Pope Returns, Longhorns Ready for Sweet Sixteen

0:00On March 26, Texas Senior Point Guard Jordan Pope is set to start for the long horns in their sweet 16 match-up against Purdue today. He was listed as questionable on the NCAA availability report earlier, but officials confirmed his spot in the lineup just before tip-off. At first, junior reserve guard Simeon Wilcher was slotted to take his place, according to reports about 35 minutes out from the game. That changed 15 minutes later when Pope moved back into the starting five. Coach Sean Miller sounded optimistic during Monday's media session, saying the team skipped practice yesterday, but Pope got treatment and should be. Good to go. They held a session here at 230 this afternoon to prep. Pope has averaged 11 points in 2.3 assists over three tournament games so far. He's been steady from beyond the arc, hitting about a third of his threes, including some big ones during Texas's win streak. His calm style has kept turnovers low and steady the team, especially in their latest win. With Pope leading the way, the long horns look ready to push deeper into March madness.