Rodney Terry on win vs. Oklahoma: ‘Any win in this conference is a big win’

Despite a bit of an overhaul this season to bloat the league out to 14 teams for just one season, the Big 12 still stands head and shoulders above the rest as college basketball’s strongest conference.

This year, four new teams joined — and while the league isn’t quite as balanced from first to last place as it was during the 2022-23 season, the Big 12 remains the toughest league in then country night-in and night-out. When it comes to road games? Forget about it.

That’s why Texas coach Rodney Terry will take any road win he can get, like the Longhorns’ victory over a strong Oklahoma team in Norman on Tuesday evening — a massive win for their NCAA Tournament resume.

“You know, I’m forever grateful for that, in this conference, any win in this conference is a big win,” said Terry after the win over OU, noting the depth of great talent and coaching in the league.

“We’ve got great coaches, we got great teams in this league. You know, you’re able to keep these wins and losses with you for one night. I mean, it’s on to the next hard challenge, you know, and that’s why we have the best league in the country.”

Such competition does have its advantages, though, like the appeal the league brings to top mid-major transfers like the Longhorns’ own star plarer.

“It’s why Max (Abmas) came to play at Texas. He wanted to play in the best basketball league in the country and that’s what we have in the Big 12,” Terry added. “So you keep it with you for one night and it’s on to another incredible challenge in front of you.”

Terry echoed comments similar to what he said after Texas’ 1-3 start in league play. They’ve since rebounded with two huge quad one wins to even up their record at 3-3, thanks to that one-game-at-a-time mindset.

“I mean, it’s 1-3, it’s not the start we wanted to Big 12 play. Every night, you only keep it for one night, whether you win or lose, and it’s on to the next, you know, really good opponent,” Rodney Terry said after the Longhorns’ low point, a home loss to UCF.

Clearly, his guys didn’t dwell on the two-game skid and responded the very next time out with a home win over a top-10 Baylor team before scoring a huge road victory over a ranked Oklahoma team.

The road only gets tougher, too, so Texas better maintain that one-track mindset on a per-game basis. Next up is a road trip to Provo to face BYU, then a return home to face a dominant Houston club. Shew, that’s life in the Big 12 for you.