Rodney Terry took over as the interim coach of the Texas program under less-than-ideal circumstances, specifically after his boss and friend, Chris Beard, was removed as coach in December following a felony charge tied to a domestic incident.
So far, Terry has coached 14 games.
So far, so good.
Texas beat Baylor 76-71 late Monday to improve to 11-3 under Terry, who now has the Longhorns sitting alone atop the Big 12 standings. They're 18-4 overall and 7-2 in the league -- a half-game ahead of Kansas State (18-3, 6-2) in the conference standings. Everybody else in the Big 12 already has at least three losses in the league, which is a testament to just how challenging Big 12 games can be, nearly without exception. On that note, consider that a school that was tied for first place in the Big 12 on Monday morning (Iowa State) lost Monday night to the school in last place in the Big 12 (Texas Tech) — and it barely registered as an upset in the betting markets.
"That's what this league is about — you have to put your hat on every day and come to work," said Texas forward Timmy Allen, who finished with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists against Baylor. "That was one of the hardest games I've been in since I got here. In the Big 12, that's what it takes every night."
For what it's worth, KenPom.com is currently projecting Texas to win the Big 12 with a 12-6 record in the league — one game better than Kansas State, Iowa State, Kansas and TCU. If it goes down that way, Terry would become the first Texas coach to win a Big 12 regular-season title since Rick Barnes in 2008. If it goes down that way, it's reasonable to assume Terry would have a real shot to have his interim tag removed and secure a longterm contract to continue as the Longhorns' coach.
Texas remains No. 6 in Tuesday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday at Kansas State.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Zach Edey finished with 38 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's 77-61 win over Michigan State. The Boilermakers' next game is Wednesday against Penn State. | -- | 8-4 |
| 2 |  | Alabama allowed the Sooners to shoot 57.6% from the field in Saturday's 93-69 loss at Oklahoma. The Crimson Tide's next game is Tuesday against Vanderbilt. | -- | 10-2 |
| 3 |  | Keyontae Johnson finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 64-50 win over Florida. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday at Kansas. | -- | 6-5 |
| 4 |  | Jarace Walker finished with 25 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 75-69 win over Cincinnati. The Cougars' next game is Thursday at Wichita State. | -- | 8-3 |
| 5 |  | Olivier Nkamhoua finished with 27 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 82-71 win over Texas. The Vols' next game is Wednesday at Florida. | -- | 12-0 |
| 6 |  | Timmy Allen finished with 18 points and six rebounds in Monday's 76-71 win over Baylor. The Longhorns' next game is Saturday at Kansas State. | -- | 10-2 |
| 7 |  | Azuolas Tubelis finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 95-72 win at Washington. The Wildcats' next game is Thursday against Oregon. | -- | 6-5 |
| 8 |  | Jalen Wilson finished with 22 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 77-68 win at Kentucky. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Kansas State. | -- | 9-2 |
| 9 |  | UCLA nearly allowed the Trojans to shoot 50% from the field in Thursday's 77-64 loss at USC. The Bruins' next game is Thursday against Washington. | 1 | 10-2 |
| 10 |  | Jayden Gardner finished with 17 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 67-62 win at Syracuse. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. | 1 | 7-5 |
| 11 |  | Iowa State squandered a 23-point lead in Monday's 80-77 overtime loss at Texas Tech. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Kansas. | 2 | 10-1 |
| 12 |  | Baylor missed 18 of the 26 3-pointers it attempted in Monday's 76-71 loss at Texas. The Bears' next game is Saturday against Texas Tech. | -- | 7-3 |
| 13 |  | Xavier missed 10 of the 14 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 84-67 loss at Creighton. The Musketeers' next game is Wednesday against Providence. | -- | 8-5 |
| 14 |  | Tyler Kolek finished with 24 points and 10 assists in Saturday's 89-69 win at DePaul. The Golden Eagles' next game is Wednesday against Villanova. | -- | 11-2 |
| 15 |  | Julian Strawther finished with 40 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 82-67 win at Portland. The Zags' next game is Thursday against Santa Clara. | -- | 9-3 |
| 16 |  | TCU missed 21 of the 27 3-pointers it attempted in Saturday's 81-74 loss at Mississippi State. The Horned Frogs' next game is Tuesday against West Virginia. | -- | 7-4 |
| 17 |  | Ed Croswell finished with 14 points and two rebounds in Sunday's 70-65 win at Villanova. The Friars' next game is Wednesday at Xavier. | -- | 7-6 |
| 18 |  | Brandon Weatherspoon finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 70-63 win over Western Kentucky. The Owls' next game is Thursday at UAB. | -- | 7-6 |
| 19 |  | D.J. Burns Jr. finished with 31 points and nine rebounds in Saturday's 79-77 win at Wake Forest. The Wolfpack's next game is Wednesday against Florida State. | -- | 8-4 |
| 20 |  | Logan Johnson finished with 14 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 57-56 win at BYU. The Gaels' next game is Thursday against San Francisco. | -- | 10-3 |
| 21 |  | Tyson Degenhart finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 80-59 win over Colorado State. The Broncos' next game is Tuesday at Air Force. | -- | 9-3 |
| 22 |  | Keshad Johnson finished with 16 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 72-51 win over San Jose State. The Aztecs' next game is Tuesday at Nevada. | -- | 8-2 |
| 23 |  | Kendric Davis finished with 26 points and five assists in Sunday's 80-68 win at Tulsa. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Tulane. | -- | 9-3 |
| 24 |  | Auburn allowed the Mountaineers to shoot 45.0% from 3-point range in Saturday's 80-77 loss at West Virginia. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Georgia. | -- | 11-1 |
| 25 |  | Jalen Hood-Schifino finished with 24 points and three assists in Saturday's 86-70 win over Ohio State. The Hoosiers' next game is Tuesday at Maryland. | -- | 9-3 |
| 26 |  | UConn allowed Xavier to shoot 53.4% from the field in Wednesday's 82-79 loss to the Musketeers. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday at DePaul. | -- | 10-3 |
