Sean Miller Doesn't Hold Back Criticism of Jordan Pope

With each passing game, the Texas Longhorns continue to fight for their NCAA Tournament lives.

As a result, each member of Sean Miller's rotation will be asked to be at their best game in and game out in hopes of getting further away from the cut line in order to safely earn an at-large bid into the bracket.

But as the reality that is the game of basketball, not every Longhorn, aside from Dailyn Swain, has been consistent enough this season to feel safe about Texas' tournament chances as the calendar turns to February. This includes Jordan Pope, who disappeared in Texas' home win over South Carolina on Tuesday.

Sean Miller on Jordan Pope: "He Needs to Learn From Failure"

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope brings the ball up court during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Pope finished with just three points in 26 minutes against South Carolina, and Miller admitted that he wasn't quite sure what contributions the senior guard had in the win.

"He didn't play well tonight. As a matter of fact, I don't know what he did," Miller said. "So we need more from him. And he's a senior. He has a couple games at home left, and guys at this time of year, the best of the best, guys who are never coming back to college again, they rise because they're desperate. This is it."

Miller added that Pope has to learn from failure and turn things around.

"Jordan has to learn from failure, right? I've talked about it before. Own it," Miller said. "That's a big deal. Now you gotta go to work owning these are things that I can do better. This is how I can do better."

Pope has had a few forgettable games in SEC play, low-lighted by going scoreless in the loss to Tennessee and finishing 0 of 6 from 3-point range in a tight loss at Kentucky.

That said, it's important to note that Texas would not even be in the NCAA Tournament discussion at this point in the season if not for Pope. He led the Longhorns to two of their biggest wins this year: over then-No. 23 NC State at the Maui Invitational and on the road over then-No. 13 Alabama.

In the 102-97 victory against the Wolf Pack, Pope finished with 28 points while going 7 of 13 from deep, giving Texas its first win of the season over a high-major opponent.

Then in Tuscaloosa, he torched the Crimson Tide with 28 points on 6 of 13 from 3-point range and hit the game-sealing free throws in the closing seconds to secure the 92-88 win.

Miller's criticism is the result of what Pope has shown he is capable of doing, which is being one of best shooters not only on the roster, but in the SEC. He will have to be more consistent moving forward if the Longhorns want to make any kind of noise in March.