Texas Longhorns Listed As Potential 'March Madness Sleeper'

Projected to be a No. 10 seed, the Texas Longhorns could still have a successful tournament.

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) celebrates after making a basket during an SEC men's college basketball game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Texas Longhorns at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman, Okla., Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Texas won 77-73. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With a month left until March Madness tips off, predictions for the tournament's ins and outs are all over the place.

Bleacher Report released a list of sleeper teams, and head coach Rodney Terry's Texas Longhorns are in the top three. BR describes a Sleeper team as any team that reasonably could win multiple games in the NCAA tournament despite being currently projected for a No. 7 seed or worse in the Bracket Matrix.

The Longhorns are currently projected to be a No. 10 seed, and Texas hasn't defeated a higher-seeded team since 2002 when it defeated No. 3 Mississippi State as a No. 6 seed. Since then, the Horns are 0-9 defeating top seeds.

For Bleacher Report, one thing sets this Texas team apart, though: Tre Johnson.

In 2007, Texas and then-star freshman Kevin Durant couldn't make it past USC. But Johnson has already broken some of Durant's records -- the NCAA tournament could be another one.

This Texas team, unlike Durant's, is filled with veterans. Johnson is the only underclassman in the starting lineup. The experiences of Kadin Shedrick, Jordan Pope and Arthur Kaluma can be a key force for the Horns going into the tournament.

The Sleeper list consists of some Power Four and mid-major teams, including VCU, Gonzaga, BYU, Nebraska, and Texas' first opponent of the season, Ohio State. Like Texas, the Buckeyes are projected to be a No. 10 seed.

This year's Selection Sunday will take place on March 16.

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