Texas basketball is heating up at just the right time. Riding a four-game win streak-their longest since that Elite Eight run three years ago-the Longhorns are starting to look like a team ready to punch its ticket to the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday’s 85-68 road win over Missouri, another bubble team scrapping for March relevance, wasn’t just a statement win. It was also a breakout moment for a player who’s been lurking in the shadows for most of the season: sophomore forward Nic Codie.
Let’s not sugarcoat it-Codie’s journey this season has been a grind. After starting the first three games of the year, he all but disappeared from the rotation, logging just 70 total minutes across 20 games. But with reserve forward Lassina Traore sidelined for the second straight game due to a sore knee, Codie got his number called-and delivered in a big way.
Against Missouri’s physical frontline, Codie gave Texas 15 high-energy minutes off the bench, finishing with nine points, six rebounds (three of them offensive), a block, and zero turnovers. He shot 4-for-5 from the field, and these weren’t just garbage-time buckets. He made tough finishes in traffic, played within the flow of the offense, and held his own defensively.
“Nic Codie was a big reason that we were able to beat Missouri,” head coach Sean Miller said afterward. “I thought he came in the game with a lot of confidence. It was great to see him catch the ball and finish the way he did on offense.”
Confidence is key, but so is trust. And Codie is starting to earn more of it from a coach who’s been vocal about the sophomore’s need to develop better habits.
Earlier this season, Miller was candid in saying Codie needed to improve “in every facet of the game” to earn more playing time. That kind of public challenge can go one of two ways.
Codie chose the harder, more rewarding path-he stayed ready.
“It’s not easy to stay ready and get ready when your time is called upon,” Miller said Monday. “Yet, he has improved. It’s funny how that works out-when you start to work hard more often, when you're more consistent with who you are every day… all of a sudden, when that opportunity comes-and inevitably it will-you’re ready for it.”
That’s exactly what Texas needed with Traore still working his way back from a surgically repaired knee. Traore hasn’t played since Feb. 3, and while he’s listed as day-to-day, the staff is being cautious.
The plan is to evaluate him again before Tuesday’s game against LSU, but there’s no rush. As Miller put it, “We just want to make sure he's completely healthy when we put him out there.”
In the meantime, Codie’s emergence gives Texas a valuable piece off the bench-and potentially a deeper rotation heading into March. That depth could be crucial in the SEC Tournament, where back-to-back games demand fresh legs and flexible lineups.
“My hope is we can get Lassina back, and now we have two options, making us deeper, playing through foul trouble and being able to do the things that, for example, the SEC tournament play requires,” Miller said. “If you’re able to win that first game, man, that second game is on you fast. It favors the deeper team.”
That’s the bigger picture. But in the here and now, Codie’s performance is a reminder of what can happen when a player tunes out the noise, puts in the work, and stays locked in. Texas doesn’t just have momentum-they’ve got a bench that’s starting to show signs of life at the right time.
Next up: LSU at the Moody Center on Tuesday night. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network. And while all eyes will be on the Longhorns’ push to solidify their tournament resume, don’t be surprised if Nic Codie gets another chance to make his presence felt.