Texas basketball bounced off the NCAA Tournament bubble and into the field of 68 Sunday, drawing an 11 seed and a spot in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
The Longhorns (19-15) will face Xavier on Wednesday. With a win, they will advance to the round of 64 Friday against Illinois in Milwaukee.
Texas endured more losses than any other at-large selection in the tournament but is part of an SEC Conference that sent a record 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament. That rugged schedule as well as a NET rating of 39 helped the Longhorns overcome a 6-12 conference record, which tied for 13th in the SEC. Texas also had seven Quad One wins, a major metric used by the selection committee. Only 18 teams in the nation had more Quad One wins.
Texas has now qualified for five consecutive NCAA Tournaments.
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A strong run at this past week’s SEC Tournament also helped the Texas cause. The Longhorns beat Vanderbilt and Texas A&M — both tournament teams — before falling to Tennessee in the SEC quarterfinals.
Here’s the latest seeding, opponent and location information for the Longhorns:
What seed did Texas get in NCAA Tournament?
The Longhorns are officially locked into the No. 11 seed and a First Four matchup in Dayton.
Where does Texas play in the First Four?
Texas was put in the Midwest region, playing it’s first-round action in Dayton, Ohio.