It's a brand new era of Texas hoops, as Sean Miller takes up his post as head man after the Rodney Terry experiment failed in three full-time seasons. It's not the first time Miller has taken up the mantle of a big-name program in the college basketball world, but he faces an uphill climb in 2025-26 in the unforgiving SEC and without the team's best player from this past season, Tre Johnson.
With the release of their non-conference schedule earlier this week, we now know the obstacles Miller will face in his debut campaign in Austin. Unsurprisingly, there are the usual early-season cupcakes to pad the record, but also some interesting matchups, plus a trip to Maui.
With how difficult the SEC is poised to be once again in 2025-26, Miller and company know they will have to start out fast and began building a resume early if they want to get to the NCAA Tournament next spring.
Regular Season Games
The season actually begins with a neutral site game against Duke in the Dick Vitale Invitational, before the Longhorns return to Austin for four straight games at the Moody Center.
November 8 vs. Lafayette
After the excitement of the Duke matchup, the trip back to Austin to face off with the Lafayette Leopards may be a welcome reprive for the Longhorns. The Leopards are unlikely to offer much resistance against a team like Texas so early on in the season, as they're fresh off a 13-20 campaign last winter.
November 12 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
Could we see another miraculous Knights upset a few years removed from their shocker of No. 1 seed Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament? Unlikely. With star guard Terrence Brown (20.6 PPG, 45% FG shooting) now at Utah, you have to imagine FDU will still be figuring out where their offense is going to come from this season.
November 15 vs. Kansas City
It's been a rough go of things for Marvin Menzies at Kansas City as he looks to build the program into a contender in the Summit League. After a respectable 2023-24, where they went 10-6 and finished tied for second in the league, they fell back down near the cellar last year. The Longhorns should cruise past them in another game at the Moody Center.
November 18 vs. Rider
The final tune-up game for Texas before they trek to Maui, you have to imagine this will be a game where the Longhorns take things easy and preserve their roster. Rider went 14-19 a season ago and 9-11 inside the MAAC.
December 8 vs. Southern
The Maui Invitational and ACC/SEC Challenge will dominate the end of November and early December for Texas, before it's back to Austin for Southern. You have to wonder if the Longhorns will be looking ahead to their next game, which just so happens to be against UConn, but they should still have little problem with the Jaguars.
December 12 vs. UConn (Hartford)
This will be an excellent test in Year One for Sean Miller and the Longhorns, against a program he became very well-acquainted with over his last three seasons at Xavier. Something tells me Danny Hurley will have his Huskies back with a vengeance this season, even without Liam McNeeley. UConn's backcourt in particular will be a challenge for the 'Horns, as Solo Ball and Malachi Smith are going to look to up the pace as both teams get ready for conference action.
December 16 vs. Le Moyne
Still only in their third year since transitioning from Division II, this will be great exposure and a buy game for Le Moyne as they hope to make a name for themselves at the Division I level. The Dolphins went 9-23 a season ago, including a 2-16 mark away from their home court.
December 22 vs. Maryland Eastern Shore
The final game before Texas embarks on their SEC conference schedule. The Longhorns will have this game on December 22, and then get two weeks of rest before the SEC schedule is set to begin on January 3.
Events / In-Season Tournaments
Dick Vitale Invitational: November 4 vs. Duke (Charlotte)
What a way for the Sean Miller era to begin, going on the road to Charlotte to face off with Jon Scheyer's Blue Devils. Just imagine what Texas is up against - Duke may have lost plenty, but Caleb Foster and Isaiah Evans return, and they bring in arguably the nation's top recruit in Cameron Boozer. Plus, the Blue Devils will have to be extra motivated considering the heartbreaking loss they suffered against Houston last spring. Even if Miller has his Longhorns ready to play, this could be an early-season learning experience for them.
Maui Invitational: November 24-26 vs. TBD
The Maui Invitational is always one of the premier Thanksgiving weekend events, but the field feels wide open this season. It will include the Longhorns, plus Arizona State, Boise State, Chaminade, NC State, Seton Hall, USC and Washington State. It doesn't feel like there is a clear favorite among that bunch, which should make for an interesting and competitive tournament.
The matchups are not set just yet, so we don't know who Texas will square off with among the eight-team field.
ACC/SEC Challenge: December 3 vs. Virginia
A pair of first year coaches will collide in this ACC/SEC Challenge battle, with Miller poised to face Ryan Odom and the new-look Virginia Cavaliers. It's hard to know what we will get out of Odom in Year One, in much the same way Miller and the Longhorns are quite the mystery themselves at this point in the offseason. The Cavaliers will boast 10 newcomers (seven transfers, three freshmen), with San Francisco transfer Malik Thomas expected to be one of the top options in the lineup this winter. For both coaches, this game will represent an opportunity to see what they have against other similar power conference competition, especially with conference play looming.
After a season in which they went 19-16 overall, 6-12 in the SEC, and finished 16th in the conference, Texas has new life with Sean Miller. The roster remains in flux as Miller nearly completely flipped the entire thing, so 2025-26 will likely be about laying the foundation for what is to come. With a non-conference slate that features several big-name programs, plus Maui, the Longhorns have an opportunity to potentially steal away a few major wins, which would go a long way in returning the program to prominence in arguably the nation's toughest basketball conference.