AUSTIN -- It took a couple of University of Texas students just 40 seconds to make five shots during a pair of first-half promotional contests, including two from halfcourt.

It took Texas A&M almost 19 minutes to match them, and by then the Texas Longhorns had a 37-18 lead. Then again, the fans weren't being dogged by defenders or having to make those shots in front of a national television audience on ESPN's Big Monday.

Texas' defense put the clamps on A&M for a 77-50 victory. But the timid Aggies also were their own worst enemy early, feeding the confidence of the Longhorn defenders.

A&M missed 16 of its first 19 shots. The Longhorns did have two blocks in the first 4 minutes, but the Aggies also missed too many open shots, even a couple underneath the basket.

A&M's big men inside -- Joseph Jones and DeAndre Jordan -- missed 11 of their first 13 shots.

The Aggies weren't any better on the perimeter. Josh Carter, Donald Sloan and Dominique Kirk combined for 7-of-25 shooting in the game.

Kudos to Texas' defense, but hisses to A&M's offense, which has led the Aggies into a wall at the worst possible time.

A&M was a combined 12 of 51 from the field in the second half against Oklahoma State and the first half against Texas.

No one was able to step up and carry the team.

The Aggies actually weathered Texas' strong start and pulled to within 23-13, but then their most experienced players didn't deliver in a critical 2-minute span.

Jones missed two shots and had a turnover. Kirk missed a free throw and turned it over, and Carter missed a shot. Texas added to A&M's frustration with a 10-0 run and was never threatened again.

The second half was so irrelevant ESPN's Holly Rowe interviewed New York Giants cornerback Aaron Ross and Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, probably hoping to keep Longhorn fans tuned in.

One reason the Aggies had no chance when they fell behind early was Texas point guard D.J. Augustin, who hit his first shot of the night en route to a dazzling 27 points..

A&M had to score four points in the final 96 seconds of the first half for 18 points, which was one more than Augustin had at intermission.

"We had no answer for him," Carter said.

Augustin was 3-of-5 shooting 3-pointers in the game, while A&M was 1 of 14.

His play was a far cry from the first meeting when the Aggies rolled to an 80-63 victory.

Augustin missed his first seven shots and didn't score until the 7:18 mark in the first half. By then, the Longhorns were down by 21.

This time, Texas was up by 21 with 2:58 left in the first half because Augustin had 17 points and four assists.

He also showed why the Longhorns will be a dangerous NCAA Tournament team.

A&M has five regular-season games left and the Big 12 Tournament to re-establish itself as a team to reckon with during March Madness.

The loss to Oklahoma State was surprising. What happened, or didn't happen, against Texas was shocking.

Texas forward Damion James said before the game that the Longhorns wanted revenge in the worst way. So the Aggies knew they were walking into a tough situation, yet they couldn't meet the challenge.

That's disturbing. Teams need to be playing their best basketball right now, not your worst.

"We have to find some answers and play better offensively and defensively," Carter said. "It was embarrassing tonight, we didn't do anything well."

If the Aggies need more incentive, they just need to look at the surging Longhorns.

Texas was able to bounce back from its lopsided loss in the Lone Star Showdown last month with a six-game winning streak.

Texas is ranked seventh in the country and is 5-2 against Top 25 teams. The Longhorns have positioned themselves for a rewarding March.

A&M will have the same opportunity, but it has created little margin for error with its play lately.

• Robert Cessna's e-mail address is robert.cessna@theeagle.com.