Rodney Terry explains how Texas prepares for tense environments, situations

Texas has delivered two important wins in front of its home fans over the past week. Defeating No. 17 TCU 79-75 last Wednesday and coming from behind in the second half to take down rival Texas Tech 72-70 Saturday, the Longhorns are looking more comfortable in late-game situations.

Acting head coach Rodney Terry explained how he tries to emulate intense game situations in practice, and how he wants that to be translated in-game.

“We really work with our guys trying to have laser focus. In practice, we play music a loud a little bit at times, too so guys can kind of focus and be prepared for those moments,” Terry said postgame. “At the end of the day, I think it’s a matter of locking into what we’re trying to get done and standing together.

“We talk to our guys all the time about staying connected on the floor, whether you’re touching someone, communicating with someone, you’re connected the entire time and we’ll all be on the same page of what we’re trying to get done.”

The TCU and Texas Tech games mirror each other – Texas outscored TCU 50-33 in the second half after trailing by 13 at the break, and Tech led by nine at halftime before being outscored by 11 in the game’s final 20 minutes.

Luckily for the Longhorns, both of those games were at home. Still, Texas hasn’t lost a true road game all season – they’ve only had to fight the win on the road once, a 70-69 win over Oklahoma to start Big 12 play.

With more tight games inevitably coming, Texas has a perfect late-game track record this season. Terry has made it a point of emphasis in practice to keep communication strong when the stakes are high and the crowd is roaring – and it seems to be paying off.

The No. 10-ranked Longhorns will now turn their attention toward No. 14 Iowa State this Tuesday, as Texas will be looking to earn its first true top-25 road win of the season. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET inside Hilton Coliseum.