Expert Reveals Major Concern For Texas Longhorns March Madness Hopes

The Texas Longhorns have seen their season extended with a berth into the NCAA Tournament. However, it may not last long.

Mar 14, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Rodney Terry walks off the court after the loss against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Despite entering the SEC Tournament on the outside looking in on the bubble, the Texas Longhorns' season didn't end in Nashville. Rather, they will play in March, as they take on the Xavier Musketeers as one of the last four teams in this year's NCAA Tournament.

Yet, even after seeing their season extended by at least one game. ESPN's Joe Lunardi doesn't see the Longhorns playing past Wednesday. In his "ultimate" guide to March Madness, Lunardi unveils his final rankings for all of the teams in the field and his predictions for each.

"Texas will have to two-step its way right on back to Austin after falling short once again in the first round," Lunardi writes. "Xavier does the Longhorns dirty in Dayton."

Tennessee guard Zakai Zeigler (5) is pressured by Texas forward Kadin Shedrick (5) and guard Tre Johnson (20) during the second half of their quarterfinal game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, March 14, 2025. | Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lunardi ranks the Longhorns as the No. 65 team in the field, which is 18 spots behind their opponent on Wednesday, who ranks No. 47. Yet, despite Texas having the "high-end" talent, as Lunardi notes, that could see them make a run, he has doubts about the offense.

"Texas is too inconsistent on offense, especially its 2-point shooting, which is among the worst in the SEC and 146th in the nation," Lunardi writes. "Considering the Longhorns score only 29% of their points on 3-pointers (253rd), their inconsistency from inside the arc could lead to more of the long scoring droughts that plagued them throughout the regular season."

Tre Johnson headlines the "high-end" talent on Texas's team. The freshman guard has been a bright light in an otherwise disappointing season on the Forty Acres. He led the SEC in scoring, averaging 19.8 points per game while shooting 42.7 percent from the field.

However, even with Johnson leading the way offensively, the Longhorns have struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Yet, as often happens in March Madness, all it takes is for a team to get hot to make a run. And considering the Longhorns will have one of the best players on the court in Johnson - no matter whom they matchup against - it could be enough to see them turn around an otherwise disappointing season with a deep run in the tournament.

But first, they will have to get past the Musketeers. Texas and Xavier will tip off at 8:10 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

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