Texas Longhorns' NCAA Tournament Hopes Hinge on SEC Tournament

0:00On March 11, the Texas Longhorns, sitting at 18 wins and 13 losses with a 9-9 conference record, face Ole Miss in the first. Round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, their favorite to beat the 12-19 Rebels for a second time this season, which would send them to the second round against Georgia on Thursday. Right now, projections have Texas safely in the NCAA Tournament field of 64, as a number 10 seed, matched up against number 7 Miami-N. Oklahoma City, that keeps them out of the first four for a second straight year. A loss to Ole Miss tonight could cloud their postseason path, though. Expert David Cobb notes that other bubble teams like Stanford and Virginia Tech have stumbled in their tournaments, buying Texas some breathing room. The real worry is a bit thee from the Mid-American Conference, say if Akron of Sets and grabs an extra spot alongside Miami Ohio, that could squeeze the field tighter, especially with Texas living lately. Even then, their net efficiency rating in the low to mid-40s keeps them on the edge, backed by quality wins and strong predictive metrics.

1:06A close loss might not doom them, but the bubble's chaos means everything hinges on results across the country this week.