Longhorns Country

Sean Miller Has High Praise For Texas Longhorns Ahead of March Madness Matchup

Xavier coach Sean Miller is impressed with what he sees from the Texas Longhorns
Matt Galatzan|
Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller watches from the sideline during the second half of the NCAA tournament vs. Texas.
Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller watches from the sideline during the second half of the NCAA tournament vs. Texas. | William Purnell-Imagn Images

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Texas LonghornsXavier Musketeers

After punching their March Madness ticket by the skin of their teeth, the Texas Longhorns are hoping to advance to the round of 64 and break their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Standing in their way are a familiar foe: Sean Miller and the Xavier Musketeers, who the Longhorns knocked off 83-71 in 2023 on their way to the Elite Eight under then-interim head coach Rodney Terry.

Now, the two will square off once again, and Miller believes the Longhorns are going to present a major challenge to his team - in more ways than one.

Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller, and guard Adam Kunkel in the final seconds of a 83-71 loss to the Texas Longhorns
Xavier Musketeers head coach Sean Miller, and guard Adam Kunkel in the final seconds of a 83-71 loss to the Texas Longhorns | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

"I think Rodney Terry and his team, they pride themselves on the defensive end, tough-minded defense," Miller said. "They do a good job of defending, and I think that their defense, like a lot of teams in the Big East, when they're flying around and playing together, it leads to transition, which I think could be their best offense. They get out in the open court and they make you pay. I think they do an outstanding job there."

Miller also was quick to point out the Longhorns' talented star freshman, Tre Johnson, who is coming off of one of the best freshman seasons in the history of the SEC after leading the conference in scoring. A fact that becomes even more impressive when it is put into the context of the SEC's historical strength in 2025.

That said, he also believes that the Longhorns depth surrounding Johnson is worthy of his team's respect as well.

"Johnson, their freshman, speaks for himself. If you lead the SEC in scoring this year and you're a freshman, I don't have to say anything more. He's one of the best players in college basketball. I believe that they have good depth and a great surrounding cast, as well. We respect the league they came from. We respect them a great deal. I think for us, we have to play at our best to have an opportunity to beat them tomorrow."

The Longhorns and Musketeers will tip off at 8:10 pm CT on TruTV Wednesday night.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writers’ Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014, covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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