Texas shocked the nation with their double-overtime win over the Texas A&M Aggies, and then the Longhorns found themselves in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
The Horns had to face their former head coach Rick Barnes and his fourth-seeded Tennessee Volunteers, who were ranked No. 8 in the country, and Texas simply didn't have the energy to keep up with the powerful program. By the end of regulation, the Horns were headed home after the 83-72 loss and the Vols were moving on.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Longhorns were within three points at halftime despite the Volunteers dominating off of the glass and numerous fouls being called on Texas throughout the first 20 minutes of the matchup.
However, after playing for nearly an hour against the Texas A&M Aggies on Thursday, the Horns' energy died in the second half and the Vols were able to build a double-digit lead.
With the loss to Tennessee, the Longhorns' future in the postseason became even more uncertain, if that was possible. The wins against Texas A&M and Vanderbilt in the first two games of the tournament gave Texas an argument for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. However, the Horns' regular season performance had them out of the Big Dance, according to ESPN's Joe Lunardi.
Despite Texas bringing the game back within 10 points as the second half progressed, the Horns could never quite catch up to the Volunteers. Tennessee moved on to face the top-seeded Auburn Tigers, who are the No. 3 team in the nation.
So, with two conference wins and a good fight against the elite Tennessee squad, Texas will have an anxious couple of days as Selection Sunday rapidly approaches.
Selection Sunday, which will set the field of 68 for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, March 16, and it will be broadcast on CBS.