Texas has spent the offseason building real momentum under Sean Miller, but Jon Rothstein’s latest preseason power rankings still leave a little room for doubt.
The Longhorns checked in at No. 9 in Rothstein’s top 45, good for a top-10 spot but not quite the kind of lofty placement some might have expected after Texas landed five-star Marcus Spears Jr. and kept stacking wins in roster building. Rothstein’s list put Florida at No. 1, followed by Duke, Illinois, UConn, Michigan State, Arizona, Michigan, Virginia, Texas and Tennessee.
That makes Texas the second-highest SEC team in the ranking, behind Florida and just ahead of Tennessee at No. 10.
For Miller, it’s another sign that the program has climbed back into the national conversation after a strong first year in Austin. Texas reached the Sweet 16, made major noise in the transfer portal, and followed that up with a recruiting haul that included the No. 5 class of 2026 and the No. 4 transfer portal class. The Longhorns also kept star center Matas Vokietaitis in the fold.
Still, Rothstein’s placement suggests the respect is there without full buy-in just yet. That’s not exactly shocking this early in the process, especially with the 2026-27 season still ahead. But it does show Texas is being viewed as a team on the rise, even if it’s not quite being slotted among the true elite.
The last time the Longhorns were on the court, they fell to Purdue in the Sweet 16 and finished No. 22 in the final AP Top 25 Poll. So landing at No. 9 in Rothstein’s preseason rankings is a notable step up and another reminder of how far Miller has pushed the program in a short time.
Of course, preseason lists only matter so much. Texas will have to prove it on the floor, starting with the Rady Children’s Invitational, where it will face Georgetown and either UCLA or Saint Mary’s. Later, the Longhorns will also meet Louisville and Memphis in the SEC-ACC Challenge.
Miller has already shown he’s willing to take on anyone, and Texas now enters the season with a roster and a ranking that say the same thing: the Longhorns are back in the mix.
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