The 2023 Texas men’s basketball team exceeded all expectations under then-interim head coach Rodney Terry. His fiery compassion and the team’s resilience propelled them to an Elite 8 season. Although their run in the NCAA tournament ended earlier than they would have liked, the Longhorns proved that under coach Terry they will be able to compete with anyone in the country for many years to come. In late March, Terry received a 5-year contract to become head coach of the Longhorns.
Texas began the year at No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches poll and finished the season as Big 12 Conference tournament champions. The team finished 26-8 overall and 12-6 in Big 12 play, one game behind Kansas. After an impressive postseason run, the Longhorn’s final ranking of No. 7 was their highest ranking at the end of a season since the 2007-08 campaign.
The Longhorns had several notable wins throughout the year, including a victory over the then-ranked No. 2 team in the country, the Gonzaga Bulldogs. They also had impressive wins against other top-25 teams, including Baylor and Kansas, whom they defeated in the Big 12 tournament championship game.
In the NCAA tournament, Texas defeated Colgate, Penn State, and Xavier, making it all the way to the Elite 8 before being knocked out by the Miami Hurricanes in a hard-fought game.
The 2022-23 Texas men’s basketball team faced significant adversity early in the season when head coach Chris Beard was fired following misconduct allegations. Terry, who previously served as an assistant coach at Texas dating back to the Rick Barnes era, took on the role of interim head coach on January 5th and never looked back.