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Jordan Pope did not look comfortable late Saturday night.
He stayed in the game anyway.
The Texas guard appeared to turn his ankle in the closing minutes of the Longhorns' 74-68 win over Gonzaga, bending over during a timeout while speaking with a trainer. For a moment, it looked like Texas might lose one of its top guards at the worst possible time.
Instead, Pope finished the game.
"Coach asked him, are you good? He said no, but I'm going to finish the game," Texas guard Tramon Mark said in a postgame locker room video shared by KXAN's Noah Gross.
— Noah Gross (@noah_gross27) March 22, 2026That moment summed up Pope's night.
The senior guard scored 17 points and delivered multiple clutch shots down the stretch, including a key 3-pointer shortly after the injury. Even as he was clearly limited, he continued to create offense and help close out the upset.
After the game, Pope returned to the locker room for treatment before speaking with reporters.
"I'll be fine," Pope said regarding his Sweet 16 availability in a postgame video shared by Horns247's Eric Henry.
After suffering an ankle injury, Jordan Pope returned to the locker room to speak to the media.
“I’ll be fine,” Pope said regarding his Sweet 16 availability. pic.twitter.com/wKoJuosDNY
Head coach Sean Miller struck a similar tone, though he noted the team will have a better understanding in the coming days.
"I understand he'll be fine," Miller said. "We don't know enough right now, but we'll certainly know this weekend."
Pope was seen receiving treatment in the locker room before eventually addressing reporters, another sign the injury may not be serious.
However, there was still no official update as of Sunday afternoon. Longtime Texas writer Kirk Bohls from the Houston Chronicle reported that the program had not yet provided further clarity on Pope's ankle beyond postgame.
Texas says no update yet on guard Jordan Pope’s injured ankle.
— Kirk Bohls (@kbohls) March 22, 2026The timing matters. Texas is heading to San Jose for the Sweet 16, where it will face No. 2 Purdue on Thursday.
Still, if Saturday was any indication, Pope is not planning to sit.
Not now.
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