Texas crumbled in the second half, handing Auburn countless free throws as guard inconsistency further endangers their NCAA hopes.
Texas was dominant in the first half against Auburn on Wednesday night. The Longhorns took a commanding 42-34 lead to the break, and even led by 14 at one point in the half.
The first 20 minutes made it seem as if Texas was finally finding some rhythm in a rather turbulent first season under veteran head coach Sean Miller.
But, in the last 20 minutes, the Longhorns did what they've done far too often through 21 games - they crumbled.
Per usual, their defensive instability was the main cause of their demise.
In the second half, the Tigers scored 54 points, shooting 68.4 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from beyond the arc. Auburn's leading scorer, Keyshawn Hall, torched the horns, scoring 25 of the Tigers' 54 second-half points.
And yet the issue for Texas wasn't necessarily an inability to guard. Its biggest problem lies in its lack of discipline and control on the court, leading to constant fouls.
Auburn only shot the ball 19 times in the final 20 minutes. It didn't need to score - the Longhorns were basically scoring for them.
In total, the Tigers went to the free-throw line 39 times, making 29 of them.
Texas can play lockdown defense for 40 straight minutes, but if it can't fix its fouling issue, its opponents are going to continue to score at a high rate.
"They were 22-of-28 from the free throw line in the second half. It's almost impossible to do in a college game, but I give them a lot of credit. They put our guys in a position to foul, and we fouled the [expletive] out of them," Miller said after the loss.
It's getting to the point where Miller believes his team would defend similarly if they had one less player on the court.
“If I went out there with 4 [players] instead of 5, I think they would have gotten more than 88, but maybe like 94 or 96," he said.
However, it's unfair to blame everything on the Longhorns defense. Texas needs more consistent output from its scorers, specifically its starting guards Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark.
Forward Dailyn Swain continues to put the offense on his back, dropping another 30 piece on Wednesday night.
Pope and Mark have shown the ability to carry the offense in a similar fashion, but they can't seem to do it consistently.
Against Georgia, the two combined for 37 points on 14-of-24 shooting from the field. Against Auburn, they scored just 16 points on 5-of-22 shooting.
That just won't cut it.
The Longhorns still sit inside the bubble for the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi, who has them as the second-to-last team in the field of 68.
That means Texas still has all to play for with 10 games left to play in the regular season, but if it doesn't find some form soon, its bubble will be on the verge of bursting.