Even with their two wins this past week, Texas men’s basketball saw their ranking drop in the updated AP Poll this week.
The Longhorns resume this past week paled in comparison with the three schools that leaped them. Texas was ranked No. 20 in the previous rankings, and fell one spot to No. 21 this week.
This allowed for schools like UConn (who beat No. 10 Villanova), Illinois (who has won two out of their last three), and Saint Mary’s (who throttled No. 1 Gonzaga) to bypass them in the latest rankings.
With both the Big 12 and March Madness tournaments just around the corner, Texas will have a prime opportunity from now until decision day to improve their chances of nabbing a higher seed.
Not only do the Longhorns have to take on No. 3 Baylor to finish out the season, but they have a chance to win the conference tournament, or at the very least contend for it.
It won’t be an easy task, as Baylor beat the brakes off of them the first time, and the Longhorns have played nearly every team in the Big 12 closely. Texas will need to string together some good offensive stretches immediately, otherwise this season could end as abruptly as the last.