Tag: NCAA Bracketology

What to make of Texas basketball’s sudden resurgence

After two top 11-victories, is Texas basketball capable of moving off the NCAA Tournament bubble?

The Texas Longhorns (14-5) are a different basketball team than they were a week prior. After two impressive wins in four days, it might be time to reconsider where they could be playing this postseason.

Through 17 games, Texas looked like it would be playing in the NIT. The lowlights from what was then a 12-5 team included an embarrassing loss to West Virginia followed by head coach Rodney Terry’s battle against opposing teams turning the Longhorns’ hand sign upside down.

We are past those low points now. Texas followed a buzzer-beating win over No. 9 Baylor on Saturday with a dominant 15-point road win over the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners. All of the sudden, a team that seemingly had no impressive victories on the season now has an NCAA Tournament resume.

There’s plenty of basketball left to play with several conference matchups remaining. Texas will have plenty to prove in regard to how it can perform night in and night out. Even so, what we saw from the team over the last two games indicates if we get more of the high upside Longhorns, the team can move off the NCAA Tournament bubble and toward a No. 8 seed or higher.

Social media reacts to the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket reveal

Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue earn No. 1 seeds for the four regions.

College basketball fans can rejoice as Selection Sunday is finally here. The NCAA Tournament committee has revealed the official 2023 March Madness bracket, filled with tons of exciting matchups.

Alabama, Houston, Kansas and Purdue earn No. 1 seeds for the four regions. The Crimson Tide was named the top overall seed after winning both the SEC regular season and tournament titles. Kansas is looking to be the first team to win back-to-back national championships since Florida in 2007.

The NCAA Tournament begins with the First Four games, played on Tuesday and Wednesday. The 68-team field then competes in a single-elimination tournament, with the Final Four and National Championship games taking place in the first weekend of April.

Buzzer-beaters, close games and memorable moments are staples of March Madness. All 68 teams are aspiring to make a run to Houston for the Final Four.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the NCAA Tournament bracket officially getting released.

Big 12 CHAMPIONS: Texas tramples Kansas, 76-56

Drop the Tournament champs moniker. Texas is unequivocally your Big 12 Champion.

The Texas Longhorns splattered the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday night. The win left no doubt who was the better team this season. Texas is your Big 12 Champion.

Undoubtedly, some will quibble over semantics and make the claim that Kansas, who got bludgeoned in a virtual home game, is the true champion of the league. Nevertheless, one team will earn the Big 12’s automatic bid. That team won’t be Kansas.

Texas head coach Rodney Terry coached a masterpiece on Saturday night. Terry, or whoever orchestrated the offensive game plan, schemed up wide open dunks and layups with back door cuts and screens. One of those screens set by Marcus Carr sprung Dylan Disu for a wide open dunk.

In addition to earning the league’s automatic bid, Texas improved to 26-8 and earned yet another Quad 1 victory. The Longhorns (14) have more Quad 1 wins than everyone but Kansas (17).

It’s unclear whether the win will be enough to earn a No. 1 seed. What is clear is that Texas is among the hottest teams in the country heading into the NCAA Tournament.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Texas upperclassmen earn senior day victory over No. 3 Kansas, 75-59

The victory over Kansas means Texas has a solid chance to earn a No. 2 seed.

Texas flipped a switch on Saturday. The Longhorns (23-8) rebounded from a frustrating road defeat against TCU with a win over the Big 12 regular season champion Kansas Jayhawks (25-6).

Neither team played the entire 40 minute game with urgency, but Texas clearly wanted the game more. Rodney Terry and company willed the Longhorns to victory in the team’s signature resume win of the season.

Sir’Jabari Rice led the charge as he completed perhaps the best sixth man season in school history. Rice put up a remarkable 23-point performance hitting impressive shot after shot.

The win all but locks the Longhorns into a No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed despite two road losses to ranked Baylor and TCU teams. Should the team look respectable in the Big 12 Tournament, look for Texas to make it on the No. 2 line of the bracket.

Texas finishes the regular season on a high note despite a handful of distractions. Give Rodney Terry credit for keeping the team in contention heading into the Big 12 Tournament.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Texas might need to rest guard Marcus Carr for more minutes

It wouldn’t hurt to give Marcus Carr three or four more minutes of rest in Big 12 tournament games.

Texas guard Marcus Carr is exhausted. As the Longhorns reach the stretch run, that much is evident to one former professional athlete.

Former pro baseball player Mike Hardge discussed the topic on Ball Don’t Lie, his radio show with Rod Babers on 104.9 The Horn.

Marcus Carr is tired … I can tell your legs are gone because your lateral movement (is diminished), your vertical movement is not there. You’re shooting the ball now on your way down when before you were shooting it on your way up.

Those are tangible signs that Marcus Carr needs to recover. And frankly, the perfect time to recover could be after the Kansas game in the Big 12 Tournament.

There’s an argument to be made that the Big 12 tournament matters more than the SEC and Big Ten tournament simply because it ends before Sunday. Certainly, the Longhorns could climb up a seed by winning it. But at what cost?

Texas needs Carr at full strength for the NCAA Tournament. Cutting his playing time down from 31 minutes to 27 minutes could help him get his legs back and allow other players clutch opportunities to prepare for the Big Dance.

Getting Carr to full strength could be the difference between a tournament run and another first weekend exit.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Texas Basketball: Longhorns a No. 1 seed in lastest projections

Texas is in a position to earn a No. 1 seed for the first time since 2003.

Texas basketball finds itself in a great position less than a month away from Selection Sunday. Continue reading “Texas Basketball: Longhorns a No. 1 seed in lastest projections”

Looking at where its 34-point win puts Texas before March Madness

Texas basketball is playing well at the right time.

The Texas Longhorns bullied the West Virginia Mountaineers, 94-60. Entering the game, betting line setters predicted Texas to win by less than they did in Morgantown. Rodney Terry’s team took that personally.

Coming as no surprise, Sir’Jabari Rice performed well for the home crowd. His 24-point night off the bench included making five of six field goals and all 10 free throw attempts.

Rice, Marcus Carr and Arterio Morris shot a combined 8-for-12 from the three point line, while Timmy Allen went 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Allen and Rice helped lead the team to 24-for-25 from the charity stripe.

Sitting at 20-5, Texas is now solidly in the hunt for a Top 3 seed with six games to play. On top of that, the team is playing well heading into the stretch run.

Should Texas finish 4-2, it would likely finish as a No. 2 or 3 seed at 24-7. Should the team close even more impressively, it could inch toward the top line.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

No. 5 Texas unable to overcome sloppy offense in loss to No. 9 Kansas

Texas has to get ahold of its turnover issue following Monday’s loss to Kansas.

Texas has its best basketball team in a long time. Albeit, the team has a turnover problem.

Turnovers proved costly on Monday as Kansas made Texas pay for being loose with the basketball. When the Longhorns weren’t dribbling the basketball out of control or as high as eye-level, Rodney Terry’s team struggled to make good passes.

Despite Kansas’ double-digit first half lead, Texas got off to a quick second half start and cut the lead to one point. After getting within one point at 47-46, the Longhorns went cold.

The 88-80 loss doesn’t erase the strong week the team had last week, but it does dampen the team’s hopes for a No. 1 seed. The Longhorns are still alone in first place in the Big 12 conference with a record of 8-3.

Despite solid positioning in conference standings, the turnover issue is one they’ll need to figure out if they want to accomplish their goals. The Longhorns will face the West Virginia Mountaineers next on Saturday.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbz52bnpekkafqb player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=]

Texas up to a No. 4 seed in ESPN’s latest bracketology

Texas’ NCAA tournament stock continues to rise.

Texas basketball is riding a bit of a hot streak over the past few weeks.

The Longhorns are winners of five of their last six games, including victories over three top 25 opponents. The latest being an upset win over No. 8 Kansas on Monday night.

Chris Beard has his squad squarely in the NCAA tournament picture with March right around the corner.

EPSN has Texas as a No. 4 seed in its latest NCAA tournament bracketology, rising from a No. 6 seed in their previous bracket.

Texas appears to be hitting its stride at the right time but the road ahead will not be easy. The Horns face off against four ranked teams in their final seven games leading up to the Big 12 tournament.

Finish strong and Texas will be a No. 2 or No. 3 seed, primed for a run in the NCAA tournament.

Contact/Follow us @LonghornsWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas news, notes and opinions.

Vegas Odds: Who will win Big 12 men’s basketball tournament

The Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament will begin on Wednesday evening for the men. The latest Vegas odds on who will get the automatic bid.

The Phillips 66 Big 12 men’s basketball tournament officially tips off on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm CST with the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Iowa State Cyclones in the first round. That game will be followed with the Kansas State Wildcats and Texas Christian Horned Frogs. Each winner will move on to the quarterfinals to take on Kansas and Baylor.

The winner of the tournament will earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Here is how BetMGM see it shaking out. No shock on who Vegas has the top team heading into the Big 12 tournament that will conclude on Saturday March 14th at 5:00 PM CST. The game will air on ESPN.

Tournament Odds:

  • Kansas Jayhawks (+105)
  • Baylor Bears (+225)
  • West Virginia Mountaineers (+400)
  • Texas Tech Red Raiders (+800)
  • Oklahoma Sooners (+1300)
  • Texas Longhorns (+2000)
  • Texas Christian Horned Frogs (+4500)
  • Kansas State Wildcats (+10000)
  • Oklahoma State Cowboys (+12500)
  • Iowa State Cyclones (+20000)

 

 

(Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated 3/10 at 7:00 a.m. CST. )

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.