A Disappointing Loss and a Coach’s Frustration

AUSTIN, Texas — Sean Miller is clearly fed up with his team’s performance, especially after a 101-98 overtime loss to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. The defeat left the Texas Longhorns at 8-5 on the season and 0-1 in SEC play, marking what many considered the most winnable game on their 18-game conference schedule.

Miller was visibly frustrated, pointing out that “stupid basketball plays” were the main cause of the loss. He emphasized the need for better coaching, comparing it to a parent repeatedly warning a child not to cross the street, only for the child to get hit by a bus anyway.

“We have to coach those guys better in those areas,” Miller said. “Now, if I tell you not to cross the street, and I keep telling you, and I say, I swear, whatever you do, do not cross the street, and you do, and the bus hits you, I’m gonna take responsibility as your parent. But damn it, how many times do I have to tell you not to cross the street?”

Rebounding and Effort Issues

The biggest issue for Miller was the lack of effort from his team, which allowed Mississippi State to secure 19 offensive rebounds. Notably, Achor Achor, a 6’9, 230-pound player, grabbed seven of them in just 24 minutes. Miller pointed out that this was a critical factor in the loss.

“I thought some of the biggest plays in the game were loose balls, long rebounds, just plays where the quicker, the tougher team getting those two or three rebounds was going to win, and we weren’t,” he said.

Even though the difference in second-chance points was only four (21-17), the fact that an average offensive rebounding team like Mississippi State could out-rebound a top-30 defensive rebounding team like Texas was concerning.

Effort and Confidence in the First Half

The Longhorns struggled in the first half, being outscored by five points. This trend has been recurring, as seen in their previous blowout loss to the Cavaliers. Miller noted that the team lacked confidence and effort, which is a baseline expectation.

“You have to be able to come out with that confidence, that effort from start to finish. That’s something we have to continue to grow and cultivate,” Miller said.

Defensive Issues and Fouling

Another major problem was the team’s inability to defend without fouling. Miller used the metaphor of a bus hitting someone to emphasize the severity of the situation.

“It’s tough to win when you foul like we did,” he said.

One critical foul occurred with 3:10 remaining in regulation when senior guard Jordan Pope fouled Jayden Epps on a desperation three-point attempt. Epps made all three free throws, leading Mississippi State to seven straight points and sending the game into overtime.

“You can’t foul a guy 27 feet from the basket on a fadeaway, step-back three, one second on the clock, and look at the ref like he did something wrong. That’s the guy you want to play against. That’s not the guy you want to have on your team,” Miller said.

Coaching Adjustments and Player Decisions

Miller also discussed potential changes in pick-and-roll coverages, particularly when sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis is on the court. However, he stressed that the fundamental issue isn’t the ability to implement different coverages but rather the failure to achieve the goals of the current strategy.

“The coverage that we’re playing favors two things — it allows you to keep your man on your man and it allows you to have great rebounding position,” Miller said. “It also puts you in a position to not rotate a lot, which usually leads to less fouls. We’re struggling with fouling, and we struggled with second shots in tonight’s game, playing a scheme that covers that. Quite frankly, that shouldn’t be the case.”

Vokietaitis, who played 16 minutes in the first half, consistently dropped his coverage on ball screens, allowing Achor to grab multiple rebounds while failing to secure a single defensive rebound.

When graduate forward Lassina Traore is in the game, the team switches ball screens more often. However, this strategy failed in a crucial moment during overtime. With the game tied at 96-96 and less than a minute left, Traore switched onto Mississippi State’s star guard Josh Hubbard, allowing him to create easy separation and hit the go-ahead three.

“It’s just common sense — if you’re going to switch that ball screen at the top, and you’re switching on Josh Hubbard, who has already done what he’s done, and obviously is a terrific player, you’re going to get beat on a drive, but you’re never going to let him, rock you back, step sideways and shoot at three,” Miller said.

Final Thoughts

Miller took care to note that he wasn’t calling Traore a stupid basketball player, but he emphasized that repeated mistakes are hard to ignore. If a parent keeps warning a child not to cross the street and the child still gets hit by a bus, it’s only logical to question the child’s judgment.

Texas certainly has a lot of that going on right now.