Texas Coach Sean Miller Goes Viral for Horns Down Gesture Toward Xavier Fans

Sean Miller chose an odd way to mock Xavier fans after the Texas Longhorns' win in the First Four.

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller answers questions during a press conference before a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns came away with an emotional win over NC State in the First Four of March Madness in Dayton, Ohio on Tuesday night, as Tramon Mark's game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds left sealed a 68-66 victory.

While the ending of the game alone already made major headlines, the build up to tipoff was one to watch, as it marked Texas head coach Sean Miller's return back to Ohio for the first time since leaving Xavier.

It's no secret that Xavier fans have made Miller public enemy No. 1 since then, which resulted in many of them attending the game just to root against him and Texas. But after the game, Miller turned some heads with what appeared to be an odd way of mocking some Xavier fans that were near Texas' team tunnel.

Sean Miller Does Horns Down

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller smiles during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

In a hilarious and equally head-scratching moment, Miller was seen doing the infamous "Horns Down" gesture toward Xavier fans who were doing the same toward him.

Miller then threw up Xavier's "X" sign before walking away.

Sean Miller throwing up the X?#LetsGoX pic.twitter.com/Tz8JyF5S7q

— Xavier Everything (@muskiescentral) March 18, 2026

While some Texas fans might feel offended by Miller throwing up the forbidden hand sign, it's pretty clear he was just finding a way to mock the Xavier fans who were courtside.

Still, it was something that raised some eyebrows for college basketball fans on social media.

The Texas players clearly recognized the emotions that the game in Dayton was going to bring.

When reflecting on the win following their arrival in Portland to face BYU in the first round, Texas guards Dailyn Swain and Jordan Pope said the boos and heckling gave the team more motivation.

Swain admitted that it was different for him in particular since he played at Xavier last season.

"I would say so, for sure, especially for me playing at Xavier with him," Swain said. "I felt that energy, too. Heard the boos when we came out to warm up the first time. He understands that feeling. Hostile environments like that make the game a little bit more fun. I think we were all extra motivated for sure."

"Definitely going into the game we knew that was probably going to happen," Pope said. "To hear the boos and all the chirps, definitely added that chip and that motivation to get the job done for Coach Miller. I'm glad was able to do that."

It's possible we might never know what was going through Miller's head when he did "Horns Down" but it certainly made for a memorable moment.