The Best (and Worst) March Madness Moments in Texas Longhorns History

The Texas Longhorns are going dancing once again.

The Longhorns will face the N.C. State Wolfpack in the First Four on Tuesday night, marking Texas' 40th NCAA Tournament appearance ever and its 24th in the past 27 seasons.

With such a long history in March Madness, it is safe to say Texas has had some huge moments. Here are some of the best (and worst) in Longhorn history.

2003: Texas' T.J. Ford leads the Longhorns to the Final Four

Texas Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes against the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the second half at the Erwin Center. | Brendan Maloney-Imagn Images

The unmatched peak of recent Texas basketball is undoubtedly the team's 2003 run to the Final Four.

Head coach Rick Barnes led sophomore guard T.J. Ford and the rest of the Longhorns past Erazem Lorbek and the Michigan State Spartans 85-76 to make the National Semifinal for the first time since 1947, where they lost to the eventual champion Syracuse Orange.

Texas fans will remember Ford's impressive 19-point double-double as he led the team in both points and assists.

The moment capped a 26-7 season for the Longhorns and gave Barnes the first real feather in his cap.

2023: Texas Makes the Elite Eight After Firing Head Coach

Texas Longhorns forward Christian Bishop in action against Miami Hurricanes forward Norchad Omier during the second half of an Elite 8 college basketball game in the Midwest Regional of the 2023 NCAA Tournament at T-Mobile Center. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Texas' biggest success in recent years came when they defeated the Xavier Musketeers, and current head coach Sean Miller, to advance to the Elite Eight.

The feat was especially impressive given that Texas fired head coach Chris Beard with cause after he was arrested for a family-violence charge in December. Interim head coach Rodney Terry led the team to a 22-8 finish and their deepest tournament run since 2008.

The Longhorns' victory was headed by the 37-point combination of Tyrese Hunter and Marcus Carr, who delivered Texas a 12-point victory.

Despite losing to the Miami Hurricanes in the next round, the win proved enough to Texas' brass leadership to get the interim tag lifted from Terry.

2021: No. 3 Texas gets upset in the Round of 64

Abilene Christian Wildcats forward Clay Gayman shoots the ball against Texas Longhorns forward Jericho Sims during the second half in the first round of the 2021 NCAA Tournament | Andrew Nelles-Imagn Images

One of the worst moments Texas has seen in March Madness is when they were upset by the 14-seeded Abilene Christian Wildcats in the first round of the 2021 tournament.

The Longhorns won the Big 12 Tournament but seemed to carry none of the momentum into the big dance.

The Wildcats forced 23 turnovers and pulled out a late comeback win despite shooting below 30% from the field.

The loss was the death knell for head coach Shaka Smart, who resigned a few days later to become Marquette's head coach.

The Longhorns have made the tournament since then but have yet to be seeded higher, meaning this moment still looms large for Texas basketball.