Texas men's basketball coach Sean Miller was one play away from leading the team to the Elite Eight in his Longhorns debut.
Now, with college basketball just a few months aways, does he think about it as a missed opportunity like that or does he reflect on the journey to get to the Sweet 16, where Texas lost to Purdue 79-77 in the final seconds on a tip-in from Trey Kaufman-Renn. Miller answerd that question in an episode of on college basketball insider Jon Rothstein's podcast that published this week.
"I think it's hard to reflect on 'if we just did this one thing we could've won' because you take for granted the things you did to be in that position," he said Tuesday. "We had a couple amazing plays to be in the position to win that game."
The Longhorns were one of the last teams in the NCAA Tournament and won their First Four game against North Carolina State to be the 11th seed. What followed were wins over BYU and Gonzaga to claim a spot in regional semifinals while star players Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark battled injuries.
Does Sean Miller look back and feel grateful for Texas' Sweet 16 run or lament the fact that the Longhorns lost at the buzzer to Purdue?https://t.co/37P3IN8oeo (Apple) https://t.co/sNq3sf2nZc (Spotify)https://t.co/fjt9vg2n3A (YouTube) pic.twitter.com/I7vf8h8G0F
- Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 25, 2026Pope suffered from a broken foot and Mark is out "the next four months from the ankle injury he had in that game," Miller told Rothstein. Due to the severity of those injuries, Miller said that Pope and Mark would have been unavailable to play in the Elite Eight match against No. 2 Arizona.
Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller talks to his team during a timeout in the second half of Texas' 79-77 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament at the SAP Center in San Jose, California, March 26, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman)MORE: Longhorns ready to meet suddenly high expectations, says Sean Miller
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"It was remarkable the courage, the unselfishness those two kids showed," Miller said. "... I think sometimes fans and people can get disgruntled to where (they assume the games are) just about money. There are two guys that gave an example of how much it means to play and to be a part of a team, to be apart of a university you love.
"I'm telling you, 90% of people in their position would not have finished the game or played the game. Both did
Miller, who has been to the NCAA Tournament 14 times over a career that began in 2004 with Xavier, said that dedication is an example of the culture being built at UT.
"I think that's a true testament to No. 1: why we had the run we did, because of their leadership. But again, when you move forward, you move forward in a good way knowing that a culture was created where both guys wanted to keep playing under amazing duress."
Mark was a participant in the NBA Summer League with the Phoenix Mercury. Pope was granted another year of eligibility and will join the Texas A&M roster.
Texas men's basketball begins its season Nov. 2 against Chicago State at Moody Center.
Sign up for the Daily Briefing from the Austin American-Statesman. Start your day with the must-read headlines from Austin's most trusted news source.This article originally published at Why Sean Miller doesn't lament missed box out that led to Purdue's Sweet 16 win vs Texas.
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