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WATCH: Joyous Texas players interrupt Rodney Terry's interview after winning the Big 12 championship

On3 imageby:Andrew Graham•03/11/23•

AndrewEdGraham

Texas v Kansas
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 11: Interim head coach Rodney Terry of the Texas Longhorns reacts against the Kansas Jayhawks during the first half in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game at T-Mobile Center on March 11, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

After drubbing Kansas to win a the Big 12 Tournament title on Saturday night, the Texas men’s basketball team was overjoyed. So much so that while interim head coach Rodney Terry was speaking with ESPN sideline reporter Kris Budden after the game, a swarm of Longhorn players started to celebrate with their coach, momentarily pausing the interview.

It was a joyous scene, as Terry succumbed to taking a moment to bask in the joy with his players before stepping back to Budden and the microphone. But the preceding few seconds had already done more to answer the question about support from his players than anything Terry said.

“Oh, these guys have been awesome all year long. They’re big-time guys and I’m just so happy for them. I don’t know what to say,” Terry said, before turning and entering the celebratory melee with his squad.

And Texas got the win — and went through the tournament — without key contributor Timmy Allen. For a team that underwent a coaching change midseason, resiliency on the court has never been a challenge.

“This has been a resilient group all year. I’m just so proud of these guys. I’m just so happy for them. They work their tails off and we’re Big 12 champs,” Terry said.

In the early phases of the game, Kansas managed to keep pace with Texas behind the supreme scoring ability of Jalen Wilson. But beyond him, the Longhorns limited the offense and over time built up a big lead.

“They’re a really, really good team. Well coached. Wilson got off to a great start, we needed to do a good job with him. I think just doing a good on the supporting cast is what we had to do in this game,” Terry said.

And with the win, Texas has secured a conference tournament title, certainly a high seed in the NCAA Tournament, and perhaps for Terry, a full-time gig leading the Longhorns.