Texas basketball gets winnable in-state NCAA Tourney test in ACU

After beating the No. 12 ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys and head coach Mike Boynton in the final round of the Big 12 Tournament on March 13, No. 13 ranked Texas basketball and head coach Shaka Smart sat in a good spot heading into Selection Sunday. Texas looked like they would have a floor at least as a three seed for Selection Sunday, with potential to land a two seed.

But it was Smart and the Longhorns getting a three seed in the East Region in taking on the 14 seed Abilene Christian Wildcats in the Round of 64. Texas will take on Abilene Christian in the Round of 64 (played in Indianapolis, IN) on March 20. They will have to wait for the play-in games to take place.

The play-in games will take place starting on March 18, so we still have a few days to wait until the “Big Dance” officially begins later this week. And then two of the regions will tip off their game action on the following day on March 19.

Essentially all of the East and West Regions have to wait until March 20 to get that game action underway.

Also taking part in action in the East Region alongside the Longhorns are the top seeded and Big Ten Champion Michigan Wolverines, two seed Alabama Crimson Tide, and the four seed Florida State Seminoles. There are actually no other Big 12 teams in the East Region. This is the lone region that has just one Big 12 team in the mix.

The rest of the East Region for Texas basketball

The Big 12 as a whole got seven of its 10 teams in the NCAA Tournament field this year, which is the most of any conference in the country.

Moreover, Texas will enter the NCAA Tournament with a record of 19-7 (20 wins including the COVID-19 disqualification of the Kansas Jayhawks from back on March 12). Meanwhile, the Wildcats come in with a record of 23-4 (13-2 Southland) as their conference champions.

Abilene Christian knocked off Nicholls State in the Southland Tournament from back on March 13 to take the conference crown. And the Wildcats dominated Nicholls by a margin of 34 points to take the Southland Conference crown over the weekend.

Texas can’t sleep on an underrated Abilene Christian team that could be dangerous for a 14-seed. But this should be a Round of 64 matchup where the Longhorns should take care of business come March 20.

If Smart and the Longhorns do get through the Round of 64 unscathed, next up would either be one of a pair of 11 seeds waiting on a play-in game or the six seed BYU Cougars. Texas could get to face either the Michigan State Spartans or UCLA Bruins in the Round of 32 if the 11 seed makes it through both the play-in game and the Round of 64 vs. BYU.

There is a late tip off time set between the Longhorns and Wildcats in the Round of 64 on March 20, set for 8:50 p.m. CT in front of a national television audience on Tru TV. According to the ESPN matchup predictor, Texas has just shy of a 79 percent chance to beat ACU in the Round of 64 later in the week.