Texas Basketball's Secret Weapon Continues Getting Better for Sean Miller

The Texas Longhorns were able to take down their rivals the Oklahoma Sooners because of one key reason.

Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver celebrates during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

They say you are only as strong as your weakest player, or in the case of basketball, a team can only be as strong as the bench players that support the starting five rotation.

That sentiment holds no different for the Texas Longhorns, who found themselves needing a spark off the bench in their game against the Oklahoma Sooners. In need of a win against their rivals, the Longhorns found that spark in Chendall Weaver and Simeon Wilcher.

Head coach Sean Miller contributed to their play, for one of the big reasons the Longhorns were able to overcome a deficit en route to a 79-69 win over their rivals from up north. That group has become one of the best parts of the team as the year continues.

Stepping Up When It Matters

Texas Longhorns guard Simeon Wilcher defends against Kentucky Wildcats guard Denzel Aberdeen during the first half at Rupp Arena | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

The Longhorns play a tight rotation, with only eight players. Their key starting five rotation, which has barely seen any change this season, and their three mainstays off the bench: Weaver, Wilcher, and Lassina Traore. With all three fighting for minutes, they found themselves playing a key role on the road against the Sooners, hoping to power the Longhorns to victory over their rivals.

All three found themselves getting minutes comparable to the starters, including Wilcher, who hit key three-pointers to keep the Longhorns in the game. Both came in the second half, but none was bigger than the three he hit with 5:55 on the clock that would allow the Longhorns to reclaim the lead 65 to 63, and they wouldn't look back after that.

"Big reason we won was because of our bench," Miller said after the game against the Sooners. "Simeon Wilcher, who is a very good player, you know we believe in Sim, he came off the bench and had 10 points, two assist and not a single turnover. He made two threes, both big threes when the game was in doubt."

Wilcher wasn't the only one to have a big game off the bench, as Weave finished with eight points and six rebounds in 23 minutes on the court, while also finishing with the highest plus/minus on the team of a 16.

"I thought in the first half, Weaver was outstanding," Miller continued on about the bench. "The big reason we were in the game at halftime was because when we subbed him into the game, a lot of good things happened."

Miller continued discussing the impact the bench players had on the contest, including Traore, who finished with 0 points but made a significant defensive impact in just 19 minutes. He would finish third on the team with a plus/minus in the game of 12.

"I thought his defense in the 19 minutes he played really sparked us as well," Miller said of Traore. "It was great to see our bench step up and win a game for us."

The Longhorns will return home to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks on Tuesday, February 3, at 6 p.m. CT.