Texas women's basketball brought home the hardware to Austin as they captured their first SEC Championship in their second season in the conference. South Carolina now knows it isn't the only team that can win the conference championship. However, the main reason I'm writing this article isn't about the SEC Championship; it's about the advantage they might have earned.
Here's the advantage Texas could have in the NCAA Tournament this year:
I'm sure most of our readers here at Hookem Headlines are avid bracketologists during March. As of now, we don't know which of the four number one seeds Texas will be getting. We know UConn will be the best overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. I honestly don't know who could knock them off the top. UCLA probably has the second No. 1 seed locked down due to its impressive resume.
That leaves Texas winning the third or fourth No. 1 seed in the tournament. Based on how South Carolina and Texas are No. 3 and No. 4 in the country right now, it's a coin flip based on their resumes heading into Selection Sunday. If the Longhorns were to win the third overall No. 1 seed, they would play in the Fort Worth Region and host the first two rounds in Austin. Talk about a massive home-field advantage all the way to the Final Four.
With how many Texas alums are in the DFW Metroplex, that would be the equivalent of having four home games to get warmed up before traveling out of state for the Final Four. That would definitely be a dream scenario for Texas, considering they were so close to the prize last season before South Carolina eliminated them from the tournament. I know a bunch of alumni who would buy tickets to see the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 in Fort Worth if Texas were to make it that far.
If Texas were to get the fourth No. 1 seed, it would be headed to Sacramento after hosting the first two rounds in Austin. That would not be something Texas would be happy about. Having four "home games" in the tournament is what the ladies at Texas are hoping for, because it gives them a massive advantage in one of the most unpredictable basketball tournaments of the year. We will find out which No. 1 seeds Texas gets this coming Sunday.