Big East Coaching Carousel: Sean Miller Jumps Ship for Texas

Villanova isn’t the only Big East team in the market for a new head coach, as Sean Miller jumped ship for the Texas Longhorns on Sunday, March 23.

Miller’s teams have made the NCAA Tournament in 13 of his 19 eligible seasons (excluding the 2019-20 postseason cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic) with four Elite Eight appearances and a further four trips to the Sweet Sixteen. While not having to face a coach of his caliber twice a year should benefit Villanova, it also opens up another coaching vacancy… not the type of news the Wildcats want to hear as they search for a new head coach themselves.

The Musketeers made the NCAA Tournament in two of three seasons during Miller’s second stint, including a Sweet Sixteen berth in 2023… where he eventually lost to Texas, ironically. After a down year during the 2023-24 campaign, Xavier bounced back to qualify for the Big Dance again this season, winning their First Four matchup as a No. 11 seed before falling to Illinois in the Round of 64.

Miller, 56, served as an assistant coach for the Musketeers from 2001 to 2004 before breaking into the head role, where he served until 2009. He then bailed out for Arizona in similar fashion, coaching there until his firing in 2021. His stint with those Wildcats included involvement in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men’s basketball corruption scandal which involved athletes receiving payment for their services and wiped 50 wins away from his all time record, now officially at 437-196.