AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team is going dancing.
After entering Selection Sunday on the tournament bubble, the Longhorns qualified for the 2025 NCAA Tournament as a No. 11 seed and one of the “Last Four In” teams to qualify as a non-conference champion.
As one of the “Last Four In,” the Longhorns will face fellow No. 11 seed Xavier during the First Four part of the tournament on either Tuesday or Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio.
If the Longhorns get past Xavier, they would face No. 6 seed Illinois in the First Round on Friday in Milwaukee.
The Longhorns will play in the Midwest Region of the bracket, which features Big 12 Champion Houston as the No. 1 seed. The Longhorns would only face the Cougars if both teams reached the Elite Eight.
Also in the Longhorns’ region is a familiar foe, the No. 2 seed Tennessee Volunteers led by former Longhorns head coach Rick Barnes. The Volunteers eliminated the Longhorns in the Second Round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament and in the quarterfinals of the 2025 SEC Tournament. Texas would face Tennessee in the Sweet 16 if both teams advance to that point.
The Longhorns finished the season with a 19-15 overall record and a 6-12 record in SEC play. However, the team secured a number of big wins over the course of the season, beating ranked teams Kentucky, Missouri and Texas A&M twice. The team also lost close games to Auburn, the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, and Tennessee.
Texas is one of 14 SEC teams to qualify for the 2025 NCAA Tournament, highlighting the conference’s overall depth this season.