Buckle up. The roller coaster for Texas basketball still has nine games left.
The Longhorns currently sit at 15-7 overall and 4-5 in games against the Big 12 conference. It has us wondering what it will take for the team to make the NCAA Tournament.
The resume is stronger than it was when conference play began. Texas has road wins over Cincinnati, No. 23 Oklahoma and No. 25 TCU. Add an impressive home win over No. 18 Baylor and the team is within striking distance of reaching the NCAA Tournament.
There’s a possibility that 8-10 in conference play gets the Longhorns into the tournament at 19-12. Reaching the 20-win mark probably makes a tournament bid significantly more likely. Here’s what the remaining schedule looks like for Texas.
- No. 12 Iowa State
- West Virginia
- at No. 4 Houston
- Kansas State
- at No. 8 Kansas
- at No. 15 Texas Tech
- Oklahoma State
- at No. 18 Baylor
- No. 23 Oklahoma
There might not be an easy win on the schedule. The Longhorns have already lost to West Virginia this season and have a tendency to drop games against Oklahoma State in recent years. The margin for error is slim, but four or five more wins is doable. It’ll be an uphill battle.
The heated competition within the conference has seen every team suffer a third conference loss on the season. With plenty to play for no team should be expected to take its foot off the gas. Despite it all, a 5-4 finish gets the Longhorns into the tournament. They will look to earn those five wins over the next few weeks.