Just over a year ago, Sean Miller took over the Texas men's basketball program, and since then, he has led the Longhorns back into the national conversation.
Between elite recruiting classes, impressive transfer portal pickups, and a deep run in last season's March Madness, it has quickly become clear that Miller is an "all gas, no brakes" kind of head coach. Now, he has primed the Horns for an even better season, and that was reflected in the latest Way-Too-Early Top 25 from SportsCenter NEXT.
SportsCenter NEXT Way-Too-Early Top 25
Breaking into the top 10 of the national rankings and the top three of SEC teams included, the Texas Longhorns are in a great place with over four months until the season actually tips off.
- Florida Gators
- Duke Blue Devils
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- UConn Huskies
- Michigan Wolverines
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Texas Longhorns
- St. John's Red Storm
- Michigan State Spartans
- Arizona Wildcats
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- USC Trojans
- Louisville Cardinals
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- Houston Cougars
- Kentucky Wildcats
- Miami Hurricanes
- Gonzaga BUlldogs
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Missouri Tigers
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Iowa State Cyclones
- North Carolina Tar Heels
One of eight teams from the SEC to make the top-25 cut, the Horns rank third in the conference, only trailing the No. 1 Florida Gators and the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers.
After last season's surprising run to the Sweet 16 and an already impressive offseason, the Longhorns even rank ahead of a few teams that made it to the Elite Eight: the Houston Cougars and Arizona Wildcats, as well as the unranked Purdue Boilermakers and Iowa Hawkeyes.
A big reason Texas was ranked seventh in the nation was Miller's recruiting efforts over the last year or so. The Horns' head coach landed the No. 4 transfer portal class and the No. 16 recruiting class of 2026, bringing a slew of talent to the 40 Acres.
Those two efforts on the recruiting trail landed top-tier talent like incoming freshman Austin Goosby, who was the No. 23 overall prospect and No. 4 combo guard in the class of 2026, as well as transfer power forward David Punch, who was one of the top prospects in the portal after leaving the TCU Horned Frogs.
Additionally, Miller and the Longhorns held onto a few players from last year's squad, including star center Matas Vokietaitis, who took the country by storm during Texas's run through the NCAA Tournament.
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At the end of the 2025-26 season, the Horns were ranked 22nd in the final AP Top 25 Poll, edging out the Louisville Cardinals, Miami (FL) Hurricanes, and Wisconsin Badgers.
Last season, including the postseason performance, the Horns finished 21-15 overall and 9-9 in conference play. This season, with bigger expectations from the national media, there is a little more weight behind the hopes for Miller and the Longhorns.
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