Texas closes in on Miller after firing Terry, sources say - ESPN

Xavier coach Sean Miller has emerged as the target of Texas' basketball search, and a deal is expected to be completed in the near future, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

The Longhorns informed Rodney Terry earlier Sunday that he would not return to lead the program earlier in the day, and a formal announcement soon followed. Terry took over on an interim basis for Chris Beard in 2022, and was given the full-time job after leading Texas to the 2023 Elite Eight. He guided the Longhorns to the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons, but didn't advance out of the first weekend in either year.

«This was a very difficult decision and one that we put a great deal of thought, consideration and discussion into as we evaluated where we are,» Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said in a Sunday statement, adding that «Coach Terry had led our program in a first-class manner, and we've accomplished some great things.»

Del Conte did extensive legwork on Miller before promoting Terry to the top spot in 2023, sources told ESPN.

Miller is a veteran coach who has led teams to 13 NCAA tournament appearances in his career as a head coach, including two of the past three seasons at Xavier. Miller has won 487 games as a head coach and brings a winning percentage of more than 71%.

Xavier defeated Texas in the First Four of the NCAA tournament on Wednesday, erasing a 13-point deficit to win, 86-80. The Musketeers shook off a 1-4 Big East start to reach the NCAA tournament, winning their final seven regular-season games and racking up wins over Marquette, UConn and Creighton. They finished tied for fourth in the league at 13-7.

Miller had prolonged success as the head coach at Arizona, including four regular season Pac-12 titles and