Texas Longhorns Trending Up in Latest NCAA Tournament Bracketology

The Texas Longhorns still have more work to do in order to feel safe about securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Jan 29, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Pope (0) reacts with Texas Longhorns forward Devon Pryor (22) during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

AUSTIN -- Texas Longhorns men's basketball got off to an 0-3 start in SEC play but head coach Rodney Terry's team has weathered the storm well as they head into a pivotal February stretch.

The Longhorns held off the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman before crucial back-to-back ranked wins over No. 22 Missouri and No. 13 Texas A&M to lay the foundation for a solid NCAA Tournament resume. After a tight 72-69 loss to the Ole Miss Rebels, Texas responded with a blowout win on the road over the LSU Tigers.

Jan 29, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry reacts during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Texas has solid metrics, as the Longhorns moved up to 25th in the NCAA Net rankings after the 89-58 win over LSU. Combine this with some impressive wins under their wing, and the Longhorns project as a team that could easily avoid the bubble with a strong finish to the season.

In the latest bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi, the Longhorns are projected to do just that. Lunardi has Texas off the bubble and into the bracket as a No. 9 seed. He had previously had the Longhorns as the "Last Team In" in a previous bracketology release.

Men's Bracketology: 2025 NCAA Tournament https://t.co/146SOUuyXo. 🏀🏀 The term "mid-major" is thrown around these days in ways never originally intended. Today, programs outside the Power 4 (plus Big East) get the label, no matter how many private jets they have or football…

— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 4, 2025

This edition of the bracket projection has No. 9-seeded Texas facing an old Big 12 rival in No. 8 Baylor in the first round. In this scenario, whoever wins would likely face the No. 1 seed Duke Blue Devils in the second round.

But before getting ahead of ourselves, the Longhorns will have to put together a few more solid wins while avoiding any bad losses in order to secure their spot in March Madness. This starts Wednesday with a home meeting against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

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