A former UK basketball recruit leads the SEC in scoring. How will Kentucky stop Tre Johnson?
This SEC men’s basketball season has presented plenty of defensive challenges to Mark Pope’s Kentucky club.
The Wildcats have gone up against elite rebounding teams, talented 3-point shooting opponents, teams that like to push the pace as well as programs that like to take the air out of the ball on offense.
But on Saturday night in Austin, Texas, a whole new test awaits Kentucky: The best individual scorer in the conference.
Despite its pedestrian 15-10 record — and its outright disappointing 4-8 mark in SEC games — the Texas Longhorns boast the best scorer in the entire 16-team SEC. Freshman guard Tre Johnson — a former Kentucky recruit — is averaging 19.3 points per game for the Longhorns.
That’s the best mark in the conference and ranked 27th nationally, prior to Thursday’s games.
“He’s a problem because he makes hard shots. He makes bad shots,” Pope said during his weekly press conference Thursday afternoon. “Normally, you go into a game and you’re like ‘OK, we’re going to force guys to take these shots. And we’re going to live with it.’ It’s hard to live with any shots with him because he just makes every single one. He’s an incredibly talented player.”
As Pope was quick to point out Thursday, Johnson scores for the Longhorns in a variety of ways. He’s shooting 43.9% from the field, 38.6% on 3-pointers and 87.4% from the foul line.
Johnson’s shot volume is sizable, too. On average, he attempts more than 15 shots from the field per game and nearly seven 3-pointers per contest. Entering Thursday’s slate of games, Johnson ranked in the top 50 in the nation in shots attempted.
Furthermore, only two active players in the SEC — Tennessee senior guard Zakai Zeigler and Arkansas sophomore guard D.J. Wagner — are averaging more minutes per game than Johnson. Zeigler leads the way with 34.3 minutes per game. Wagner also averages 34.3 minutes, but has been credited with one fewer minute played. Johnson is at 33.2 minutes per game.
Several advanced analytics also agree that Johnson — a former five-star high school recruit who was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the 2024 recruiting class — is a unique offensive presence in this college basketball season.
The question that Pope and his UK team must answer against Texas is simple: How will the Wildcats slow down Johnson, a player who is used in nearly 27% of Texas’ offensive possessions, per KenPom.
The answer, especially as Pope tells it, is complex. For example, Pope explained that while Johnson’s offensive metrics in spot-up situations is “pedestrian,” the offensive numbers for Johnson in ball-screen situations are elite.
“You kind of lean into those (statistics) a little bit, but with him you’re going to be surprised — absolutely zero times — when he makes really tough shots,” Pope said. “So you go in knowing that. You’re just trying to exert the most pressure you can and bring second defenders as much as you can. It’s hard to do because they have so many other talented guys on the roster. ... It’s one of those things where you walk into the game and you’re like, ‘Well, we think these are two or three best-case scenarios that could work out.’ And then you hope for the best.”
Pope was keen to remind media members that Texas has several talented players that surround Johnson.
Senior forward Arthur Kaluma — a former standout at Creighton and Kansas State — is averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per game, while shooting 39.7% from 3-point range. Junior guard Jordan Pope, who previously was a star at Oregon State, is averaging more than 11 points per game.
The Longhorns’ roster also includes fifth-year guard Tramon Mark, who scored 23 points against Kentucky last season while Mark was at Arkansas. Pope also spoke of the challenges that will be posed by fifth-year forward Kadin Shedrick, a 6-foot-11 veteran who excels in short-roll situations.
Texas will also be looking for a bounce-back performance in the truest sense of the term. The Longhorns were last seen losing 103-80 at home to No. 2 Alabama on Tuesday night. Kaluma was scoreless in 11 minutes in that game for Texas, which is projected by most bracketologists on BracketMatrix as an 11-seed for the NCAA Tournament
“They’re really well constructed,” Pope said of the Longhorns. “They pose a lot of problems. Together, they function well.”
Of course, this is all to say nothing of the injury nightmare currently plaguing the Wildcats.
Kentucky will be without three of their top options at guard for Saturday’s game. Fifth-year backcourt options Lamont Butler (left shoulder) and Jaxson Robinson (right wrist) won’t play. Neither will another fifth-year guard, Kerr Kriisa, who is still sidelined for the Cats as he continues to recover from a foot surgery that took place in December.
Pope’s team has gotten used to playing shorthanded this season, and a depleted UK team was able to hold on for a big home win over No. 5 Tennessee on Tuesday night.
But with Johnson’s scoring ability, and penchant for making difficult shots, Texas will be asking a distinct defensive question of Kentucky come Saturday night in the Lone Star State.
“He plays hard. He gives great effort. He makes plays for teammates. He’s incredibly, incredibly skilled,” Pope said of Johnson. “He’s aggressive. He’s fully engaged in the game. He’s a terrific talent, a real challenge.”
Texas star guard Tre Johnson is a former Kentucky recruit
Things move fast in the world of college basketball, and in particular during the last few years in Lexington. But it’s worth pausing to remember that Johnson was previously a top recruiting target for Kentucky when the Wildcats were coached by John Calipari.
Johnson took an official visit to Kentucky in January 2023, when he watched UK lose to Kansas at Rupp Arena in a marquee nonconference game.
Kentucky made the top-six list for Johnson during his recruitment, but the Wildcats failed to make his group of finalists. Johnson, a North Texas native, chose to attend Texas over Baylor, his other finalist.
As a high school senior, Johnson played his final prep basketball campaign at Link Academy, a new powerhouse program located in Missouri. Johnson was teammates that season with class of 2025 Kentucky signee Jasper Johnson, who spent his junior season at Link before moving to the Atlanta-based Overtime Elite program for his senior season.
Saturday
No. 15 Kentucky at Texas
When: 8 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1
Records: Kentucky 17-7 (6-5), Texas 15-10 (4-8)
Series: Kentucky leads 2-0
Last meeting: Kentucky won 63-51 on Dec. 5, 2014, in Lexington.
This story was originally published February 14, 2025 at 6:45 AM.
