The Texas Longhorns weren’t even supposed to have a chance, but wins over Vanderbilt and Texas A&M in the SEC tournament nudged them off the bubble and into the field of 68. Even with a solid finish, however, the Aggies underperformed overall, going just 6-12 in conference play. Their 19 total wins tied their fewest in four years. For a team looking for its fifth straight tournament bid, sneaking into a First Four matchup with Xavier was less than hoped for. A blown second-half lead against the Musketeers doomed the Longhorns to an 86-80 defeat. It cost their coach his job after three seasons at the helm.
Head Coach Falls Out of Favor in Underwhelming End to Longhorns’ Tenure
In 2024, Rodney Terry steered the longhorns into the tournament as a 7-seed. Texas won its first round matchup before coming up just short, 72-68, against 2-seed Tennessee in the round of 32. Both seasons under Terry, the Longhorns entered the season in the AP Poll, climbing as high 12th this year, but fell out before season’s end.
His season as interim head coach remains his best with the program. Taking over for Chris Beard, who was fired due to a domestic violence charge and now coaches at Ole Miss, Terry led the Longhorns to the Elite Eight in 2022-23, their first appearance since 2008. They have not advanced further than that, however, since a Final Four berth in 2003 under now-Vols coach Rick Barnes. While Texas watches at home, both Beard and Barnes prepare for upcoming games in this year’s tournament.
Terry leaves Texas with a 62-37 overall record and four tournament wins. Previously, he served as an assistant under Barnes from 2002-11. He also spent three seasons as head coach at UTEP (2019-2021) and seven at Fresno State (2012-2018), where he led the Bulldogs to their only tournament appearance since 2001.
Ironic Leading Candidate for Terry’s Replacement
Per ESPN, the Longhorns are considering an ironic replacement for Terry: “Xavier’s Sean Miller is expected to be among the top targets for Texas, sources told ESPN. Athletic director Chris Del Conte did extensive legwork on Miller before promoting Terry to the job in 2023.”
In his second stint with the Musketeers, Miller got them past the Longhorns into a first round game against Illinois, but Xavier could not take any further advantage of its First Four triumph.
Arizona’s man from 2010-2021, Miller led to four regular season conference titles and three PAC-12 tournament championships. During his first go-round at Xavier, he won three more regular season crowns and one Big East tournament.
His teams have struggled to go the distance in March, as he has yet to reach the Final Four in his 20-year career. He has made the NCAA tournament 13 times, going 22-13.
Dismissing Terry two years into a 5-year contract, the Longhorns’ search for a new coach “is expected to unfold quickly,” per ESPN.
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