With conference play heating up and March Madness slowly coming into focus, both Texas and Texas A&M men’s basketball are positioning themselves for another NCAA Tournament appearance. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the two programs are trending toward extending their recent streaks of making the Big Dance - and while their paths have looked very different, both squads are finding ways to stay relevant in the national conversation.
Texas: Battling Through the SEC Gauntlet
Let’s start with Texas. The Longhorns are currently sitting in 12th place in the SEC standings, not exactly where they hoped to be after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll.
But context matters here. Under first-year head coach Sean Miller, Texas has shown flashes of promise, particularly in how they've responded to early adversity.
At 11-7 overall and 2-3 in conference play, Texas has been a bit of a rollercoaster. They opened SEC play with back-to-back losses - not ideal - but quickly bounced back with wins over Alabama and Vanderbilt.
That win over Vandy was particularly notable, handing the Commodores their first loss of the season. The momentum was short-lived, though, as the Longhorns dropped their next game to in-state rival Texas A&M.
Still, Lunardi currently has Texas as one of the last teams in the tournament field, and their highest potential seed is projected at No. 9.
That’s not a comfortable spot, but it’s a spot - and in late January, that’s what matters. The Longhorns’ résumé includes a 3-4 record against Quad 1 opponents, which helps, though they’ve yet to notch a win in Quad 2 (0-2).
Their NET ranking sits at 41, which keeps them in the mix but leaves little room for error going forward.
Texas A&M: Surging Under New Leadership
Over in College Station, things are trending in a more stable direction. Texas A&M entered the season with modest expectations - picked to finish 13th in the SEC - but under new head coach Bucky McMillan, they’ve flipped the script in a big way. The Aggies are currently second in the conference standings at 14-4 overall and 4-1 in SEC play.
Before knocking off Texas, A&M had reeled off three straight wins before falling in a hard-fought overtime battle against Tennessee. That kind of resilience - and the ability to close out close games - has been a defining trait of this Aggies team.
Lunardi has A&M comfortably in the field, currently projected as a 10-seed and not part of the First Four. Their NET ranking is 42, just a tick behind Texas, but their profile is a little more balanced: 2-3 in Quad 1 games and 3-1 in Quad 2. It’s not flashy, but it’s steady - and that’s exactly what you want to see from a team looking to make some noise in March.
The Road Ahead
There’s still plenty of basketball to be played, and as always, bracketology is a moving target. Selection Sunday isn’t until March 15, and between now and then, both Texas and Texas A&M have opportunities to strengthen their cases - or slip off the bubble entirely.
But for now, both programs are in the hunt. Texas is fighting to stay above the cut line, while A&M is building the kind of résumé that could earn them a solid seed and a real shot at a second-weekend run. The Lone Star State is well-represented in the dance conversation - and if both teams keep trending upward, we might just see them make some noise when the brackets are finally set.