats A & M in Austin, Longhorn fans taunt the Aggies and hand-to-hand combat ensues.   Doctors are called to treat the wounded.  The administration from both universities considers changing future games to a neutral site.

MOMENT NO. 25
Mar. 9, 1963: Texas defeats favored Texas Western 65-47 in Lubbock to claim its second appearance in the NCAA “Sweet 16” in a four-year span. Mike Humphrey led the way with 18 points and 10 boards while John Paul Fultz added 16.

1971-1972 19-9 RECORD   COACH BLACK – CO-CHAMPS WITH SMU FOR THE SWC- SWEET 16 APPEARANCE

MOMENT NO. 92
Jan. 22, 1972: Larry Robinson hits a 15-foot jumper with one second left to lift Texas to a 77-75 victory at Baylor.

While All Of Larry Robinson’s Records Have Been Eclipsed, At One Time He Held Most Of The Scoring And Rebounding Records At Texas. Twice SWC Player Of The Year And He Scored Double Digits In 59 Of 64 Games.  

 Jimmy Blacklock

Despite being demoted at the end of the 1972 season, Jimmy Blacklock’s career at Texas was a success. He and Larry Robinson helped paved the way for the full integration of the University of Texas Athletics program.

Blacklock played for the Globetrotters for 13 years.

Horns have their best non-conference record ever.  Redshirts Groscurth and Wilson returned to the team to join Blacklock and Robinson.  This year a mid-season slump did not slow down the Horns. 

Texas Football Players Are Accused Of Attacking Some A & M Cadets at a basketball game. 

Larry Robinson Is SWC Player Of The Year

Texas Upsets The Houston Cougars In NCAA Tournament Play. It one Of The Biggest Wins In Texas Basketball History. Robinson played 35 minutes on the broken foot, scoring 23 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.

Brosterhous (shoulder), Lynn Howden (ankle), Scooter Lenox (ankle), and Robinson were all banged up for the Midwest Regionals with Louisville, Kansas State, and Southwestern Louisiana in Ames, Iowa. In his preview, Sports Illustrated’s Curry Kirkpatrick wrote that the Midwest Regional “is the battle of the four C’s – the Cards, Cats, Cajuns – and Cripples.”

Coach Black had to resort to a zone defense to play Howden and Robinson for any length of time. The Wildcats pulled away in the last 4 minutes for a 66-55 win.

 MOMENT NO. 10
March 11, 1972: Larry Robinson posts 23 points and grabs 14 rebounds despite playing on a broken foot as Texas upsets No. 19 Houston 85-74 in an NCAA First Round game in Las Cruces, N.M. The win was one of the most important of the Southwest Conference era, which had been dominated by the Cougars’ rise to prominence in the late 1960s.

1977-1978 26-5 RECORD COACH LEMONS “PEOPLE THOUGHT WE WERE A SHIP OF FOOLS, A MCHALE’S NAVY BUT WE HAD DISCIPLINE” AND WON THE NIT CHAMPIONSHIP. 

MOMENT NO. 17
End of 1977-78 season: After guiding the Longhorns to the Postseason NIT title, Abe Lemons is named National Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). Lemons is the only coach in UT history to earn National Coach of the Year honors.

The link to John’s podcast is below.

https://www.texaslsn.org/john-carsey-basketball-under-coach-black-and-coach-lemons-1

John says, “One of Coach Lemons’ motivational tools was using each practice between games as a “tryout” for the next game. Nobody’s “job” was secure. We scrimmaged with the starters from the last game, wearing white jerseys and the rest in orange. If at any time during practice, Coach felt that an orange-jersey player was more deserving at that moment of starting the next game, he would have that player switch jerseys with whichever player in a white jersey he felt was faltering. Whichever five were wearing white jerseys at the end of the last practice before the next game were the starters for that game.



Coach Lemons being a promoter was quick to understand that the Longhorn fans “wanted more than just a game, and he gave them what they wanted. His T.V. show was an absolute hit with the Horn fans.   

Abe Lemmons signs Tyron Branyon who Abe says is too slow and can’t jump, but “he knows how to win.” In the Texas miracle win over Houston in 1977, Tyron hits 6 of 8 free throws and finishes the game with 16 points and ten rebounds. 

Ovie Dotson joined the Harlem Globetrotters after he graduated from Texas.  

Texas ends its first year in the Frank Erwin Center as the first SWC team to win the NIT. Brayan and Krivac scored a total of 49 points in the semi-finals in the NIT championship game. Johnny Moore, Ron Baxter, and Krivac scored 81 points in the finals against NC State. 

This year, athletic budget cutbacks occurred even though 37 million dollars were allocated to swimming, baseball, and basketball facilities. The women’s athletic department was hurt the worse.   

MOMENT NO. 26

Jan. 14, 1978: Johnny Moore records 20 points and eight assists while three other Longhorns post double-digit scoring efforts to lift Texas to a 75-69 upset over No. 3 Arkansas in the Erwin Center. This marks the highest-ranked AP opponent that the Horns have beaten at home in school history.

Longhorns reach’s #15 In The AP Polls. This Is The first time for the Longhorns in the top 20 Since 1949.

It is the Longhorns first 20 game winning season since 1963

Most points scored in Texas history (148) against Northern Montana.  

 Texas Plays Army And Coach Lemons Say “If Anybody Could Spell His Name, The Army Guy Would Be Coach Of The Year.” Army Coach Krzyzewski is the future Head Coach for Duke. 

Texas beats Houston twice during the season but loses to them in the SWC tournament. Lemons says, “We play 16 games to see who wins it, then turn around and play a tournament to see who loses it. 

12 Games At Gregory In 1977 Net $55,000. 8 Games In The New Arena In 1977 Net $275,000.

Abe Lemmons is still the only Longhorns men’s basketball coach to win the National Coach of the Year’s honor. 

The NIT President tells Lemons that if the Longhorns beat Temple, the Horns will play their next Opponent in the Drum in Austin. Someone with lesser status with the NIT promises Nebraska that their home court would be used. Lemons refuses to flip a coin for the home court with Nebraska, and their fans were livid. One member of the Nebraska Board of Directors says, “his school should break athletic ties with Texas.” Abe responds, “I didn’t know we had any.”

MOMENT NO. 4
March 21, 1978: Texas defeats North Carolina State 101-93 to capture the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) championship at Madison Square Garden. Jim Krivacs records 33 points and nine assists, while Ron Baxter adds 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Horns to the title. Baxter and Krivacs share MVP honors for the tournament.

Abe trying to put his 1978 basketball schedule together after winning the NIT in 1977, says to potential opponents, “If you think we’re easy, get on our schedule. ” “Come on down and pick-up up an easy win.” “6 of the teams that agreed to play Texas in 1978 canceled their commitment after the 1977 Longhorns shocked the world. 

 1978-1979 21-8 RECORD – COACH LEMONS

Jim Krivacs made 681 points in 1979.

MOMENT NO. 38
Jan. 12, 1979: Jim Krivacs scores 21 points, and Johnny Moore adds 17 as the Longhorns defeat No. 10 Arkansas 66-63 in Fayetteville. The win marked the first over a Top 25 opponent on the road.

 Texas ends #3 Arkansas’ 35 game winning streak in Fayetteville.

Texas average attendance of 15,886 Is a record that has not been surpassed as Of 2015. The fans love him and his coaching style.

Abe Lemons promotes Johnny Moore for All American.  

          MOMENT NO. 29
End of 1978-79 season: Guard Jim Krivacs becomes the first and only UT player to earn Academic All-America honors. Krivacs also is awarded an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, becoming just the second player in school history to garner that accolade (Harry Larrabee in 1974).

MOMENT NO. 75
Nov. 27, 1978: Texas records a 148-71 win against Northern Montana in its home opener. The Longhorns set school team records that still stand today for points in a game, points scored in the first half (74), points scored in the second half (74) and field goals made (56). Johnny Moore also sets the UT single-game mark for assists with 19 during the win, a record that still stands today (Moore later tied his own mark with 19 assists against Oklahoma State on Dec. 9, 1978).

1988-1989 – 25-9  COACH TOM PENDERS

MOMENT NO. 42
March 17, 1989: Travis Mays scores a team-high 23 points as No. 11 seed Texas upsets sixth-seeded Georgia Tech 76-70 in an NCAA First Round game at Reunion Arena in Dallas. The victory marks the first NCAA Tournament win for the Longhorns in 17 years, since an 85-74 win against No. 19 Houston on March 11, 1972. 

Second place in the conference in Penders first year. First NCAA appearance in 10 years.

Travis Mays

This team holds the Longhorn record for most points scored- 3205, and Most Personal Fouls – 783.

MOMENT NO. 72
Dec. 30, 1989: In a homecoming game for Travis Mays (native of Ocala, Fla.),

Attendance At Games Reached A 10 Year High rising from 4,028 in 1987 to 10,011 Per Game in 1988.

Mike Lacy, a graduate assistant coach, is hired to monitor the study hall for the players. The GPA increases from 1.9 to 2.4. 

 MOMENT NO. 60
March 10, 1989: Travis Mays hits both ends of a one-and-one with three seconds remaining in overtime to give Texas a 93-91 win against SMU in an SWC Tournament quarterfinal contest at Reunion Arena in Dallas. Joey Wright adds 36 points off the bench for the Longhorns, a mark that still stands as the most points scored off the bench in UT history. The Horns beat TCU 93-89 in overtime the following evening in the semifinals before falling to Arkansas in the SWC Tournament championship game.

MOMENT NO. 82
Jan. 14, 1989: Joey Wright follows his own miss with a tip-in at the buzzer to give Texas an 88-86 win at Houston before an ESPN national television audience. The Horns go on to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid in 10 seasons later that year.

1989-1990

24-9 COACH PENDERS  THE RUNNING HORNS- ELITE 8

MOMENT NO. 14
March 18, 1990: Guillermo “Panama” Myers blocks a field goal attempt by Tony Jones to preserve a 73-72 upset over No. 10 Purdue in an NCAA Second Round game at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Travis Mays converted two free throws with seven seconds left to give the Horns a one-point advantage heading into the final sequence. With the win, UT advanced to the NCAA “Sweet 16” for the first time since the tourney expanded to 64 teams.

The Horn basketball team is setting attendance records and getting great media coverage, but those responsible for ranking teams are not convinced the team is that good and will not place the Horns in the top 25. The biggest fear is that another university would hire Penders – Virginia, Florida, or North Carolina State. UT administration steps up and gives Penders a new 7-year contract worth $750,000 a year. The Horns have 11 – 100 point games.

Blanks Is 3rd Leading Scorer In The SWC But Does Not Make The First Or Second Team All-SWC.

Nolan Richards-The Coach Of Arkansas- Does Not Like A Referee’s Decision In The Longhorn Game And Exits The Arena While The Game Is In Process. This Action is  Tagged As The “Strollin’ Nolan”. Coach Penders Ask The Referee’s To Call A Technical On Nolan But To No Avail. Arkansas Wins The Game in overtime. 



Nolan Strollin’ Is At “6:38” In The Video Below.

But the Penders-Richardson spat is really a semi-feud. They know that powerful offenses attract a TV audience. Penders Texas teams are on On National T.V. 5 Times. 

MOMENT NO. 54
Feb. 11, 1990: Travis Mays becomes the first player in UT history to reach the 2,000-point plateau on a lay-up with 16:30 left in the first half of an 85-77 win over TCU. Mays finishes his four-year career with 2,279 points in 124 games.

MOMENT NO. 19
March 16, 1990: Travis Mays posts 44 points to lead the 10th-seeded Longhorns to a 100-88 victory against No. 7 seed Georgia in an NCAA First Round game at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. Mays’ 44 points remain a school record for most points in an NCAA Tournament contest. He converted 23-of-27 free throws during the game. His marks for free throws made and free throws attempted are still tied for the most ever in an NCAA Tournament game.

 THE HOGS WERE IN HEAVEN

MOMENT NO. 9
March 22, 1990: Texas rallies from a 16-point deficit with 18:55 left (57-41) to top No. 25 Xavier 102-89 in a NCAA Regional semifinal at Reunion Arena in Dallas. Lance Blanks scores 26 of his 28 points in the second half to lead the comeback. Travis Mays posts a game-high 32 points, while Joey Wright adds 26 in the winning effort. The victory advanced the Horns to the “Elite Eight” for the first time since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. 

Texas is within 3 points of making the Final 4 but loses to Arkansas in the Midwest Regional final 88-85. Penders does not like playing in Fayetteville any more than Abe Lemons did. Penders refers to the town as “Fayettenam.”

First time in Longhorn history the Horns make back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances.

1993-1994  26-8   COACH PENDERS IS BACK ON TOP



Texas, Texas A & M, Baylor, and Texas Tech accept a deal to join the Big 12. The SWC dissolves two years later. 

After 19 years without winning the SWC tournament, Texas finally wins. 

B.J. Tyler was the player of the year in the SWC.

1994-1995  23-7  COACH PENDERS

MOMENT NO. 45
Mar. 11, 1995: In a contest considered by many to be the greatest game in Southwest Conference history, the Longhorns post a 107-104 overtime win against Texas Tech to win the SWC Tournament title. Freshman Brandy Perryman hit a clutch three-pointer to tie the game at 92-92 with 14 seconds left in regulation, and Terrence Rencher blocked a last-second field goal attempt by Mark Davis to force overtime. The Horns did not miss a shot during the extra session en route to their second straight SWC Tournament crown.

B.J. Tyler leads the SWC in scoring. Tyler made Coach Penders a believer. He said “Tyler was the best defensive and offensive player and raised everyone’s level of play. ” “He is one of the top players in the game and one of the best players I have ever coached. “

The Toronto Raptors selected Tyler in the 1995 expansion draft. According to journalist Chris Young’s book Drive, Tyler accidentally fell asleep with a pack of ice on his ankle, causing severe nerve damage. Robbed of the speed that his game was based on, he was subsequently forced to retire.

Texas losing streak against top 25 opponents increases to 13 in a row.

Coach Penders, son, plays an important role for the longhorns during this season. 

Terrence Rencher beats Travis Mays scoring record and finishes his career with 2,306 points making him both the school’s and the SWC’s All-time career scorer as of 1994. 

  MOMENT NO. 34
March 16, 1995: Terrence Rencher tallies 19 points in a 90-73 win against Oregon in the First Round of the NCAA tournament to become the all-time leading scorer in UT history. Rencher concludes his four-year career with 2,306 points in 124 games.

2002-2003 26-7 RECORD UNDER COACH BARNES FINAL 4

T.J. Ford



MOMENT NO. 41
Dec. 2, 2002: Texas climbs to No. 2 in both The Associated Press poll and the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. This marks the highest ranking in both polls in school history (before the 2005-06 season).

Horns reach The Final 4 For The 3rd time In Longhorn basketball history. First was Bully Gilstrap’s team in 1942 and then Jack Gray’s team in 1946.

This basketball team ties the school record for most wins @ 26.  

T. J. Ford  Receives The Naismith College Player Of The Year; John R. Wooden Award; Sporting News Men’s College Basketball Player Of The Year; CBS/Chevrolet National Player Of The Year; SI.Com National Player Of The Year; And Espn.Com Player Of The Year.

February 9, 2002, the Longhorn basketball wins their 1500 game in the history of the program.

ESPN and AP rank the Longhorns during the year as Number 2.  It is the highest-ranking ever for Longhorn basketball, and the first time the Longhorns receive a Number one seed. 

T.J. Ford National Player of the Year

MOMENT NO. 50
Mar. 17, 2002: Royal Ivey hits a pair of free throws with eight seconds left to lift Texas to a 68-64 victory against Mississippi State in an NCAA Second Round contest at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. The win sends the Longhorns to the “Sweet 16” for the third time since the tourney expanded to 64 teams.

The Longhorns are relatively small but 6’8″ sophomore center James
Thomas had some good number after Owen’s injury the year before. . Though only a sophomore, “He really filled the void for us, and he’s just scratched the surface of his talent,” says Texas coach Rick Barnes. Height is also on the way from freshman 6’8″ forward Brad Buckman.

 Brandon Mouton is the leading scorer in three of their five tournament games with 25 points against Syracuse’s loss in the Final Four semis.

2003-2004 25-8 RECORD COACH BARNES

MOMENT NO. 5
April 12, 2003: T.J. Ford concludes his collegiate career by capturing the John R. Wooden Player of the Year award in a formal ceremony at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. One day earlier, Ford receives the Naismith Award during a banquet in Atlanta. Ford becomes the first person in UT history to earn National Player of the Year honors.

The Seniors On This Team Win The Most Games In School History (98)

Team Makes Sweet 16 But Loses To Xavier.

MOMENT NO. 87
Jan. 17, 2004: Royal Ivey hits a 16-foot fade-away jumper with 2.4 seconds left to give No. 18 Texas a 63-61 victory against Nebraska at the Erwin Center.

Barnes says Mouton “might have improved as much as any player that 
I’ve ever coached, and he has become an iron man.”

MOMENT NO. 37
Jan. 5, 2004: P.J. Tucker goes coast-to-coast and drops a five-foot finger roll through the basket as time expires in overtime to lift No. 18 Texas to a 79-77 win at No. 25 Providence before an ESPN national television audience. With the score tied at 77-77 and 3.7 seconds left in overtime, Tucker took the inbounds pass in the UT backcourt, drove the ball to mid-court, used a behind-the-back dribble to cut to the middle of the floor, and then drove to the basket. Officials reviewed the play for 10 minutes using television replays before determining that Tucker’s shot had left his right hand before the red light behind the backboard (used to determine the game clock’s official ending) lit up. Barnes signs three McDonald’s All Americans LaMarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, and Mike Williams. Many thought this was the best recruiting class in the country in 2004.

Freshman Daniel Gibson leads the Longhorns in scoring, assists, and steals. Gibson is no Ford look alike. Gibson has his own style as a playmaker, gunner, and long-range threat.

MOMENT NO. 56
Jan. 13, 2004: P.J. Tucker tallies a team-high 21 points and seven rebounds to lead the Horns to a 94-81 upset over No. 4 Wake Forest at the Erwin Center before an ESPN2 national television audience. UT defeated the second-highest AP ranked opponent at home in school history. Texas has beaten the No. 3 ranked team twice before at the Erwin Center.

Two starters are lost after the team was off to a great start with a 14-3 record. Freshman forward LaMarcus Aldridge suffered a hip injury, and sophomore swingman P.J. Tucker was declared academically ineligible.

Brandon can never replace T.J. Ford, but Royal Ivey will take some pressure off of him. The Horns have a deep and talented frontcourt and will be one of the best in the nation.
“Getting to the Final Four was a great experience, but we’re not satisfied with that,” says Mouton. “It gave us a taste of what 
could be.” Now all they need is for someone to make them mad. –K.A.

MOMENT NO. 8
April 5, 2003: Texas falls to eventual national champion Syracuse 95-84 in the National Semifinals in UT’s first appearance in modern history at the Final Four. The teams play in front of 54,432 fans at the Superdome in New Orleans, marking the largest crowd ever to see a Texas basketball game.

MOMENT NO. 1
March 30, 2003: Texas players and coaches cut down the nets in San Antonio’s Alamodome following an 85-76 victory against Michigan State in the NCAA South Regional final. The game is played before a pro-Longhorn crowd of 30,169. The victory sends the Horns to the Final Four for the third time in school history and first since 1947, a span of 56 years.

MOMENT NO. 13
March 8, 2003: T.J. Ford scores 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half to rally the No. 4 Longhorns from a 15-point deficit to a 76-71 win against fifth-ranked Oklahoma in Norman. Texas trailed 58-43 with 13:48 left before a Brian Boddicker three-pointer ignites the comeback. The contest marks the first time in school history that UT had been involved in a match-up of two AP Top Five teams.

2005-2006  30-7 RECORD UNDER COACH BARNES-Elite 8

Happy 100th birthday

Longhorns Have First 30 Game Win Season And The Seniors On This Team replace The 2004 Team As The Winningest Team In School History (101).

LaMarcus HOH and Big 12 Freshman of the Year

2006 25-10 UNDER COACH BARNES

Ed Reese (the Texas swimming coach)  gives Barnes some coaching advice that improves Barnes’s coaching style. 

Kevin Durant is the first freshman ever to win a National Player of the year award.  He wins all 10 of the awards presented in 2007. He receives the  Naismith College Player of the Year; John R. Wooden Award; USBWA Oscar Robertson Trophy; Adolph Rupp Trophy; Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year, NABC Play of the Year, Sporting News Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year; CBS/Chevrolet National Player of the Year; SI.Com National Player of the Year; and Espn.com Player of the Year. He is also selected for the Olympic team in 2012.

2007- 2008 31-7 RECORD UNDER COACH BARNES

D.J. AUGUSTIN – ALL AMERICAN AND WINS THE BOB COUSY AWARD

The year before Augustin was eclipsed by the great Kevin Durant. ” But without Durant, Augustin is the floor leader chosen by Rick Barnes.

Augustin lost 20 pounds and spent a considerable time in the gym planning to lead the Horns after Durant was drafted. Barnes respected his work ethic and rewarded him with more floor leadership responsibility in 2007.

It is fair to say that the 2007 team was more balanced without Durant. Augustin the field general, A.J. Abrams, and Connor Atchley points per game in 2007 were higher than when Durant dominated the court.

2008-2009 23-12 RECORD UNDER COACH BARNES

This Is The Only Season In The History Of Texas Basketball That Texas Is  Number 1 In A Weekly National Poll. 

2009 24-10 RECORD UNDER COACH BARNES

This year begins with dreams of greatness winning their first 17 games but ends in despair as the Horns fall in the first round with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime to Wake Forest. Ranked #1 for the first time in the history of Longhorn sports in a poll life was grand until January 18, 2010. Losses to Kansas State and then Connecticut start the downward trend. Losses continued to Baylor and Texas A & M. Texas made history with this team. The Horns are the 5th #1 to fall out of the top 25 in the same season.

2010-2011  28-7 RECORD COACH BARNES PENDING