The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
6-2,0-0SEC
NC State
5-2,0-0ACC
Men's Basketball defeats No. 23/22 NC State, 102-97
11.27.2025 | Men's Basketball
Pope posts a game-high 28 points to lead the Longhorns to their first ranked win in the Sean Miller era.
MAUI, Hawaii — Senior guard Jordan Pope recorded a game-high 28 points to pace Texas (6-2) to an exciting 102-97 victory over No. 23/22 NC State (5-2) in the fifth-place game at the Southwest Maui Invitational on Wednesday night at the Lahaina Civic Center. The Longhorns earned the first win against an AP-ranked opponent in the Sean Miller era.
Pope, who was one of six Longhorns to reach double-figures in scoring, converted 8-of-15 field goals, including a 7-of-13 mark from three-point range, and 5-of-6 field goals to go along with four assists in 38 minutes. Senior Chendall Weaver tallied 17 points (4-8 FG, 3-5 threes, 6-7 FT), eight rebounds and three assists in 32 minutes, and junior Dailyn Swain, who earned a spot on the five-person Southwest Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team, posted 14 points (6-6 FT), seven assists and six rebounds in 29 minutes.
Sophomore Matas Vokietaitis recorded 13 points (4-4 FG, 5-6 FT) in 25 minutes, while junior Simeon Wilcher tallied 12 points (3-5 threes, 3-4 FT), four boards and two assists in 23 minutes. Junior Camden Heide added 11 points (4-5 FG, 3-4 threes) and five rebounds in 22 minutes. Texas topped the century mark in back-to-back games for the first time since the 2009-10 season.
The Wolf Pack jumped out to an 8-3 advantage after a Ven-Allen Lubin layup at the 16:08 mark, before Texas responded with an 8-2 spurt to take an 11-10 lead following a Weaver layup in transition with 14:29 left. NC State trimmed the margin to 25-23 after a Quadir Copeland layup at the 7:32 mark, and the Longhorns went on a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to build a 35-25 cushion following a Swain breakaway dunk with 4:48 remaining.
A Lubin free throw pulled the Wolf Pack to within 37-28 at the 3:50 mark, before Texas used an 8-2 spurt over the next two-plus minutes to increase its advantage to 45-30 after a Swain dunk in transition with 1:33 left. NC State made late surge to trim the deficit to 47-37 at the break following a Paul McNeil Jr. three-pointer with four seconds remaining.
NC State opened the second half on a 17-6 run over the first 4:51 to cut the gap to 54-53 after a McNeil Jr. three-pointer at the 15:09 mark. The margin stayed within five points for the next eight minutes before the Wolf Pack grabbed a 71-70 lead following an Alyn Breed three-pointer with 7:51 remaining.
Texas immediately responded with a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to build an 80-71 advantage after a Heide three-pointer at the 5:49 mark. NC State trimmed the margin to 89-84 following a Copeland three-point play with 2:04 left, before the Longhorns used an 8-3 spurt over the next 90 seconds to increase their cushion to 97-87 after a pair of Wilcher free throws with 42 seconds remaining. Texas hit 11-of-12 free throws in the final 1:13 to seal the victory.
The Longhorns return to the court when they host Virginia as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Tip time is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Central in Moody Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPNU.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
Texas 102, #23/22 NC State 97
Southwest Maui Invitational 5th-Place Game
November 26, 2025
Lahaina Civic Center (Maui, Hawaii)
Attendance: 2,400
Team Notes
- This marked the first victory against an AP-ranked opponent in the Sean Miller era.
- With the win, Texas earned a fifth-place showing at the Southwest Maui Invitational (2-1 record).
- Texas improved to 12-6 all-time in the Maui Invitational. This marked the sixth appearance for the Longhorns in the tournament.
- The Longhorns improved to 4-2 in the all-time series against NC State.
- Texas topped the century mark for the second-straight night and 117th time in program history. The Longhorns improved to 107-10 all-time when scoring at least 100 points.
- UT topped the 100-point mark in back-to-back games for the first time since the Longhorns posted a 104-42 home win over UT-Pan American on Dec. 15, 2009 and followed with a 103-90 victory against No. 10 North Carolina in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 19, 2009.
- Six different Longhorns reached double-figure scoring in the win.
- Texas converted 55.8-percent (29-52) from the floor, including a 50-percent (16-32) mark from three-point range, and an 84.8-percent (28-33) from the free throw line.
- The Longhorns set team season highs in three-point FG made (16), three-point FG percentage (.500), free throws made (28) and free throw percentage (.848).
- UT registered 18 assists on 29 made field goals and committed just seven turnovers on the night, including just one miscue in the second half.
- The Longhorns tallied a 31-11 advantage in bench scoring and a 24-7 margin in fast-break points.
- UT posted a plus-3 rebound margin (31-28) and has now outrebounded each of its first eight opponents this season.
- Texas converted 60-percent (15-25) from the floor, including an 8-of-13 (.615) mark from three-point range, and 9-of-10 free throws in the opening 20 minutes while building a 47-37 halftime cushion.
- Reached double figures in scoring (11 points) for the second time this year (7 games) and ninth time in his career (82 games)
- Topped the 20-point mark (game-high 28 points) for the first time this season (8 games) and 17th time in his career (107 games)
- His seven 3-pointers were one shy of his career high (8 vs. New Orleans on Dec. 19, 2024)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the sixth time this year and 77th time in his career
- Posted 17 points (6-9 FG, 5-7 threes) in 18 minutes during the first half
- Reached double figures in scoring (14 points) for the eighth time this year (8 games) and 33rd time in his career (71 games)
- His seven assists were one shy of his career high (8 vs. DePaul on Feb. 15, 2025)
- Earned a spot on the five-person Southwest Maui Invitational All-Tournament Team
- Reached double figures in scoring (13 points) for the eighth time this year (8 games) and 26th time in his career (42 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring (season-high 17 points) for the second time this year (8 games) and 31st time in his career (94 games)
- Tied his season high in rebounds (8)
- Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the fourth time this year (8 games) and 18th time in his career (72 games)
