The No. 11 Texas Longhorns keep on proving that they truly belong in the field of 68. The Longhorns are still alive in March Madness despite starting in the First Four, and they have head coach Sean Miller’s fiery leadership to thank for their unexpected deep run.
That was on display again during halftime of the Longhorns’ second-round game against the No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs at Moda Center in Portland Ore., on Saturday.
Up by just two points after 20 minutes of action, Miller injected energy into his players with a passionate halftime speech, preaching that his team needed a greater sense of urgency than the Bulldogs.
“The most aggressive team in the second half, the team that wants to go to San Jose, the team who’s gonna steal it from the other motherf***er, that’s who’s gonna win,” Miller told his players.
Texas head coach Sean Miller at halftime vs Gonzaga
— Zach Dimmitt (@ZachDimmitt7) March 23, 2026
"The most aggressive team in the second half, the team that wants to go to San Jose, the team who's gonna steal it from the other motherf***er, that's who's gonna win."pic.twitter.com/eYvwntwltY
The Longhorns responded to Miller’s call and got the job done with a 74-68 victory.
Matas Vokietaitis and Jordan Pope each scored 17 points to lead Texas, while Nic Codie came off the bench and fired 12 points.
Texas’ offense has gotten better through each round of March Madness. They posted a 106.6 offensive rating in the First Four and 124.2 in the first round. Against Gonzaga, the Longhorns recorded a 130.4 offensive rating.
Up next for Texas is an even greater challenge, with a date with No. 2 seed Purdue Boilermakers in the Sweet 16 round on Thursday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif.
