Sean Miller 'At Peace' With Texas' To-Be-Determined NCAA Tournament Outcome

The Texas Longhorns have left their NCAA Tournament fate in the hands of the committee after exiting the Southeastern Conference Tournament in their first game on Wednesday night.

Head coach Sean Miller's team fell to former Texas coach Chris Beard's Ole Miss Rebels 76-66, moving the Longhorns to a 1-5 record in their last six games.

Miller, in his first year at Texas, claimed that he has "no anxiety" surrounding Texas being on the bubble, going on to mention that this season has been very rewarding and enlightening towards his goal of building the Longhorns into a championship program.

"Whatever happens happens, and I'm at peace," Miller said postgame.

It seems that the late-season events have further revealed to him the changes and development needed not only in the short term, but also in the long term.

Miller on SEC Tournament loss

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller — Texas coach Sean Miller works the sideline against Mississippi during their 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament game at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, March 11, 2026. | DENNY SIMMONS / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Against Ole Miss, Texas scored its fewest points in a game since the loss to UConn back on Dec. 12. The Longhorns fell into a double-digit deficit early, and despite a second-half comeback, could not overcome their offensive woes and the Rebels' interior effectiveness.

"I think this is a huge moment for us as a program, (for) today to be different a year from today," Miller said on Wednesday. "I don't need (reminding), but I think it's a necessary step that we have to get through. It's not easy, but we have to be better, bigger, deeper. And we have to be a higher-level team as we keep moving forward here."

Miller took the head coaching gig at Texas last year just four days after his Xavier Musketeers beat the Longhorns in the First Four. It was a quick turnaround for Miller, who will get his first true offseason on the Forty Acres in 2026 after quickly rebuilding last year.

The Longhorns' recent stretch could very well mean they are heading back to Dayton. But Miller also knows his team did no favors for itself in the past weeks and hasn't seemed to play with the urgency needed from a group not guaranteed a bid.

"The bullseye is to always be a part of that tournament," Miller said. "You've failed if you are not a part of it. I don't want to come across any different than that — I own that. But the reality of it is, the thing about the tournament is, you got to earn it. And you got to be super excited. I mean, this is March Madness. You got to fly around."

Ahead of the SEC Tournament, it felt like with the win, Texas was in, already boasting six Quad 1 wins and a 9-9 record in conference play. Last month, the team's five-game win streak seemed to all but lock in its NCAA Tournament spot.

Yet the Longhorns showed more downsides than upsides to their style in Nashville, much like they had in the previous contests. Miller gave credit to Ole Miss, which had just three turnovers and took 12 steals off of Texas, for outplaying his team. Texas' small margin for error was on display.

"The SEC is an incredible conference ... When you show up here, you have to have your I's dotted, your T's crossed," Miller said. "You've got to be at your very best. This is the highest level of college sports, and you feel it when you're not at that level. Tonight, we were not at that level."

Now, the decision is officially beyond Texas' control. Whatever the outcome is, Miller is already determined to build upon the lessons of this year's roster.

In the immediate future, however, the countdown to Selection Sunday inches closer.

"Will I be disappointed (if we don't make the tournament)? Obviously. But in terms of my stress level, or just like going, 'We've fought the good fight, now we have to wait for the results.' There's some smart people that make those decisions," Miller said.