How Texas Found Its Footing on Surprise Sweet 16 Run

Texas head coach Sean Miller said it is unwise to judge the Longhorns by their early-season performance, as they have found their stride in March.

Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark and forward Dailyn Swain react to a basket during the last few seconds of the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Only two teams in the Sweet 16 have a starting roster that does not include a single player who began their career at the school they currently play for. Joined by St. John’s — which ironically includes former Texas forward Dillon Johnson — the Longhorns are a microcosm of this era of college basketball.

It is no simple challenge to bring players from such different backgrounds, systems and expectations into a new, cohesive whole. This is often the challenge for new coaches as well, who are being introduced to new rosters. For this reason, Texas head coach Sean Miller finds it unfair to judge the Longhorns for their early-season performance as the team found its footing late in the year.

Sean Miller Explains Texas Longhorns’ Early-Season Struggles

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller talks with the media during SEC Media Days at the Grand Bohemian Hotel. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

All five of the Longhorns' NCAA Tournament starters began their college career outside of The Forty Acres. Guards Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark are in Year 2 with Texas; Pope had a pair of seasons with Oregon State, and Mark spent four seasons with Houston and Arkansas.

The others, meanwhile, are in Year 1 in Austin, Texas, as second-year center Matas Vokietaitis was with FAU, forward Dailyn Swain was with Xavier and forward Cam Heide was with Purdue. Swain was one of two players to follow Miller from his previous spot, alongside forward Lassina Traore.

This lineup, though, was not easy to come by. The opening night starters were Nic Codie, Chendall Weaver, Mark, Swain and Vokietaitis. The Longhorns have trotted out six different starting lineups, with Traore and Simeon Wilcher getting nods as well.

Beyond the specific lineups, though, the team was still finding its identity. Players were discovering their roles; some moved further into the foreground, and others were learning how to play together. Consequently, some of the results early in the season are not indicative of what Texas can achieve now.

Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver reacts after a play in the first half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during a second-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

“Judging us in November, December, even some of January, we were just finding our footing, we were a work in progress, we were trying to get better, we were learning each other,” Miller said on March 23 ahead of the Sweet 16.

Texas had several difficult non-conference games, with some brutal losses. The Longhorns lost to Duke by 15, Virginia by 19 and UConn by eight. They even started SEC play 0–2.

“We weren’t nearly as familiar as, for example, a team like Purdue. You think about those guys playing together for multiple years, going deep in the tournament — we don’t have any of those advantages.”

Despite these struggles, the team grew together and learned how to play together. Roles evolved, players stepped up, and once March Madness arrived, the Longhorns played their best basketball. Facing off against Purdue in the Sweet 16, Texas has fought its way to this point, and the journey may have been what forged the team in fire.

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope celebrates with forward Nic Codie after defeating the Gonzaga Bulldogs during a second-round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

“Maybe it took us longer, and I think that if you would say you looked to be a more cohesive team, more sure of yourself, playing your best, maybe that’s why,” Miller said. “Because the journey for us, where we started in late March or April, was very different than, for example, what I hope it will be moving forward.”

Along the way, several things changed. Miller credited Mark's becoming a bigger part of the team as the season progressed as a major turning point, but he also said that a key inflection point came after the season.

Following a first-round loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament, the Longhorns were uncertain of their future. In that moment, as the team continued to practice, they came together, and the camaraderie built in the unknown prepared them for what lay ahead.

Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain reacts to a basket at the end of the second half against the Mississippi Rebels at Moody Center. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Texas takes on Purdue, a team that impresses with its cohesion and advanced, well-coached play style, led by a fourth-year guard who is well-versed in the system. It is, in many ways, what the Longhorns were not to begin the season.

But after facing adversity in the SEC Tournament and turning it into a victory in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament, the Longhorns have shown their character. Now, with upsets over BYU and Gonzaga, the team understands itself better than it has all season — all at the right time.