- The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament despite a challenging season.
- Texas will face Xavier in the “First Four” round for a chance to advance in the tournament.
- The Longhorns secured their tournament berth with key wins against Vanderbilt and Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament.
- This marks the fourth consecutive year that Texas has made an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
They’re in! The Texas Longhorns have made the NCAA Tournament. UT will face Xavier on Wednesday in Dayton, OH in the “First Four,” what used to be known as the “play-in games.” The game time is still TBD. The winner will become the No. 11 seed in the Midwest region and will face No. 6 seed Illinois in Milwaukee, WI. The University of Houston is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region.
Wins over Vanderbilt and Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament were enough to get the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team into the NCAA Tournament, despite losing to Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals. UT has now made the tournament each year since 2020.
The SEC puts a record 14 teams into March Madness. Only LSU and South Carolina missed out on the tourney.
Any discussions about the future of head coach Rodney Terry will be put off until Texas’ tournament run is over. Terry was named Texas’ interim head coach on December 12, 2022 following Chris Beard’s arrest for domestic violence. Terry was given the permanent coach in March of 2023 after guiding UT to their second Big 12 tournament title and the Horns’ first trip to the Elite Eight since 2008.
Texas struggled this year in its first SEC conference season, going 19-15 overall and a 13th place 6-12 in the league. Texas needed to win some games in the conference tournament in order to have a chance at the postseason. UT lost 83-67 to rival Oklahoma in the final game of the season in a matchup that was widely seen as a play-in game.
The Selection Committee thought getting to the SEC quarterfinals was enough to squeak Texas in under the wire. The fact UT is in the First Four is an indication they were one of the last teams picked.
2025 men’s NCAA Tournament Schedule
- National championship game: Monday, April 7
- First Four: Tuesday, March 18 through Wednesday, March 19
- First round: Thursday, March 20 through Friday, March 21
- Second round: Saturday, March 22 through Sunday, March 23
- Sweet 16: Thursday, March 27 through Friday, March 28
- Elite Eight: Saturday, March 29 through Sunday, March 30
- Final Four: Saturday, April 5
