During his team’s midweek bye, Texas basketball coach Sean Miller took the time to focus on some fundamentals, dig into the defensive details and try to give his players some needed rest entering the home stretch.
He didn’t consider making any changes to the lineup, even though reserve Simeon Wilcher has outplayed starting point guard Jordan Pope during the Longhorns’ three-game winning streak entering Saturday’s game at Missouri.
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“At this point, roles have been defined for a reason,” Miller said. “That doesn’t mean that a starter could play less, (and) somebody who doesn’t start the game certainly can play more, but usually that works itself out during the game. But I like the roles that that our guys have. I think the eight-man rotation that we have is something that we worked hard to develop, and my hope is we can keep that all the way through.”
Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) looks for a play as Mississippi Rebels guard Kezza Giffa (13) defends in the second half of the Longhorns’ game against the Ole Miss Rebels at the Moody Center in Austin, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026. Texas won the game 79-68.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Pope’s recent play has tested Miller’s patience, though. The 6-foot-1 senior, who’s in his second season at Texas after transferring from Oregon State, is averaging 9.3 points on a total of 8-of-24 shooting in 26 minutes a game over the past three contests. The team’s nominal point guard, Pope doesn’t have an assist in that span. Those numbers are a drop from season averages of 12.5 points and 2.1 assists on 39.9% shooting in 28.3 minutes a game.
TEXAS AT MISSOURI
When/where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
TV/radio: ESPN2; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM.
MORE: Texas basketball: How will this midweek bye help Dailyn Swain, weary Longhorns?
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In comparison, the 6-foot-4 Wilcher, a junior who transferred from St. John’s, is putting up 7.3 points and 2.7 assists on a cumulative 8-of-15 shooting in 21 minutes a game over the past three contests. For the season, he averages 7.0 points and 2.0 assists in 20 minutes a game for the season while shooting 37.5% from the floor.
But Miller likes to point out certain moments as much as the metrics. In Saturday’s 79-68 win over Ole Miss, Pope entered the game and promptly converted a four-point play to turn a 68-65 deficit into a one-point lead with 2 minutes, 43 seconds left in the game. A couple of possessions later, Wilcher delivered the dagger with a 3-pointer at the shot clock buzzer that gave Texas a 75-68 lead with 41 seconds left.
“In Jordan’s case, on a night that he hadn’t played well, he stepped up big at the end,” Miller said. “And just in Sim’s case, he’s continuing to play really well the last three games and give our team even more firepower on the offensive end.”
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Texas Longhorns guard Simeon Wilcher (7) dribbles during the second half of Lone Star Showdown, Jan. 17, 2026 at the Moody Center in Austin. Texas A&M won the game 74-70.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Pope’s poise under pressure particularly impresses Miller, especially since the guard’s role has changed drastically since he averaged 17.6 points in 35.6 minutes for Oregon State as a sophomore in the 2023-24 season.
“Jordan Pope’s been through a lot of experiences,” Miller said. “Failure, success, big shots, bad nights; he’s been a part of it all. I think he can really just be calm in the moment. I think he knows what a good shot is for him, and I think he has great confidence in himself.”
Which he showed with his big shot from the baseline late against Ole Miss, Wilcher said.
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“I feel like the tell-tale of a man is how he responds during adversity,” Wilcher said. “Of course, he’s not going to have a game where he goes for 27 every night. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen like that. You’re going to struggle sometimes. But he just buckled down and did what he does by just being Jordan Pope.”
MORE: Texas basketball: How Longhorns rate in latest NET rankings, NCAA Tournament projections
Texas (15-9, 6-5 SEC) at Missouri (17-7, 7-4): How to watch
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
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Where: Mizzou Arena, Columbia, Missouri
TV/radio: ESPN2; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM