The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Basketball falls at Auburn, 88-82
01.28.2026 | Men's Basketball
Swain posts a team-high 30 points in Wednesday’s loss on the road.
AUBURN, Ala. — Junior guard/forward Dailyn Swain recorded a team-high 30 points, but Texas (12-9, 3-5 SEC) dropped a hard-fought 88-82 decision at Auburn (14-7, 5-3 SEC) on Wednesday night in Neville Arena. This marked UT's first contest at Auburn since Feb. 11, 1911, when the Longhorns played their first game east of the Mississippi River in program history.
Swain converted 10-of-16 field goals, including a career-high 4-of-7 from three-point range, and 6-of-7 free throws to go along with seven rebounds and four assists in 37 minutes. Junior Camden Heide recorded 17 points (6-7 FG, 5-6 FT) in a career-best 38 minutes. Sophomore Matas Vokietaitis tallied 12 points (3-3 FG, 6-9 FT) and five rebounds in 30 minutes, and senior Jordan Pope added 12 points (4-5 FT) and three assists in 34 minutes.
Free throw shooting and fouls proved to the difference in the contest. Auburn converted 29-of-39 from the free throw line, while the Longhorns hit 18-of-23 from the line. In the second half, the Tigers made 22-of-28 from the free throw line.
Auburn took a 5-3 lead after a pair of Keyshawn Hall free throws at the 18:05 mark, before the Longhorns used an 8-0 spurt over the next two minutes to grab an 11-5 advantage following a Tramon Mark steal and dunk with 15:58 left. The Tigers trimmed the deficit to 17-12 after a Sebastian Williams-Adams layup at the 11:20 mark, before Texas responded with a 10-1 run over the next two-plus minutes to build a 27-13 cushion following a Swain jumper with 9:01 remaining.
A pair of Pope free throws gave the Longhorns a 31-18 advantage at the 5:13 mark, but the Tigers used a 10-2 spurt to pull within 33-28 after a Tahaad Pettiford three-pointer with 2:27 left. Auburn cut the margin to 40-34 following a four-point play from Hall with seven seconds remaining, before a pair of Swain free throws in the final second gave Texas a 42-34 lead at the break. The Longhorns hit 56.5-percent (13-23) from the floor, including an 8-of-14 (.571) mark from three-point range, and 8-of-10 free throws in the opening 20 minutes.
Texas built a 47-37 advantage after a Mark layup at the 18:15 mark, before the Tigers used a 15-5 run over the next five-plus minutes to even the score at 52-52 following an Elyjah Freeman jumper with 12:54 left. A pair of Swain free throws tied the contest at 60-60 at the 8:22 mark, but Auburn went on a 12-4 run over the next four minutes to build a 72-64 cushion after a pair of Hall free throws with 4:36 remaining.
The Tigers took an 81-71 lead following a pair of Kevin Overton free throws at the 1:32 mark, before the Longhorns used a 7-1 spurt to climb to within 82-78 after a pair of Vokietaitis free throws with 36 seconds left. That was as close as Texas could get down the stretch, as Auburn hit 4-of-4 free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal the victory.
Texas is back on the court when it travels to face Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 31. Tip is set for 1 p.m. Central in Lloyd Noble Center, and the game will be televised nationally by ESPN2.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
Auburn 88, Texas 82
January 28, 2026
Neville Arena (Auburn, Ala.)
Attendance: 9,121
Team Notes
- Texas dropped to 1-3 in the all-time series against Auburn.
- Tonight's contest marked the first time Texas had played at Auburn since Feb. 11, 1911. That contest was the first game the Longhorns played east of the Mississippi River in program history.
- The Longhorns held the lead for a total time of 26:22.
- Texas posted a plus-3 (26-23) rebound margin and has now outrebounded 18 of its first 21 opponents.
- Auburn hit 29-of-39 from the free throw line, while UT went 18-of-23 from the line.
- Texas converted 52.0-percent (26-50) from the line, including a 46.2-percent (12-26) mark from three-point range, on the night.
- The Longhorns registered a 24-20 advantage in points in the paint.
- Texas converted 56.5-percent (13-23) from the floor, including an 8-of-14 (.571) mark from three-point range, and 8-of-10 (.800) free throws in the opening 20 minutes while building a 42-34 halftime lead.
- Reached double figures in scoring (17 points) for the sixth time this year (20 games) and 13th time in his career (95 games)
- Set a career high in minutes (38)
- Hit 5-of-6 from three-point range, just one shy of his career high for three-point field goals mad
- Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the 16th time this year (21 games) and 87th time in his career (120 games)
- Set his career high in three-point field goals made (4-7), previous: 3 while at Xavier vs. Illinois (March 21, 2025)
- Reached the 30-point mark (30 points) for the second time this season (21 games), second time in SEC play this year and second time in his career (84 games)
- Topped the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season, fourth time in SEC play this year and seventh time in his career
- Reached double figures in scoring for the 19th time this year and 44th time in his career
- Reached double figures in scoring (12 points) for the 17th time this year (21 games) and 35th time in his career (55 games)
