The Round Mound of Rebound called out Sean Miller for not having one of his best rebounders on the floor for the moment that ended Texas’ March Madness run.
The Round Mound of Rebound called out Sean Miller for not having one of his best rebounders on the floor for the moment that ended Texas’ March Madness run. Charles Barkley said Miller erred in benching big man Matas Vokietaitis for the final possession of Thursday’s Sweet 16 loss to Purdue, with the Boilermakers scoring the game-winning basket on a tip-in following an offensive rebound with 0.
7 seconds remainingon CBS. “You gotta have a big guy in there in that situation. I know he had four fouls, but what you saving him for? He’s their best rebounder, he’s their only big they really have out there. You can’t give up an offensive rebound in that situation.Miller will have all offseason to wonder if he made the right call with his defensive strategy for the final play, with his team’s inability to corral a miss ultimately dooming them.Texas tied the game at 77 on a three-point play from Dailyn Swain with 11 seconds left before Purdue called a timeout to set up a final possession. Vokietaitis is a 7-foot Lithuanian center, ranked second on the team in rebounding with 7.1 per game, but Miller pulled him with four fouls during the free throw leading into the timeout sequence.Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn tips the ball over Texas forward Dailyn Swain for the game-winning basket during the second half in the Sweet 16 on March 26, 2026, in San Jose, Calif.Texas ultimately forced a miss from Purdue star guard Braden Smith, but Trey Kaufman-Renn, a 6-foot-9 forward, leaped over the 6-foot-8 Swain to tip in the miss with less than one second left. Miller did not like the idea of Vokietaitis guarding Kaufman-Renn on that play and worried he would foul out on a potential final play and not be available for overtime, if the game advanced that far.“ just is a really difficult match-up for a game-winning play, especially from Matas,” Miller said following a 21-15 campaign. “I think a strong drive putting him in a position to do that and Matas having four fouls on top of that, it had not worked out very well for us in the game. So by playing quicker or smaller, we could switch that and really defend the drive in a better fashion, because Matas can’t really switch. You can’t put Matas on Braden Smith on a switch. “Look, we did get the stop. They got us with their size on the offensive rebound, and many times a game is won and lost not on the first shot, but on the second. We could have done a better job of blocking out or competing, but the number one thing for us to have a chance today was to rebound with Purdue.”This season marked Miller’s first with Texas, and it should be viewed as a rousing success due to this unexpected tournament run, despite the late-game strategic error. The 11th-seeded Longhorns beat NC State before upsetting sixth-seeded BYU and third-seeded Gonzaga, before coming one rebound short of overtime with No. 2 seed Purdue.Mike Vaccaro Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn tips the ball over Texas forward Dailyn Swain for the game-winning basket during the second half in the Sweet 16 on March 26, 2026, in San Jose, Calif.Stream It Or Skip It: 'Jo Nesbø's Detective Hole' On Netflix, Where A Troubled Detective Tracks Down A Serial Killer Who Is Terrorizing Oslo
Sports Charles Barkley March Madness March Madness 2026 Purdue Boilermakers Sean Miller Sports Media Texas Longhorns
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Texas vs Purdue Prop Picks & Best Bets: March Madness Sweet 16These Texas vs. Purdue predictions center on the showdown between two veteran point guards on Thursday, March 26.
Read more »
Six Flags Fiesta Texas brings back ‘enhanced chaperone policy’ for last weekend of MarchSix Flags Fiesta Texas has announced an “enhanced chaperone policy” for the final weekend of March.
Read more »
Where To Go for the March 28 No Kings Protests in North TexasMany thousands of people opposed to Donald Trump's policies on immigration and the economy will fill streets of Dallas on March 28.
Read more »
Texas hemp shop sues to block new 'Total THC' rules set for March 31A Texas-based hemp retailer has filed a lawsuit in Travis County to block new state regulations scheduled to take effect March 31, 2026, that would effectively ban many currently legal hemp products.
Read more »
How to watch Texas-Purdue for free in March Madness Sweet 16: Time, livestreamThe Sweet 16 gets underway tonight.
Read more »
Texas vs. Purdue prediction: March Madness 2026 picks, odds, best bet for Thursday’s Sweet 16The last Cinderella left in the Dance, No. 11 Texas, faces No. 2 Purdue to kickstart Sweet 16 action in March Madness 2026
Read more »