Texas was on its way to securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament after defeating the Vanderbilt Commodores and Texas A&M Aggies. However, a resounding loss to the Tennessee Volunteers in the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament left the Longhorns in limbo once again.
Tennessee moved on to upset the No. 1-seed Auburn Tigers in the semifinals to earn a spot in the conference championship game, denying the Tigers a back-to-back tournament title.
So, does the Volunteers' win over Auburn help the Horns' argument for their spot in the Big Dance? Or, does it leave Texas in the same place of uncertainty that it has been in for weeks?
An argument for the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament
With their wins over the Aggies and the Commodores, the Horns brought their Quad 1 win total up to seven on the season, a considerable number compared to most of the country. Auburn has the most Q1 wins with 16 and has only lost five of its Q1 matchups.
Texas is now 7-10 in Q1 games, which is far from perfect, but the Longhorns did have to play in the most competitive conference of the season, in their first year in the SEC.
Head coach Rodney Terry and the Longhorns have an impressive resume when it comes to postseason runs, including an appearance in the Elite Eight two years ago and a run to the Round of 32 last season.
An argument against the Texas Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament
Texas is just 19-15 overall and has an abysmal conference record at 6-12 in the SEC. The Longhorns have looked discombobulated throughout the season and like they're never 100 percent certain about how to play together.
Yet, there are also times when the Horns look like one of the most dominant teams in the nation, such as when they beat Texas A&M in the tournament or when they toppled Kentucky during the regular season.
It might be a stretch for the Longhorns to find themselves in the field of 68 but the strong performance against Tennessee, before the Vols would subsequently move onto the conference title game, helps Texas' Big Dance argument just a bit.