Rodney Terry and Texas basketball (16-11, 5-9 SEC) underwent a bad loss over the weekend in a double-digit defeat at the hands of the South Carolina Gamecocks (11-16, 1-13 SEC) on the road in Columbia. Texas looked lifeless at times against South Carolina in the first half this past Saturday night, trailing the Gamecocks by 18 points at halftime.
Latest CBS Sports Bracketology has Texas basketball still in the mix for a spot among the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament for March Madness
The loss to South Carolina is a sizable blemish on the Longhorns' resume for the NCAA Tournament this postseason. Given the strength of the remaining schedule this regular season for the Longhorns in SEC conference play, this was essentially a "must-win" game against a last-place South Carolina squad a couple of days ago.
After the loss to South Carolina, Terry and the Longhorns can only afford one or maybe two more losses between the stretch run of this regular season and the SEC Tournament in mid-March.
That said, Texas is still in contention to be one of the last teams in among those on the bubble for the Big Dance on Selection Sunday in a few weeks in March. CBS Sports' Jerry Palm tabs the Longhorns as one of the first four teams out for the 68-team NCAA Tournament field in the latest Bracketology update on Monday.
Texas and the Georgia Bulldogs are the two SEC teams included among the last four teams out in CBS Sports' latest Bracketology update on Monday morning (Feb. 24). The Arkansas Razorbacks is the only SEC team on the bubble that is one of the last four teams in the 68-team tournament field.
Since the SEC has so much depth and strength as a conference this season, the Longhorns do have multiple opportunities for more Quad 1 and Quad 2 victories late this regular season.
Texas has two more Quad 1 opportunities this regular season in SEC play, including a road matchup in Fayetteville this Wednesday against Arkansas. Terry and the Longhorns can also get a Quad 1 victory over a ranked foe in the top 25 against the No. 21 Mississippi State Bulldogs on the road in Starkville next week.