Longhorns March Madness Predictions: Texas Vying for No. 1 Seed?

Tough losses this offseason due to eligibility reasons, decommitments, and transfer departures hasn't severely impacted ESPN's March Madness projections for the Texas Longhorns, who are predicted to contend for another high seed in the NCAA Tournament.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Just now nearing the end of May, the 2023 college basketball season feels like eons away, but that hardly means its too early for some 2024 NCAA Tournament projections.

For the Texas Longhorns and coach Rodney Terry, it's been hard to ignore some of the hype surrounding the team's roster as of late due to transfer additions and intriguing rumors. This makes it equally difficult to brush off where ESPN's Bracketology has Texas seeded in the site's latest installment of March Madness predictions, which were revealed on Tuesday.

After being projected as a No. 4 seed in the previous Bracketology, the Longhorns have moved up to the No. 3 seed in the East Region this time around. These predictions have Texas slated to take on No. 14 Long Beach State in the Round of 64 next spring, though the rest of the regional bracket certainly comes with its fair share of challenges.

Also in the East Region are teams like No. 1 Duke, No. 2 UConn, No. 4 Arkansas and No. 5 USC. Should the Longhorns advance in these projections, they'd play either No. 6 Maryland or No. 11 Florida in the second round before having to worry about the rest of the field.

Adding four transfers in Max Abmas, Kadin Shedrick, Chendall Weaver and Ze'Rik Onyema along with retaining Dylan Disu and Tyrese Hunter for one more year heightens the expectations, and earning a No. 3 seed in the tourney should be considered a success for Terry and crew.

The Longhorns still have months of preparation and an entire regular season to get through before they can start thinking about March Madness again. But as of now, another appearance in the NCAA Tournament remains the expectation for a team that has gone through its fair share of adversity this offseason after powering through a 2022 campaign that was already filled with it as it is.

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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