With February heating up and March Madness creeping closer on the horizon, both Texas and Texas A&M are keeping themselves in the NCAA Tournament conversation - and if the current projections hold, they’re on track to make the Big Dance together for the fourth straight year.
Let’s start in Austin, where the Longhorns bounced back from a tough 88-82 loss to Auburn by handling business in a rivalry showdown, topping Oklahoma 79-69. That win was more than just a morale booster - it was a much-needed statement in a season where Texas has struggled to find consistency in the SEC.
Sitting at 13-9 overall and 4-5 in conference play, the Longhorns are still trying to carve out a firm identity in their new league surroundings. They’ll get another chance to build momentum Tuesday night when they host a surging South Carolina squad.
Over in College Station, it’s a different story entirely. Texas A&M is rolling.
The Aggies are 17-4 overall, 7-1 in the SEC, and now officially ranked in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for the first time all season. They’ve not only cracked the top 25 - they’re sitting atop the SEC standings at the halfway mark of league play.
That’s no small feat for a team that was picked to finish in the bottom half of the conference in the preseason.
But the road ahead gets tougher. A&M hits the road to face Alabama on Wednesday before diving into a brutal stretch that includes top-25 matchups against No.
15 Florida and No. 16 Vanderbilt.
We’re about to learn a lot about how battle-tested this Aggies team really is.
According to bracketologists, both programs are still projected to make the NCAA Tournament - though they’re arriving from very different directions.
ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has Texas clinging to a spot as one of the “last four in,” projected as a No. 11 seed in the Buffalo region. That puts the Longhorns in play-in game territory, where they’d square off against Ohio State for a shot at the main bracket. It’s a drop from last week’s projection, when Texas was sitting as a No. 9 seed, and it speaks to the razor-thin margin for error they’re facing down the stretch.
Joining Texas in Lunardi’s “last four in” are USC, San Diego State, and the aforementioned Buckeyes - a group that’s very much living on the edge as February unfolds.
Texas A&M, on the other hand, is enjoying a much more comfortable spot in the field. Lunardi currently slots the Aggies as a No. 7 seed in the Oklahoma City region, where they’d open against mid-major standout St.
Mary’s. That’s a significant jump from the 10-seed projection they held just a week ago, and it reflects the respect A&M is earning as it continues to pile up wins in a tough SEC.
CBS Sports’ bracketology echoes a similar outlook. They’ve got Texas in as a No. 10 seed, lined up to face No.
7 Iowa in the first round - a matchup that would pit two athletic, guard-heavy teams against each other in what could be one of the more entertaining early-round games. Meanwhile, CBS also has the Aggies as a No. 7 seed, projected to take on No.
10 Utah State.
So, while Texas is still fighting for solid ground, and Texas A&M is surging up the ranks, both are on pace to dance in March. The SEC Tournament kicks off March 11, with Selection Sunday set for March 15. There’s still plenty of basketball to be played - and plenty of movement left on the bracket - but for now, the Lone Star State looks poised to be well-represented when the madness begins.