Harsh criticism ignited Texas' turnaround. Sean Miller's bold words sparked newfound team fire, transforming a lost season into championship contention.
Just over a week ago, Texas' season looked to be all but wrapped up.
After two straight losses to open up Southeastern Conference play, the Longhorns didn't look like an SEC-caliber squad, and with two top-15 opponents next up on their schedule, it looked like their season would go from bad to worse.
But after Wednesday night's blowout win over No. 10 and formerly undefeated Vanderbilt, Texas looks like a galvanized group ready for whatever conference play has to throw at them.
In the span of a week, the Longhorns have gone from a lost season to legitimate NCAA Tournament contenders. How did that happen?
It all started after Texas head coach Sean Miller openly criticized his players after their loss to Tennessee.
Miller was critical of his team's effort, particularly on the defensive end, and mentioned that he wasn't afraid to bench anyone, regardless of their status on the team.
“Our lineup has to change. I can’t keep playing certain guys," he said. "We’re at that point where we’re just gonna have to go, whoever is ready to play hard, we have to go with them cause that’s gonna be our best bet.”
In this era of sports, comments like this usually signal the beginning of the end for a coach or team. They can create unrest in a locker room -- a group of players who no longer want to play for the coach.
Knowing this, Miller spoke his mind anyway. He took a big risk.
Right now, that risk is paying off.
Texas has responded to his remarks with its two most inspired showings of the season, beating two elite opponents in a row by playing hard on both ends of the court, and responding to punches with an uppercut of its own.
In those two wins, the Longhorns held the Crimson Tide and the Commodores under their season averages in points per game.
In Vanderbilt's case, it scored only 64 points, about 27 fewer points than its season average of 91.3, which ranks 11th in college basketball.
Since Miller called them out, Texas has looked like a brand new basketball team, and that isn't a coincidence.
"Learning from failure... what do you gotta do? Number one, you have to own it, you have to truly understand there are things you can do better," Miller said on Wednesday night.
"The final part is the one that might be the most difficult... You have to forget what happened and say, 'I got a brand new opportunity to be better and do things better,'".
The Longhorns will undoubtedly run into more bumps the rest of the season, and as these tests arrive, their newfound confidence will be put to the test.
But for right now, Texas looks like a legitimate basketball team, and that's not something we thought we'd be saying anytime soon.