March Madness bracketology: What seed could Texas basketball have in NCAA tournament?

Posted by author February 4, 2025 Basketball

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Texas men’s basketball has found its footing as of late. The Longhorns grabbed their biggest conference win yet Saturday, demolishing LSU 89-58.

Texas has now grabbed wins in four of its last five games, with its only blemish being a close 72-69 loss against Ole Miss last Wednesday. UT has four Quad 1 wins, moving them up to No. 29 in the latest Ken Pom rankings. Three of its next four games are in Austin, giving Texas homecourt advantage and the chance to improve its ranking even further.

The SEC’s depth is incredible this season, with eight-10 teams having a feasible shot at making the NCAA Tournament. Texas is one of them, 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 confidence in college as an electric scorer. Arthur Kaluma is having a career year from three and Devon Pryor has been a pleasant surprise, but the Longhorns are not a lock to make it into the tournament.

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Here are what the experts say:

NCAA Tournament: Will Texas qualify for March Madness?

ESPN: The Worldwide Leader’s Joe Lunardi currently has Texas as a ninth seed in the East division of the bracket. There, the Longhorns would play Baylor in the first round before facing the first-seed Duke or the winner of Marist versus American.

CBS Sports: Jerry Palm puts the Longhorns into the South Division as a 10th seed who would face 7th seed Louisville in the first round. The winner would take on either second-seed Marquette or 15th-seed UNC-Asheville.

NCAA.com: The official association website has Texas facing sixth-seed St. John in the first round as the 11th seed in the Midwest. Third-seed Michigan State or 14th-seed Jacksonville awaits in the second round.

Fox Sports: Veteran sportswriter Mike Decourcy has Texas facing UNC for the right to the 11th seed in the Midwest. The winner faces sixth-seed Michigan in the first round.

March Madness bracketology 2025: Potential No. 1 seeds

Here’s a look at the teams currently projected to be No. 1 seeds in the 2025 NCAA tournament bracket by a variety of national outlets:

ESPN: Auburn, Duke, Alabama, Tennessee

CBS Sports: Auburn, Duke, Alabama, Tennessee

NCAA.com: Auburn, Duke, Iowa State, Alabama

FOX Sports: Auburn, Duke, Iowa State, Alabama

When does 2025 March Madness start

People usually think of March Madness as a “Cinderella” or low-ranked team, making a run to the Sweet Sixteen or Final Four in the NCAA Tournament. But the madness starts well before the final weeks of the month, with conference tournament play. Tickets to the Big Dance are punched by hot teams who may not have had a good regular season, or taken from those on the bubble who suffer an early exit in the league tournament. For Texas, its first SEC tournament will begin March 12 in Nashville, Tennessee.

First Four: March 18-19

First/Second round: March 20-23

East Regional: March 27-29

West Regional: March 27-29

South Regional: March 28-30

Midwest Regional: March 28-30

When is Selection Sunday?

Selection Sunday will be held on March 16, with the time to be announced later.

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