Texas christened its new Moody Center on Wednesday night with a momentous victory in its first major test against a ranked opponent since the venue opened earlier this year. Behind a career night from Tyrese Hunter, who finished with 26 points, the Longhorns routed No. 2 Gonzaga in a 93-74 loss, showing their strengths as one of the best and most entertaining teams in college basketball .
Gonzaga hung in early and even led for a while in the first half, but the Zags quickly found themselves late as Longhorns fans lit up the arena to help their team get a 10-point lead at the half. Texas never trailed from there and stretched its lead to 23 in the second half before finishing with a 19-point margin of victory. The loss was Gonzaga’s most lopsided by total margin since a 23-point loss against Arizona in March 2014.
Everything seemed to be going well for Texas, and conversely, the wheels fell off the wagon (and by then the wagon was sitting on cinder blocks in the middle of the intersection) for Gonzaga. Texas rained down 13 3s on 33 attempts, didn’t miss a free throw until late (finishing 12-of-16 from the line) and persistently pressured the Zags into fouling on the perimeter. That was the genesis of Gonzaga’s struggles: It committed 20 turnovers on the night, 11 of them in the first half, of which Texas converted into 27 points. One turnover in particular was part of a frantic Texas sequence that nearly blew the lid off the Moody Center.
Gonzaga coach Mark Few said in the preseason that he thought his team’s non-conference schedule was the most ambitious he could remember, and Wednesday was just one example of that challenge. It came just five days after surviving a close batter against a carrier against Michigan State and heads into a big matchup on Nov. 20 against No. 4 Kentucky.
With the win, Texas ties a program record for its highest-ranked AP opponent defeated; their last win over an AP No. 2 team was against rival Oklahoma in 2009.