Tre Johnson’s stellar freshman season at Texas has ended with a First Four loss to the Xavier Musketeers. Although the Longhorns led for most of the game, partly to do with Johnson’s terrific shot-making, head coach Rodney Terry’s team could not hold on and have been eliminated from March Madness. In what will almost certainly be Johnson’s last game in a Texas Longhorns jersey, he had an impressive offensive night despite the loss.
Tre Johnson Showcases Offensive Talent in March Madness
Superstar freshman Tre Johnson has been subject to a lot of praise this season, with former Texas star Kevin Durant even admitting that he “sees some similarities” between him and Johnson. While Durant might be the highest possible bar to reach, Johnson nonetheless has displayed extreme talent on offense throughout the season.
The young man from Garland, Texas averaged 19.8 points per game, leading the SEC in scoring, which is no small feat given the conference’s incredible depth and strength. Johnson shot just under 40% from deep on the year on almost 7 attempts per game, and showed a natural ability to make tough jump shots. While far from perfect, Johnson’s abilities have NBA scouts excited beyond belief.
Johnson will almost certainly leave Texas after this season to join the NBA. He figures to be a top 6 pick in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft, with some experts even having him in the top 3 prospects.
On Wednesday night in Dayton, Johnson had the eyes of the college basketball world watching as Texas took on the Xavier Musketeers in the First Four of March Madness. It was a chance to notch another signature moment and give himself and his team another chance to shine on Friday against 6-seed Illinois.
Texas Falls to Xavier Despite Tre Johnson’s 23 Points
Texas started the game well, securing a double-digit advantage in the first ten minutes. Although Johnson missed his first three shots, he quickly grew into the game. His activity on the boards was definitely helpful, and after a long-ball three, a tough and-one, and a few more free throws, the young man had fully found his footing in the game.
On a night where Xavier only shot 16 free throws as a team, Johnson shot 11 by himself. While he only made 7 of his foul shots, his ability to get to the line is a skill that should translate to the professional game. At halftime, Johnson had 10 points at Texas was up 47-39.
In the second half, Johnson got right to work with another three-pointer and continued to display tough shot-making. His willingness to live on contested jumpers is certainly a fair criticism of his game, but sometimes, it’s hard to argue with the results.
Tre Johnson 🤝 contested shotmaking pic.twitter.com/ELMhtAEklW
— mohamed (@mcfxz) March 20, 2025
However, in the late second half, as Texas began to miss shots and the Musketeers started to make a run, the Longhorns offense was stale and out of ideas. Johnson and fellow guard Tramon Mark relied too much on isolation possessions, with the aforementioned poor shot selection beginning to hurt the team. Xavier took the lead with around 5 minutes left, and Johnson only scored 2 points after that as Xavier won 86-80.
A disappointing end to Johnson’s college career will sting for a while, but the young man now has pre-draft workouts to look forward to. An important offseason awaits for Johnson as he prepares to be one of the new shining stars of the best professional basketball league in the world.
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