Texas Coach Sean Miller Believes Team Can Finish Season Strong

Miller sees similarities between this year's Texas squad and his 2025 Xavier team that rallied late in the season to make the NCAA Tournament.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Texas head coach Sean Miller believes his current team has the right mindset and veteran leadership to finish the season strong, much like his 2025 Xavier squad that rallied late in the year to make the NCAA Tournament. Despite a slow start in SEC play, Texas has won 6 of its last 9 games, including a rare 3-game conference win streak. Miller sees the same hunger and determination in this Texas team that propelled his Xavier team to success a year ago.

Why it matters

Texas is still fighting to keep its NCAA Tournament hopes alive, and a strong finish to the regular season could be the difference. Miller's experience in turning around a team's fortunes late in the year provides optimism that the Longhorns can replicate that success and secure a March Madness bid.

The details

Texas is a veteran team led by four seniors, three juniors, and one sophomore. After dropping its first two SEC games, the team has won 6 of its last 9, including a rare 3-game conference win streak. This recent success has the Longhorns believing they can finish the season on a high note, much like Miller's 2025 Xavier squad that won 7 straight games to make the NCAA Tournament after being under .500 in conference play.

  • Texas defeated South Carolina for its 2nd straight win on February 10, 2026.
  • Texas faces Missouri on February 18, 2026, looking for its 4th straight conference win.
  • Texas will play at LSU on February 21, 2026 as it continues its quest for an NCAA Tournament bid.

The players

Sean Miller

The head coach of the Texas Longhorns men's basketball team, who previously led Xavier University to a late-season surge and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025.

Dailyn Swain

A star player on Miller's 2025 Xavier team who averaged 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2.5 steals per game during the team's late-season winning streak.

Jordan Poper

A veteran player on the current Texas roster who has never experienced a 3-game conference win streak before this season.

Chendall Weaver

Another veteran Texas player who has never had a 3-game conference win streak until this season.

Nic Codie

A multi-year member of the Texas roster who is also experiencing his first 3-game conference win streak.

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What they’re saying

“A year ago, to answer your question, the team that I had was super, super hungry to finish strong. We had a lot of older guys, this was their last chance in college, and they were like, we're not going out any other way than the best way we can. Practice became everything. We practiced as well in February, as we would have in November.”

— Sean Miller, Head Coach, Texas Longhorns (on3.com)

“I see that with our group, I feel like we have some older guys that want to finish strong. There's a couple guys that won their third conference game of their career in a row for the first time ever, and I think that we're hungry to be the best we can be.”

— Sean Miller, Head Coach, Texas Longhorns (on3.com)

What’s next

Texas will face Missouri on February 18, 2026 and LSU on February 21, 2026 as it looks to extend its conference win streak to four games and bolster its NCAA Tournament resume.

The takeaway

Sean Miller's experience in leading a late-season turnaround at Xavier has him optimistic that his veteran-laden Texas squad can replicate that success and secure an NCAA Tournament bid, despite a slow start in SEC play.