SEC Basketball Program Fires Head Coach After Disappointing NCAA Tournament Loss

Well, that didn't take long.

After a successful first season in the SEC for the Texas Longhorns football program, the men's basketball team couldn't keep up and replicate that success on the court. The Longhorns lost to Xavier in the First Four on Wednesday night, eliminating them from NCAA Tournament contention before it even really began.

On Sunday, the school announced it fired coach Rodney Terry. Terry took over eight games into the 2022-23 season after Chris Beard was suspended and then ultimately fired for domestic violence charges that were ultimately dropped. Not long after the announcement of Terry's firing, the Austin American-Statesman reported that Xavier's Sean Miller will take over for Terry.

The Longhorns were 19-15 overall in their inaugural SEC campaign, but just 6-12 in league play. Texas was the No. 7 seed in last season's NCAA Tournament in their final year in the Big 12. They beat Colorado State in the first round before succumbing to Tennessee in Round 2.

Terry's firing means the Longhorns will pay a $5.4 million buyout as part of the five-year contract Terry hired after the team's Elite Eight run in 2022.

“I am so appreciative to have served the University of Texas and our men’s basketball program for 13 seasons,” Terry said in a statement. “It was a dream of mine to be the head coach of the Longhorns, and I’ve been able to live that dream. I want to thank all of our coaches and current and former players who not only helped us win a lot of games, but more importantly represented this great university in a first-class manner.”

Miller just completed the third year of his second stint at Xavier after returning to the program ahead of the 2022-23 season.