The Longhorns are going dancing. Despite the abysmal in-conference performance during the regular season, Texas surprised the committee with its run through the SEC Tournament, defeating the Texas A&M Aggies and the Vanderbilt Commodores.
Now, the Horns are going to the Big Dance with a spot in the NCAA Tournament's field of 68. Texas earned a spot in the First Four, a round to narrow the field from 68 to 64, where the Longhorns will earn a No. 11 seed if they win.
For weeks now, it looked like Texas wasn't going to make it to March Madness. With embarrassing losses to teams like the Oklahoma Sooners, Arkansas Razorbacks, and Ohio State Buckeyes, the Horns didn't have a tournament-worthy resume to boast about.
However, the victory over Vanderbilt and the upset win over Texas A&M tacked two more Quad 1 wins onto Texas' resume and gave the Horns just the thing they needed to make their way to the tournament.
Texas is one of just 14 teams from the SEC that earned a spot in the bracket. The Horns are joined by the Sooners, Aggies, Commodores, Razorbacks, Auburn Tigers, Florida Gators, Alabama Crimson Tide, Tennessee Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats, Ole Miss Rebels, Missouri Tigers, and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
In the regular season, Texas finished with a disappointing 6-12 record against its conference opponents, with wins over Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
Also read: Texas women's basketball earned their second-straight number one seed
The Texas Longhorns and the Xavier Musketeers are scheduled to tip off at 8:10 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19. The game will be broadcast on truTV.