Rodney Terry shares immense respect for Jim Larranaga

Texas and Miami will do battle for the last spot in this year’s Final Four, and will feature two coaches that have led their respective teams to two of the most successful seasons in program history.

The respect runs deep, and Longhorns interim head coach Rodney Terry praised Miami headman Jim Larranaga on a job well done leading his team to this point on the season. Ahead of tip-off, Terry spoke to the amount of respect he’s gained toward Larranaga by watching him from afar over the years.

“I’ve always been a fan of Coach Larranaga. Again, I go way back with him to his George Mason days. I thought his teams always played with great joy and a great spirit about themselves. They play loose and free all the time,” Terry said. “I really looked up to him as a players’ coach. Guys really, really enjoy playing for him. They run through a wall for him over the years.”

All you have to do is take a look at the video of Larranaga dancing in the Miami locker room after defeating Houston in the Sweet 16. The players were into it, and it reflects in his team’s on-court performance over the past few seasons.

Two-straight Elite Eight apperances isn’t a fluke, and Larranaga has his group playing as well as anyone still alive in the tournament.

“He’s brought that [swagger] to Miami. He’s obviously taking them to the top of the league in the ACC. It doesn’t get any better than that. A lot of great respect for him and his staff,” Terry said. “He has some of the same guys on his staff that he had when he was at George Mason and experienced a high level of success. So he’s had really good continuity over the years that have really helped him.”

Anyone is only as good as the people around them, Terry said — and that rings true for Larranaga and for himself. He spoke about the strong bond he, his staff and his players have developed over the past few months.

“You can’t do it by yourself. I’m blessed to have a really good one behind us,” Terry said.

With great respect apparent between the two veteran coaches, Terry’s Longhorns and Larranaga’s Hurricanes are set to clash in a battle with Final Four implications. The winner will take on UConn in Houston next weekend.

Tip-off is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET live on CBS following the conclusion of Creighton vs. San Diego State.