Sean Miller Welcomes Familiar Path to March Madness for Texas

The Texas Longhorns are in March Madness, but have to make it through the First Four before they have a shot at the Round of 64.

Mar 4, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller during the first half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 105-85. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Texas men's basketball has found itself in March Madness as one of the last four teams in the tournament. They will now face NC State for a chance to compete as an 11-seed in the Round of 64.

Playing on the bubble, Texas embarks on a similar start to March Madness as last season, but this time the team is looking for a different result.

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Mar 11, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) lays the ball in against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Last season, under former head coach Rodney Terry, Texas played in the First Four, hoping to break into the greater March Madness field. In that bracket, the Longhorns faced Xavier, led by head coach Sean Miller. Texas would fall to the Musketeers in last season's matchup, quickly ending the team's run in the tournament.

This past offseason, looking for a change, the Longhorns fired Terry and replaced him with Miller. Now, Miller once again heads into the first four bracket as head coach of the Longhorns, looking to bring Texas deeper into the tournament, rather than eliminating them. Returning to a similar situation, Miller says a little familiarity is helpful.

"I think there's a little bit of irony in going back to UD Arena. You know I was there a year ago, not as the coach of Texas," Miller said. "Obviously, we -- Texas -- was there playing against us. I'll just say this, I think familiarity can be helpful."

While somewhat ironic that Miller now heads into the First Four bracket coaching the team he eliminated the year prior, it is a chance for Texas to make a meaningful run into the postseason. The Longhorns will have to face NC State, though, before they can claim a spot in the greater March Madness bracket.

Texas had already faced the Wolfpack this season, playing NC State back in November. It was a high-scoring affair between the two teams, with the Longhorns coming out on top 102-97. They now hope to repeat their previous success in a postseason rematch.

NC State finished the season with a 20-13 record and was the seven seed in the ACC conference tournament. The team made it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by Virginia 81-74. Not the run in the conference the team may have been hoping for, the Wolfpack will have another postseason opportunity against the Longhorns.

Texas did not fare well in their conference tournament either, as the 10 seed in the SEC and losing in the opening round to Ole Miss, a program that has struggled this season. They, too, will look for redemption when they face NC State on Tuesday