The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team moved to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) on July 1, 2024, after competing in the Big 12 Conference during the 2023-24 NCAA season. The Longhorns’ move sounded promising, but things went south. Longhorns Head Coach Rodney Terry led his team to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024, but he didn’t advance out of the first weekend in either year.
Terry, 56, initially took over as the Longhorns men’s basketball head coach on an interim basis for Chris Beard in 2022. He led the Longhorns to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, 2024, and 2025 but was fired after an 86-80 loss to the Xavier Musketeers at UD Arena on Wednesday, March 19. His firing can be described as a letdown, as he worked hard to lead the team in a first-class manner.
Texas Longhorns Fire Rodney Terry
The Texas Longhorns’ firing of Rodney Terry, who coached men’s basketball from 2023-2025, was reported as difficult. Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said in a statement obtained by ESPN, “This was a very difficult decision and one that we put a great deal of thought, consideration, and discussion into as we evaluated where we are … Coach Terry has led our program in a first-class manner, and we’ve accomplished some great things.”
Del Conte did extensive legwork on Sean Miller before promoting Terry to head coach in 2023, sources told ESPN. Miller, 56, is a veteran head coach who has led teams to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, including two of the past three seasons at Xavier. He has won 487 games and brought a winning percentage of more than 71%. He had extensive success as the head coach of the Arizona Wildcats, including three Elite Eight appearances.
Longhorns Hire Sean Miller
The Texas Longhorns’ reported hiring of the Xavier Musketeers men’s basketball Head Coach Sean Miller is in progress as a deal is expected to be completed shortly, sources told ESPN on Sunday. Miller was hired by Xavier in 2022 following a decline in success amid a federal basketball investigation that included five Level 1 allegations against Arizona.
Miller is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, native who began his NCAA coaching career after a four-year college basketball career at Pittsburgh as a point guard. He won the 1987-88 Big East Freshman of the Year, along with being the No. 21 scorer for the Pittsburgh Panthers men’s basketball team. He also has the fourth-most career assists in the Big East Conference.
Final Thoughts
The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team finished the 2024-25 NCAA season with a 19-17 record and an 86-60 loss to the Xavier Musketeers. The Musketeers lost to the Illinois Fighting Illini 86-73 at the Fiserv Forum on Friday, March 21, and settled for a 22-12 record after the 1st Round of the NCAA Tournament. The Musketeers had a slightly better season than the Longhorns.
Miller can help the Texas Longhorns succeed with his extensive experience as a men’s basketball head coach for Xavier and Arizona. Miller’s focus on intensity, respect, high standards, a jump-shooting offensive approach, and high standards can help the team overcome its consistency struggles, especially in conference play. Xavier’s new head coach might be College of Charleston Head Coach Chris Mack or UConn Assistant Coach Luka Murray.
