Jim Larranaga credits coaching job of Rodney Terry

Miami‘s Jim Larranaga and Texas‘ Rodney Terry have nothing but respect for one another, but one will be sent packing and the other headed to the Final Four after Sunday.

There will be no love lost when the two coaches meet in Kansas City for the last spot in the Final Four, but that didn’t stop Larranaga from praising Terry for a job well done in the face of adversity this season.

“I think knowing where you stand within your program, whether you’re a player or a coach, is hugely important because you want to have that respect,” Larranaga said. “Not only as a coach of your players but of your administration. And Rodney Terry was put in a very difficult situation because Chris Beard is one hell of a coach.

“When Rodney had to step into his role, he had to command the respect of his players first. They bought into whatever he said, whatever he did, hook, line, and sinker. They are an outstanding team. They’ve played very hard and very well together at both ends of the court.”

Texas heads into the Elite Eight having won its last seven games dating back to before the Big 12 Conference Tournament. After rolling through the first two rounds, Texas controlled every facet of its 83-71 win over Xavier in the Sweet 16.

Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr were sensational, scoring 19 and 18 points respectively while connecting on a combined 5-of-6 from deep. Christian Bishop, who was forced to step in for the injured Dylan Disu, scored 19 points and hauled in 9 boards in the victory while Sir’Jabari Rice was electrifying off the bench with 16 points.

“I was extremely impressed with how they played [against Xavier in the Sweet 16]. They got ahead early and stayed ahead,” Larranaga said. “They were up by over 20 in the second half. So Rodney deserves a lot of credit for that.”

Terry reciprocated the respect toward Larranaga, noting that he’s been following the Miami coach’s career since his days at George Mason. Larranaga is someone Terry looks up to as a player first coach — people on his roster love playing for him and that helped carve a role in developing Terry’s coaching philosophy into what it is today.

Tip-off between Texas and Miami is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET live on CBS following the conclusion of Creighton vs. San Diego State. The Longhorns will enter the game as a 3.5-point favorite (-180) over the ‘Canes, per Caesars Sportsbook.