March Madness bracketology: Will Texas men’s basketball make the NCAA tournament?

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Texas men’s basketball scraped past Texas A&M last Saturday for their second-ranked win in a row. However, things aren’t getting any easier for the Longhorns in the loaded Southeastern Conference.

It was a thrilling escape act in the Moody Center, with the Longhorns trailing 52-29 with 17:07 left on the game clock before a rally and Tramon Mark’s left-handed layup pushed the score to 70-69 with 3 seconds left. It was Texas’s only lead over Texas A&M for the entire game.

More: How growth from Texas basketball star Tre Johnson helped Longhorns stun Texas A&M

The SEC’s depth is incredible this season, with 8-10 teams having a feasible shot at making the NCAA Tournament. Texas is one of those teams, but consistency will be key for coach Rodney Terry’s team as there are no easy wins on their schedule.

Texas freshman Tre Johnson is finding his footing in college as an electric scorer. Arthur Kaluma is having a career year from three and Mark has had his clutch moments, but the Longhorns are not a lock to make it into the tournament.

Here are what the experts say:

Texas Longhorns guard Tre Johnson (20) drives to the basket during the first half Jan. 25, 2025 against the Texas A&M Aggies at Moody Center in Austin.

NCAA Tournament: Will Texas qualify for March Madness?

ESPN: The Worldwide Leader’s Joe Lunardi currently has Texas as one of the last teams in, slated to face UCF in an 11th-seed play-in game. The winner would face St. John’s in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the Midwest side of the bracket.

CBS Sports: Jerry Palm also has the Longhorns in the 11th-seed play-in game, though he projects for them to face Wake Forest in the East. The winner would travel to Denver, Colorado to face Utah State in the first round.

NCAA.com: The official association website has Texas as one of the last teams out with the likes of Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and SMU.

Fox Sports: Veteran sportswriter Mike Decourcy agrees — he has Texas out of the tournament with SMU, Nebraska and Xavier

March Madness…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/march-madness-bracketology-texas-mens-192324983.html

Author : Austin American-Statesman

Publish date : 2025-01-28 19:23:00

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