The Texas Longhorns have found a roll throughout the back half of the season, as the Longhorns have now won four straight games after their return to the court saw the Longhorns take care of the Missouri Tigers 85-68 on the road on Saturday night.

The Longhorns are now rolling with consecutive wins over rivals Oklahoma, South Carolina, Ole Miss, and, most recently, Missouri. Like many of the games this season, Texas started slowly but regained its footing and took control against the Tigers, securing its fourth straight victory.

The Longhorns will not get back home and take the floor of the Moody Center when they return to the court to take on the LSU Tigers on Monday, Feb. 17, as they’ll look to keep their momentum rolling. Taking a closer focus on Texas’ win against Missouri, here are three takeaways from the matchup.

Texas Erases Early Shooting Woes

The Longhorns have gotten accustomed to a very slow start to begin ballgames, and on Saturday night, it was no different as Texas started the game shooting 6 of 23 from the field and one of six from beyond the arc.

Despite those struggles, the Longhorns were able to find a solid close to the first half, shooting 13 of 35 from the field and two of nine from three-point range, taking a two-point lead into the locker room, a lead that they would never give back.

Dailyn Swain Regains His Groove

Forward Dailyn Swain has been rolling throughout SEC play for the Longhorns; however, against Ole Miss, the forward had an uncharacteristic game, ending the night with just seven points and shooting two of five from the field.

And against Missouri, Swain was back to his usual self, ending the game with a game-high 25 points, shooting 9 of 16 from the field and three of six from three. The second half was where Swain was at is best, scoring 18 points, shooting six of seven from the field and two of three from beyond the arc.

Nic Codie Turns in Valuable Minutes

The Longhorns headed into this game with a big question mark, with forward Lassina Traore being ruled out for the game against Missouri. The Longhorns were going to have to find a quick replacement for a player who provides key minutes when center Matas Vokietaitis is not on the floor.

Stepping up with the opportunity at hand was forward Nic Codie, who turned in a solid performance in 15 minutes, recording nine points, shooting four of five from the field, while also adding six rebounds and a block against Missouri.

As of Sunday, February 15, 2026, the Pebble Beach Pro Am is entering the Final Round, and Bet365 Sportsbook is making its presence felt across Maryland and Illinois. To maintain momentum during this busy sports season, Bet365 is offering an unmissable incentive: the Bet365 bonus code SYRACUSE unlocks a guaranteed “Bet $5, Get $150 in Bonus Bets” bonus for all new customers in these states.

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NIXA, Mo. (KY3) – More than 130 Missouri schools have been denied requests to start classes earlier than state law allows, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Wednesday.

The denials affect schools across the state, including several local districts that had sought permission to begin classes before the current restriction. Missouri law prohibits schools from starting more than 14 days before the first Monday in September.

Nixa Public Schools was among the local districts denied an earlier start date. The district has opposed the state restriction since it took effect.

“Ever since the law changed, we’ve been vocal about that, saying, really, this is not what’s best for students,” said Zac Rantz, Chief Communication Officer with Nixa Public Schools. “Because we spent years really listening to our elected officials saying you need to get students college and career ready. And so, we really partnered up with our local colleges and really tried to kind of blend our calendars together. Get those start and end dates about the same.”

Districts cite community impact

School officials say the rigid start date requirement doesn’t account for the unique needs of different districts and their communities.

“There’s also a lot of economic development things in every community that actually can be impacted when school’s in session or not in session,” Rantz said. “And so, being able to really work as a community focus to have those schools start and end dates is a bonus for every school district.”

The denial creates challenges for curriculum planning at affected schools. Teachers at Walnut Grove School District will need to adjust for semester imbalances caused by the restricted start date.

“It’s about a 15-day difference. And so, when you’re talking about a semester-based course, I mean, with content, your 15 days of content in the first semester is gonna be a little bit different,” said Walnut Grove superintendent Rory Henry. “So, teachers are gonna have to just really make sure that they’re utilizing time and trying to get as much of the content as they can in at the time that they have.”

DESE said it will deny any additional waiver requests this year. Schools like Walnut Grove and Nixa say they hope local legislators will address the issue to restore local control over school calendars.

“It’s really important that the local communities and local districts are able to decide what’s best for them,” Henry said.

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