Sean Miller went off on his team's defensive performance following the Texas Longhorns' loss to the Florida Gators on Wednesday night.
Miller is going through his first season as the Longhorns' head coach, previously having stints at Xavier and Arizona. He looks to bring the program back to relevancy, getting them through the ups and downs of SEC Play.
However, their matchup against the No. 7 Gators revealed their weaknesses on defense. That was especially the case in the second half as Florida outscored them 48-32. Miller was not happy with his team's defensive effort after the game, per reporter Wescott Eberts.
“We can put a defensive highlight film together of a guy giving up about 300 points. I mean, some of it comes from within. It's like, I'm guarding you, it's February 26, I've been at this a long time, I'll be damned if you're going by me There's a little bit of that going on, finishing games, playing on the road, being able to rise to the challenge of March Madness,” Miller said.
“Nobody gives you that, you have to take it. That's where we're at — we have to be able to take that finishing a game, getting big stops, guys making plays, having pride, playing for each other, so that we can get those key stops, and take the game, instead of toward the eight-minute mark, we can play it all the way to the end. So look, we're trying to cultivate that as well here down the stretch.”
How Sean Miller, Texas performed against Florida
Sean Miller is right to call out Texas, having led 39-36 at halftime. Losing to No. 7 Florida was a missed opportunity for the Longhorns.
Four players scored in double-digits for Texas in the loss. Dailyn Swain led the way with a stat line of 21 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Tramon Mark came next with 15 points, Jordan Pope had 14 points while Mata Vokietaitis provided 12 points and six rebounds.
Texas fell to a 17-11 overall record on the season, going 8-7 in its SEC matchups so far. They sit at ninth place in the conference standings, being above the Georgia Bulldogs and the Auburn Tigers while trailing the Vanderbilt Commodores and the Missouri Tigers.
The Longhorns will look to bounce back in their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Texas A&M Aggies on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m. ET.
