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Are we witnessing a fairytale when it comes to Texas basketball turning a rough regular season's end into a Sweet 16 appearance? Or is this simply the case of a team figuring it out in its own time?
Take the latter. Texas played this way in pockets of the regular season, but consistency proved elusive.
Until now.
Texas head coach Sean Miller reacts during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against BYU, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (Amanda Loman/Associated Press)
The 11th-seeded Longhorns (21-14) — winners of three straight — are back from the dead after that disastrous end to the regular season and their one-game no-show in the SEC Tournament. They have qualified for the Sweet 16 under Sean Miller, who'll be coaching in his ninth third-round game in 21 NCAAs.
Texas forward Dailyn Swain (3) looks to get past Gonzaga forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press)
MORE CED:Unlikely basketball heroes stepped up vs. Gonzaga
At No. 11, the Horns are the lowest remaining seed in the tournament and the lone team of the eight that survived Dayton’s First-Four play-in games.
UP NEXT: SWEET 16
11-TEXAS VS. 2-PURDUE
When/where: 6:10 p.m. Thurday in San Jose, Calif.
TV/radio: CBS; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM.
Up next, No. 2-seeded Purdue in San Jose, Calif. The Boilermakers are favored by seven points to end this incredible Longhorns run, but that shouldn’t phase the Horns, who have been the underdog in each of their tournament games. Now, anyone who watches the game in a serious non-fan fashion could not have had Texas in the Sweet 16 on their bingo card.
Sign up for Cedric Golden’s newsletter for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond. It's called Ced’s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman’s resident sports columnist, the 2025 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year.
Give the Horns credit for making it to the third round for the first time since 2023, but the Horns themselves suggest you save that glass slipper stuff for the romanticists.
“I don't think we ever really want to sign up to be the Cinderella story because we are the University of Texas and look, we represent the SEC as well,” Miller said. “In a long regular season, you can learn a learn a lot of lessons, you can grow and you can really, kind of redefine yourself as time moves on.”
Texas guard Tramon Mark (12) shoots as Gonzaga guard Braeden Smith (3) defends during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press)
No one saw this coming, but we can mostly all agree that the 18-game SEC slate is a great toughener for what will come in the big tourney. These would-be Cinderfellas finished 9-9, but Texas' record could have much been levels better had it held on to a seven-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation in the league opener at Mississippi State or if it held serve at home in the overtime loss to Oklahoma in the regular-season finale.
But they’re here now and are walking around town as a much different team, and hopefully that includes point guard Jordan Pope, who was expected to practice Monday after injuring his ankle late in Saturday’s second-round thriller over No. 3 Gonzaga.
This is a small sample size, but Miller did one heck of a job galvanizing this veteran group in his first year. Roles have been defined and the veterans — Tramon Mark, Chendall Weaver and Pope — are leading by a great example.
It takes some teams longer to develop than others, and for Longhorn Nation saying “Finally,” be thankful the Horns didn’t wait until Miller’s second year to emerge.
Remember, Miller put together this roster on the fly and, not surprisingly, growing pains were bound to happen, from the maturation of big man Matas Vokietaitis (who has ridden a basketball rollercoaster) to Pope, who struggled early to find his groove at point guard, to Mark, who used nonconference to play himself into game shape after missing valuable offseason practice time while recovering from labrum surgery.
It took some months for these guys to get to know one another, including Miller, who only had a relationship with swingman Dailyn Swain, whom he brought over from Xavier. Before the SEC schedule even started, the Horns tested their mettle against preseason national title contenders Duke and UConn in the first three weeks of the season and in league play, the lone consistency about his team was its inconsistency.
Somehow the problem areas have not only been addressed, but improved.
Texas languished around No. 115 in the country in defensive ratings near the end of the regular season, but that number has risen to No. 81 as Texas has enjoyed its best defensive stretch of the season. The Horns held North Carolina State 16 points under its scoring average. BYU came in averaging 84 and was held to 71. Gonzaga averaged 84, scored 68.
When you break down a team ascending at the perfect time of the season, several factors come into play, from non-stars like Nic Codie and Chendall Weaver playing their best ball at money time to veterans like Mark and Pope delivering in the twilight of their college careers.
WOMEN’S HOOPS:Emotional PG Rori Harmon reunites with surgeon
The Horns have arrived to the Dance and to say they are fashionably late would qualify as an understatement.
“We're a much better team right now than we would have been a month ago, and I think we're playing our best,” Miller said. “Everybody wants to play their best in March. We just so happened to do it. We're playing our best right now, and hopefully we can keep going.”
And what of the underdog status? After being around them all season then for these three wins in five days, it’s obvious the Horns aren’t checking out the point spreads at that this stage of the game. And if they are, it’s not showing. When asked about this improbable tourney run, Mark, who has settled into the role of closer — he delivered a perfect pass to Cam Heide, who knocked down the game winner to eliminate Gonzaga — flashed the perfect poker face.
“We’ll just rock with it,” Mark said. “As long as we keep winning, we can be underdogs. I really don’t care.”
Continue reading...
Take the latter. Texas played this way in pockets of the regular season, but consistency proved elusive.
Until now.
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Texas head coach Sean Miller reacts during the second half in the first round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against BYU, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (Amanda Loman/Associated Press)
The 11th-seeded Longhorns (21-14) — winners of three straight — are back from the dead after that disastrous end to the regular season and their one-game no-show in the SEC Tournament. They have qualified for the Sweet 16 under Sean Miller, who'll be coaching in his ninth third-round game in 21 NCAAs.
You must be registered for see images attach
Texas forward Dailyn Swain (3) looks to get past Gonzaga forward Emmanuel Innocenti (5) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press)
MORE CED:Unlikely basketball heroes stepped up vs. Gonzaga
At No. 11, the Horns are the lowest remaining seed in the tournament and the lone team of the eight that survived Dayton’s First-Four play-in games.
UP NEXT: SWEET 16
11-TEXAS VS. 2-PURDUE
When/where: 6:10 p.m. Thurday in San Jose, Calif.
TV/radio: CBS; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM.
Up next, No. 2-seeded Purdue in San Jose, Calif. The Boilermakers are favored by seven points to end this incredible Longhorns run, but that shouldn’t phase the Horns, who have been the underdog in each of their tournament games. Now, anyone who watches the game in a serious non-fan fashion could not have had Texas in the Sweet 16 on their bingo card.
Sign up for Ced's Corner
Sign up for Cedric Golden’s newsletter for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond. It's called Ced’s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman’s resident sports columnist, the 2025 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year.
Give the Horns credit for making it to the third round for the first time since 2023, but the Horns themselves suggest you save that glass slipper stuff for the romanticists.
“I don't think we ever really want to sign up to be the Cinderella story because we are the University of Texas and look, we represent the SEC as well,” Miller said. “In a long regular season, you can learn a learn a lot of lessons, you can grow and you can really, kind of redefine yourself as time moves on.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Texas guard Tramon Mark (12) shoots as Gonzaga guard Braeden Smith (3) defends during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (Craig Mitchelldyer/Associated Press)
Sean Miller has instituted immediate change
No one saw this coming, but we can mostly all agree that the 18-game SEC slate is a great toughener for what will come in the big tourney. These would-be Cinderfellas finished 9-9, but Texas' record could have much been levels better had it held on to a seven-point lead in the final two minutes of regulation in the league opener at Mississippi State or if it held serve at home in the overtime loss to Oklahoma in the regular-season finale.
But they’re here now and are walking around town as a much different team, and hopefully that includes point guard Jordan Pope, who was expected to practice Monday after injuring his ankle late in Saturday’s second-round thriller over No. 3 Gonzaga.
This is a small sample size, but Miller did one heck of a job galvanizing this veteran group in his first year. Roles have been defined and the veterans — Tramon Mark, Chendall Weaver and Pope — are leading by a great example.
It takes some teams longer to develop than others, and for Longhorn Nation saying “Finally,” be thankful the Horns didn’t wait until Miller’s second year to emerge.
A tale of two seasons for Texas
Remember, Miller put together this roster on the fly and, not surprisingly, growing pains were bound to happen, from the maturation of big man Matas Vokietaitis (who has ridden a basketball rollercoaster) to Pope, who struggled early to find his groove at point guard, to Mark, who used nonconference to play himself into game shape after missing valuable offseason practice time while recovering from labrum surgery.
It took some months for these guys to get to know one another, including Miller, who only had a relationship with swingman Dailyn Swain, whom he brought over from Xavier. Before the SEC schedule even started, the Horns tested their mettle against preseason national title contenders Duke and UConn in the first three weeks of the season and in league play, the lone consistency about his team was its inconsistency.
Somehow the problem areas have not only been addressed, but improved.
Texas languished around No. 115 in the country in defensive ratings near the end of the regular season, but that number has risen to No. 81 as Texas has enjoyed its best defensive stretch of the season. The Horns held North Carolina State 16 points under its scoring average. BYU came in averaging 84 and was held to 71. Gonzaga averaged 84, scored 68.
Texas has gotten hot at just the right time
When you break down a team ascending at the perfect time of the season, several factors come into play, from non-stars like Nic Codie and Chendall Weaver playing their best ball at money time to veterans like Mark and Pope delivering in the twilight of their college careers.
WOMEN’S HOOPS:Emotional PG Rori Harmon reunites with surgeon
The Horns have arrived to the Dance and to say they are fashionably late would qualify as an understatement.
“We're a much better team right now than we would have been a month ago, and I think we're playing our best,” Miller said. “Everybody wants to play their best in March. We just so happened to do it. We're playing our best right now, and hopefully we can keep going.”
And what of the underdog status? After being around them all season then for these three wins in five days, it’s obvious the Horns aren’t checking out the point spreads at that this stage of the game. And if they are, it’s not showing. When asked about this improbable tourney run, Mark, who has settled into the role of closer — he delivered a perfect pass to Cam Heide, who knocked down the game winner to eliminate Gonzaga — flashed the perfect poker face.
“We’ll just rock with it,” Mark said. “As long as we keep winning, we can be underdogs. I really don’t care.”
Continue reading...
