SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 11, 2026

Sean Miller

Dailyn Swain

Jordan Pope

Bridgestone Arena

Texas Longhorns

Postgame Press Conference

Ole Miss 76, Texas 66

THE MODERATOR: We are joined by Texas. We'll take opening comments from Coach Miller.

SEAN MILLER: I'd like to congratulate Ole Miss. I know they've had a number of tough losses. Following them closely over the last month. Tough conference, the SEC. They've been right there to win a number of games and didn't.

I thought their togetherness, their fight, their intensity today was really good. They deserved the win that they got. Wish 'em the very best in their next game.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for players.

Q. Dailyn, whenever your jumper wasn't falling, how did you decide what shots to take?

DAILYN SWAIN: I mean, I do -- the primary of my scoring comes when I get downhill. I don't really rely on my jumper much. I have to shoot to keep the defense honest. I think I'm best when I'm in transition, downhill. Let the game come to me as much as I can.

Q. Whenever you were reading Ole Miss' defense, it told you to attack more downhill, what was the main thing in your mind?

DAILYN SWAIN: To try to get downhill and draw a foul, kick it out to an open teammate.

Q. Ole Miss really seemed to have a great success in the interior. How tough was it getting to the basket against their interior defense?

JORDAN POPE: Credit to them, they made it tough. At the same time, I feel like we got to a lot of spots that we're usually successful in, but we weren't executing, playing off two feet, making the right read. When you don't do that, the game won't reward you. That's when you have turnovers, when you shoot bad shots which will lead to transition points for the other team, breakouts for them.

I think that's what happened in the first half.

They had a couple good plays at the rim, but most of it was on our end.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, you're dismissed. We'll continue with questions for Coach Miller.

Q. The slow starts that have been plaguing you the last few games, what can you do? Have you thought about making a change to the starting lineup?

SEAN MILLER: Yeah, I mean, that's definitely a problem. It's been a problem on and off throughout our season.

In a nutshell, though, if you look at the game, 13 turnovers by us, three by them, it's the difference of 10 turnovers. So many times off of turnovers they get 13 points, right? We had zero.

Our ability to take care of the ball against their defense, the overwhelming discrepancy of scoring in the paint. They had 50 points. 50 of 76 came in the paint. They made one three. We just didn't have the ability to defend them.

What was different today, because throughout our season, as you know, we've had little stretches where we've struggled defensively, but we more than make up for it because we score during those stretches. It doesn't bury us as much as it buried us tonight because we're able to score on our end, be efficient on our end.

Tonight we struggled to score. Having those 13 turnovers, probably our worst performance, if you look at points per game, might be our overall worst performance of the season when you think of offensive efficiency.

Our defense was not good. But it's been masked so many times throughout this season because of our offense. Tonight we weren't able to score. We didn't execute. That's a credit to Ole Miss.

Q. The guys noted it was a failure on their part to execute the game plan that you laid out. On offense, did you see it as maybe something different that Ole Miss did tonight, or did it feel more like failure of your guys?

SEAN MILLER: No, they switched our ball screens, pick and roll. Ole Miss, they'll change their coverages. They can ice, switch, double-team, trap, they can mix it up. That's what they do.

It's not really just them. I mean, when you're at game 32, you've at this point seen virtually every scheme, right? You've played against teams that deny, switch. We have to be adept at being able to handle that with poise, execution, take what the defense gives.

We struggled from the opening tip tonight. Again, I credit Ole Miss. I thought of all the games we played this year, especially from the offensive perspective, it's the most we struggled. Defensively we've had our struggles. Tonight was more of the same.

Q. You talk about size, Ole Miss seemed to dominate, put more emphasis on the paint. Talk about the size, especially down low.

SEAN MILLER: I mean, I think the stat you're referring to is they scored 50 points in the paint. Again, throughout our season, there haven't been a lot of teams that have gotten 50 from the paint and made only one three. They shot 10 threes and made one three. It's not easy in college basketball to win a game when you're 1 for 10 from three.

We struggled tonight. We struggled from the opening tip, first four minutes. I really thought to some degree some of the things that hurt us against Oklahoma, our last home game, in the second half, showed up here today, as well.

Q. Entering Sunday, what is your level of anxiety? Do you think you're an NCAA tournament team, first four? Are you nervous about not getting in?

SEAN MILLER: I have no anxiety, zero, simply because of this: I came to Texas to build into a championship program. The steps and foundations that have to be laid, processes, failure, really learning what the SEC and the University of Texas is about, this has been a very rewarding, enlightening. When I think back to coming here about end of March last year, there's a lot that happened in a quick manner.

When you get to the finality of it, whatever happens happens. I'm at peace. However, I think this is a huge moment for us as a program, today, to be different a year from today.

I don't need reminded, but I think it's a necessary step that we have to get through. It's not easy. But we have to be better, bigger, deeper. We have to be a higher level team as we keep moving forward here.

The SEC's an incredible conference. This tournament, whoever wins it, three or four teams that can win a national championship that are playing in this tournament. When you show up here, you have to have your Is dotted, your Ts crossed. You have to be at your very, very best. This is at the highest level of college sports.

You feel it when you're not at that level. Tonight we were not at that level. Again, credit Ole Miss.

In terms of the anxiety of it, there's none, zero.

Q. Understandably the emotions are high. It sounds as if you're saying there really isn't disappointment if this club misses the NCAA tournament as opposed to the big picture of what you're trying to build.

SEAN MILLER: Look, the bullseye is always to be a part of that tournament. You failed if you weren't a part of it. I don't want to come across any different than that. I own that.

But the reality of it is, the thing about the tournament, man, you got to earn it. You got to be super excited. I mean, this is March Madness. You have to fly around.

I've had the opportunity to coach some players and teams where, when I think about how we played in a conference tournament, not always with a win, I would be after the game in a place where that's how it's supposed to feel. That's what makes March Madness so amazing, when guys are just really laying it out there in a way that you're just like, Wow.

That's what's required in March. Even the best teams, they have to be together, they have to be at their best, play with amazing energy and synergy.

When you're not at your best, you start to reflect on why. Oftentimes, in our case, we don't have a huge margin, we're not going to advance if we're not at our best.

Today we not only were not at our best, but I think Ole Miss did a really good job against us.

Will I be disappointed? Obviously. But in terms of my stress level or just like we've kind of fought the good fight and we have to wait for the results. There's some smart people who make those decisions.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.