Sean Miller gives brutal stance on Jordan Pope foul trouble vs. Arkansas: 'He didn't participate in tonight's game'

Texas guard Jordan Pope only played four minutes due to foul trouble in the Longhorns’ 105-85 loss to Arkansas on Wednesday. After the game, Texas head coach Sean Miller questioned if Pope wanted to be out there against the Razorbacks.

“I mean, he didn’t seem like he really wanted to play,” Miller said. “He really didn’t participate in tonight’s game. Certainly, when you have a senior who’s that meaningful to your team and he’s not able to play, it hurts, and it certainly hurt us.”

Pope picked up his first foul with 18:49 remaining in the first half. Just 20 seconds later, Pope was called for another foul and was subbed out of the game. With just over 14 minutes left in the half, Texas subbed Pope back into the game.

Pope only played for two minutes before committing his third foul. Texas pulled him from the game and didn’t play him again in the first half. Pope started the second half, but committed his fourth foul just nine seconds into the half. Once again, Texas subbed him out of the game.

Pope didn’t return for the remainder of the contest. He didn’t score in his four minutes of action. Pope averages 12.7 points per game, while shooting 41.2% from the field and 37.0% from beyond the arc.

In Texas’ previous outing, a 76-70 win over Texas A&M, Pope recorded 17 points and four rebounds on 6-11 shooting from the floor. While Sean Miller was complimentary of Pope’s performance after the game, he also admitted he’s demanded a particular level of play from the veteran guard.

“There’s no player on our team that I’ve coached harder than Jordan Pope,” Miller said. “I coached him hard before the season began. I’m coaching him because I’ve always felt, because of his unique skill set and his experience, that he had another level in him, a higher ceiling, than sometimes he had shown.

“I think everybody really saw that today. It wasn’t just his shot-making. It was getting open, not wearing down, handling the ball against pressure. And, really doing a good job defensively, being poised throughout. He did it all, and I thought he looked like a terrific point guard today, and that’s what it takes.”

With the loss, Texas fell to 9-8 in conference play. The Longhorns will conclude their regular season with a showdown against Oklahoma on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will air live on the SEC Network.