No matter which arena the Longhorns have played in during conference play, there is one thing in common that fans who have kept an eye on the Texas men’s basketball bench have seen — or rather not seen.
As fans have seen, head coach Sean Miller is constantly rotating players every few minutes, but junior forward Dailyn Swain’s name has rarely been called by the in-game host announcing substitutions.
In Southeastern Conference play, Swain has been on the court for an average of 33.5 of the 40 total minutes. Specifically, in the last four games, the junior has averaged 37 minutes and only sat for one minute in Texas’ upset win against then-No. 21 Georgia.
For comparison, last year, in 18 regular-season conference games, freshman guard Tre Johnson averaged 36.2 minutes.
“I’m trying to set the tone for my teammates,” Swain said to Eric Henry of 247Sports after defeating Oklahoma. “Coach Miller expects a lot out of me, and I obviously don’t want to let him down.”
Swain’s excess of minutes seems to be a factor that could put Texas in a favorable position in the second half of its SEC schedule. His scoring still remains one of his strong suits, scoring 103 total points in the last four games and shooting a 63.9% field goal percentage in that same span.
However, outside of scoring, it’s also what he does elsewhere that makes him valuable enough to keep on the court for extended periods of time, even if it’s for an entire half.
Primarily operating as a forward, Swain’s playmaking says otherwise. With guard-like instincts, he led the Longhorns in assists against Oklahoma and has 30 assists in nine games. Swain has been everywhere on the court this season, contributing in every facet of the game.
With just over five minutes left in the second half against the Sooners, Swain displayed those instincts by attempting to drive into the paint.
However, as soon as an Oklahoma defender left his man to double-team Swain, he quickly fired the ball into junior guard Simeon Wilcher for an open corner three to give Texas the lead.
“I’ve always been a guard growing up. I just got a little height on me later in my career, so I’ve always had those skills but that wasn’t what was expected of me my first two years,” Swain said. “But now that (Miller) put that responsibility on me, I knew I was ready for it, and I know how much he expected of me again. I just want to impact the game for my teammates as much as I can.”
When it comes to crashing the glass, Swain has also been an effective rebounder with just under eight per game in conference matchups. In Norman, Swain grabbed 10 defensive rebounds, helping the Longhorns re-establish possession and be able to play transition offense.
It was Swain’s second time recording double-digit rebounds during conference play, the first being against Mississippi State. There have also been five instances against SEC opponents where he led the team in rebounding.
“You just look statistically, it’s not just his scoring. It’s his defensive rebounding, his assists and having the ball in his hands in key moments,” Miller said. “He really leads us in virtually every statistical category.”
