Texas 84, South Carolina 75: Postgame press conference after grinding out an SEC win

[Jeff Howe]

We're waiting on Sean Miller and the Texas players to get to the interview room after an 84-75 win over South Carolina. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win.

 

[Jeff Howe]

Cam Heide said the team is still trying to focus on being better in the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half.

[Jeff Howe]

Dailyn Swain credited the crowd for giving the team some juice in the second half.

[Jeff Howe]

Heide: "I need to be someone who can knock down shots."

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Heide: "I need to be someone who can knock down shots."

Heide said Texas will be tougher to guard if he can make shots because of how good Swain and Tramon Mark are at scoring around the rim and in the mid-range.

[Jeff Howe]

Heide said there was a point in the first half when Miller told the team to stop taking threes and make more of an effort to get to the basket.

[Jeff Howe]

Heide: "I need to do more than catch and shoot... It creates more opportunities for me, but also for other guys on the team."

[Jeff Howe]

Swain said Miller was telling guys to look for Heide because he was getting open and had good looks.

[Jeff Howe]

Sean Miller's take was that Texas wasn't sharp, and he didn't like that there weren't enough defensive stops and too many point-blank misses for his liking, but they got the win, and he'll take it.

[Jeff Howe]

Miller credits the team with executing critical second-half possessions on offense when Texas needed to score.

[Jeff Howe]

Miller pointed out that this was Texas' third game in 11 days. The Longhorns get a day off tomorrow.

[Jeff Howe]

Miller: "This is very fair — we're a much better offensive team than a defensive team."

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Miller: "This is very fair — we're a much better offensive team than a defensive team."

Miller: "We just have to improve and be the best that we can be, knowing we've got some pretty special things going on offense."

[Jeff Howe]

Miller on Meechie Johnson's 35-point game: "That's what those guys get against us."

[Jeff Howe]

Miller liked the way Texas defended the 3-point line (South Carolina was 2-for-11 from deep).

[Jeff Howe]

Miller: "The first four, eight, 10 minutes of the game, I don't think it's what we needed to be. Certainly, we have to be better on Saturday."

[Jeff Howe]

Miller said Jordan Pope's competitive spirit needs to shine because this is it for him.

"I need to help Jordan go down that path," he said.

[Jeff Howe]

Miller is pointing out that Jordan Pope has never been on a team that's won three conference games in a row.

[Jeff Howe]

Miller: "This is a big, big opportunity for us this weekend."

[Jeff Howe]

Miller considers Chris Beard a friend. He said they've talked a lot the last few years as they've both gone down their respective journeys.

[Jeff Howe]

Just now, Jeff Howe said:

Miller considers Chris Beard a friend. He said they've talked a lot the last few years as they've both gone down their respective journeys.

Miller lays out the challenge for the Moody Center crowd to be the best of the season on Saturday.

[Jeff Howe]

Even though Texas is at .500 in conference play, Miller said he hasn't talked to his team much about it, "because the train keeps rolling," he said.

[Jeff Howe]

Miller said he told Matas after the game, "I'm not getting through to you."

He's hit a plateau, Miller said.

[Jeff Howe]

Miller on Matas: "If he could adjust in two or three plays, three or four plays, I cannot tell you the difference it's going to make for our team with not fouling."

[Jeff Howe]

Miller on Matas: "We need him to be more of an anchor for us on defense."