Sean Miller's new-look Texas Longhorns look younger, deeper, hungry for NCAA run | Golden

Texas Longhorns forward Marcus Spears Jr. (31) runs onto the court ahead of the Longhorns' game against the Chicago State Cougars at the Moody Center in Austin, Nov. 2, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) When freshman swingman Marcus Spears, Jr. came off the bench Monday night and scored on a nice move to the paint, the fans at Moody Center gave rousing applause. It provided a sense that the new-look Texas Longhorns will be even better than the team that shocked us all with an unexpected NCAA Tournament run in Sean Miller's debut season.They're younger, deeper and capable of getting great production from multiple sources. Monday's 109-59 rout of overmatched Chicago State didn't tell us a lot other than the No. 7 Horns are one talented buck, but it did illustrate some early indications that Miller could have a winner on his hands.MORE CEDDY:Check out my predicted CFP top 12"I think we've had a great five months," Miller said. "I really believe that. When you guys have asked me questions along the way, I've always pointed to this as a really fun group to be around and coach. They love the game. I think they're good people. They love Texas."When asked how much the Cougars received to serve as a punching bag in Austin a couple of days before a more winnable game against Incarnate Word in San Antonio, coach Landon Bussie chuckled. "You hope it worth it after that ass whupping?" he asked with a big grin. Texas Longhorns forward Marcus Spears Jr. (31) puts the ball up in the first half of the Longhorns' game against the Chicago State Cougars at the Moody Center in Austin, Nov. 2, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) The appearance fee was somewhere in the $100,000 range, but the hosts will be seeking much bigger game and the local basketball populace will love it if big man Matas Vokietaitis and a collection of talented newcomers like Spears, Isaiah Johnson, Austin Goosby, Joe Sterling, Bo Ogden, David Punch, Amari Evans and injured guard Mikey Lewis can pick up where the 2027 crew left off. Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis (8) passes the ball away under pressure from Chicago State Cougars forward Lohan Stephane Djiya (15) and guard Najee Graham (4) in the first half of the Longhorns' game against the Chicago State Cougars at the Moody Center in Austin, Nov. 2, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) None us saw three tourney wins and a near appearance in the Elite Eight coming from a 21-15 team was dependent on its core of Dailyn Swain, Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope. By contrast, this team is arguably the deepest the Horns have put on a court since the Rick Barnes era. And while it's always good to have an established alpha dog in basketball, Miller has plenty of time to figure it out in nonconference before they enter the gantlet of SEC hoops with a Jan. 2 home showdown with defending national champion Florida.COLLEGE FOOTBALL: How to watch the CFP selection show"We don't have that problem where guys are trying to do things individually and losing sight of the togetherness and teamwork that this game requires," Miller said. "That's not an issue for us. For us, we just have to keep getting better, more experienced, and older." Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller shouts to his team in the second half of the Longhorns' 109-59 win over the Chicago State Cougars at the Moody Center in Austin, Nov. 2, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) Older means getting Lewis back from surgery on a fractured foot sometime in the new year. He suffered the injury in a preseason practice and went under the knife Oct. 1. The former St. Mary's star will bolster this attack when he works his way into shape, but his absence opens up a great window of opportunity for some unproven talents.MORE HORNS: Best photos Texas-Chicago StateLet's start with Spears, whose father, an analyst on ESPN's "Monday Night Football Countdown" show, beamed when shown images of his kid coming out of the tunnel for pregame warmups in Austin while the old man, a former Dallas Cowboys defensive end, was preparing to work the Seahawks-Bears game. "It's just his second game in an arena," Spears said on air. "I was down as hell that I wasn't going to be in the building, then I was like, my wife and myself have prepared him to be where he is, so he'll be fine." Texas Longhorns forward Marcus Spears Jr. (31) listens to coaching during a timeout in the second half of the Longhorns' 109-59 win over the Chicago State Cougars at the Moody Center in Austin, Nov. 2, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) The kid was more than fine. Spears, a spindly 6-foot-9, 206-pound five-star recruit who signed with Texas after reclassifying to the Class of 2026, has the slithery moves and the feathery touch of a young Chris Bosh, a fellow Metroplex product who's working on campus as a Tower Fellow with the Bevo Lab AI initiative.  The long lefty scored 11 points Monday with five rebounds and, most notably, registered four blocks. He won't have to worry about Dad missing too many games outside of some Monday gigs, and he looked quite comfortable in his Austin debut.Sign up for Ced's CornerSign up for Cedric Golden's newsletter for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond delivered straight to your inbox.  It's called Ced's Corner, from the NSMA's 2025 Texas Sportswriter of the Year.As for the journey to make it to this moment, Spears spoke with the wisdom of someone well north of 18 years of age when asked about his dad's guidance. Texas Longhorns guard Elyjah Freeman (6) puts the ball up in the first half of the Longhorns' game against the Chicago State Cougars at the Moody Center in Austin, Nov. 2, 2026. (Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman) "It feels super good because we've been through a lot of hard days and long days (with) him getting on me," Spears said. "So he's starting to see. He's been seeing my work, but it's just starting to show."Those around Spears are expecting him to grow up in a hurry on a roster that will allow him to adjust to the physicality of the college game with the grueling schedule and the accompanying freshman wall that will show up some time or another."He's a confident guy," Vokietaitis said. "He's coming in and playing hard with confidence and that's the important thing."Texas' nonconference slate won't be confused with a murderer's row in terms of opponent quality, but Miller cautioned anyone watching to never assume anything. East Texas A&M, picked to finish last in the Southland Conference, gave the nation proof of that with its 68-64 win at Oklahoma, a result that delighted the folks at Moody when it was posted followed by chants of "OU sucks!" Good times.It will take some time to figure out roles and get to know one another when the live basketball rounds are firing, but talent and depth - along with a proven winner at coach - should make for some interesting nights at Moody over the next few months.Sign up for the Daily Briefing from the Austin American-Statesman. Start your day with the must-read headlines from Austin's most trusted news source.This article originally published at Sean Miller's new-look Texas Longhorns look younger, deeper, hungry for NCAA run | Golden.