Sean Miller Believes This One Thing Is the Key to Texas Beating Purdue

The matchup for the No. 11-seed Texas Longhorns is now set with the No. 2-seed Purdue Boilermakers advancing to the Sweet 16. The two teams are set to square in San Jose, California on Thursday evening.

After the weekend had passed, Texas' head coach Sean Miller discussed the Sweet 16 matchup with the media. After giving Longhorn Nation an injury update on Longhorns' guard Jordan Pope, he also highlighted what he believes to be the defining factor against Purdue.

The Boilermakers are known for essentially running two centers on the court at all times, making them an extremely difficult opponent. Miller emphasized that if Texas is going to upset Purdue, his players will need to win the offensive rebound battle.

Why Miller Believes Owning the Glass is Vital to a Texas Win

Texas Longhorns' head coach Sean Miller — Mar 21, 2026; Portland, OR, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller in the second half against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Over the course of the entire season, the Longhorns have made noticeable strides on the glass. Their ability to generate second-chance opportunities has become a driving force behind this unexpected March Madness run.

The only problem is that Purdue excels at the same thing, arguably at an even higher level. Miller emphasized that Texas' defense must prevent the Boilermakers from getting additional opportunities to score.

"They really do attack you with two bigs for the majority of the game," Miller said. "They're incredibly efficient. The best offense in the country and they do it just by precision and excellent offensive rebounding."

"I think playing two bigs gives them an inherent advantage there. You can become mesmerized by their action and their plays, shooting, and their point guard play, which is outstanding. They're top-20 in the country when the shot goes up, and they can really break a game open with their second shots."

Miller also stated that the offensive rebounding could be the biggest factor in deciding Thursday's Sweet 16 matchup. The Longhorns have gotten much better at taking away second-chance looks this season, but Purdue's size could make that a tougher task.

" I don't think there's a more important aspect to the game that when Purdue misses, we can't let them kill us on the glass," Miller added. "They really are good in that area."

While the combination of Trey Kaufman-Renn and Oscar Cluff for Purdue is intimidating, Miller also spoke on what Texas can do to match that size inside.

"On our end, Nic Codie has continued to develop, get more confidence, we have more confidence in him," Miller said. "There have been a lot of times between Matas (Vokietaitis) and Nic together over the last couple of weeks where we've been really efficient and we're playing good basketball when those two guys are in together."

" I don't want to say that playing those two guys neutralizes what Purdue does, but it certainly gives us more size at the four and five if we play those two guys together."

Matas Vokietaitis, the starting center for Texas, needs no introduction at this point in the season. The sophomore has been instrumental in the Longhorns' run during March Madness, and will look to continue his dominance against the Boilermakers later this week.

Miller's statements allude to the fact that Nic Codie, the sophomore forward for the Longhorns, could see increased minutes against Purdue. At 6-foot-8, 220 pounds, his size could play a big role in the Sweet 16 matchup. Against the Bulldogs, Codie totaled 12 points, four rebounds, three assists, one block, and one steal in just 26 minutes on the floor.

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