Texas Longhorns guard Simeon Wilcher (7) dribbles the ball towards the Mississippi State basket during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) takes the court ahead of the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller talks to his players ahead of the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller greets Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans ahead of the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) shoots the ball during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) dunks the ball during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver (2) shoots the ball past Mississippi State center Quincy Ballard (15) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver (2) shoots the ball past Mississippi State center Quincy Ballard (15) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) is blocked by Mississippi State forward Sergej Macura (11) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) is blocked from shooting during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver (2) dribbles the bal during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Mississippi State head coach Chris Jans yells intructions from the sideline during the game against the Texas Longhorns at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Simeon Wilcher (7) celebrates a drawn foul by guard Dailyn Swain (3) during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) shoots the ball during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) looks for an open team mate for a pass during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) shoots the ball over Mississippi State forward Achor Achor (99) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) collides with Mississippi State forward Achor Achor (99) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) is fouled by Mississippi State forward Jamarion Davis-Fleming (0) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) shoots the ball past Mississippi State forward Jamarion Davis-Fleming (0) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) is blocked by Mississippi State forward Jamarion Davis-Fleming (0) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) is guarded by Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard (12) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) pushes past Mississippi State guardJa’Borri McGhee (2) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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An official argues with Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) pushes past Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard (12) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Chendall Weaver (2) loses control of the ball during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) shoots the ball over Mississippi State guard Shawn Jones Jr. (5) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) collides with Mississippi State guard Shawn Jones Jr. (5) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard jordan Pop (0) leaves the court after fouling out during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) guards Mississippi State guard Josh Hubbard (12) during the game at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guard Dailyn Swain (3) dunks the ball during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guards Jordan Pope (0) and Dailyn Swain (3) celebrate a score during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis () reacts to a foul call during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns guards Dailyn Swain (3) and Simeon Wilcher (7) leave the court after the loss to Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller leaves the court after the loss to Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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For the second consecutive time, Texas basketball coach Sean Miller spent part of his postgame conference shredding his team’s effort after Tuesday night’s 85-71 loss at Tennessee.
But Miller’s apparently a man of action as much as words, considering the message he sent to several starters in the second half. Guard Jordan Pope played just 3 minutes after the break, when Texas outscored Tennessee 38-37. Forward Dailyn Swain logged just 6 minutes following halftime, and post Matas Vokietaitis had only 2 minutes.
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TEXAS VS. NO. 12 ALABAMA
When/where: 7 p.m. Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
TV/radio: ESPN; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM.
And just in case those players missed Miller’s message, the coach inserted seldom-used guard Anthon McDermott into the game with 4 minutes left on the clock instead of those three starters.
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“Tonight, we had a couple guys that just really didn’t want to play,” Miller said without naming specific players. “And if you don’t want to play, you’re not allowed to enter the game. You just can’t. You can’t be the guy caught up in your own world, your own effort level, things that are happening to you.
“It’s about the team, and you have to be able to play defense and offense,” Miller continued. “I liked our effort so much better in the second half, and one of the reasons our effort level was good is that guys in the game were playing at a much greater effort level.”
Tennessee’s Ja’kobi Gillespie, right, and Dewayne Brown II defend Texas post Matas Vokietaitis during the first half of the game at Thompson-Boling Arena on Jan. 6, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
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So, could Miller shake up a starting lineup of Swain, Pope, Vokietaitis, guard Tramon Mark and forward Camden Heide that’s been intact for most of the season? Probably, but no one will know until he releases his starting lineup for the Longhorns’ next game Saturday at No. 12 Alabama.
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“Tonight was about one thing: We have to be able to put a group of guys on the court, they’re going to play their very hardest with great effort for the University of Texas, period, “ Miller said. “Our lineup has to change. I can’t keep playing the same guys. We’re at that point where we’re just going to have to go with whoever is ready to play hard. We have to go with them, because that’s going to be our best bet.”
Mark and Heide scored 20 and 16 points, respectively, against Tennessee. They also each played at least 17 minutes in the second half, a testament to what Miller thought of their effort. Guards Chendall Weaver and Simeon Wilcher also played extensive minutes in the second half along with forward Nic Codie, who may have finally clawed his way out of Miller’s doghouse.
But Pope played a season-low 13 minutes and went scoreless for the first time in his four-year career. Vokietaitis recorded season lows in minutes (12) and points (four), and Swain followed up a career game of 34 points and 14 rebounds Saturday against Mississippi State with five points, three rebounds and seven turnovers.
“And, you know, he could have had 10 turnovers,” Miller said. “He didn’t have it tonight.”
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Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller directs his team from the sieline during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 in Austin.
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Swain, who followed Miller from Xavier, remains the linchpin for Texas that’s still growing into his role as the Longhorns’ go-to scorer, according to his coach.
“That’s the role on our team that he has,” Miller said. “Night in, night out, he’s going to be a marked man, and he has to play well.”
Vokietaitis draws plenty of attention from opposing defenses and remains a focal point of the offense. Based on Miller’s comments Tuesday night, Pope seems likely to cede playing time to Wilcher and Weaver.
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Regardless of the personnel moves Miller is still seeking buy-in from the full roster 15 games into his first season as the Longhorns’ coach.
“We have to establish that I’m playing for the University of Texas,” Miller said. “I play for Sean Miller. He’s the coach. What he says, goes. If you can’t play with effort, it’s going to be very, very hard next couple months. And I think you’ll see that.”
Texas (9-6, 0-2 SEC) at No. 12 Alabama (11-3, 1-0): How to watch
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Where: Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
TV/radio: ESPN; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM