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Texas MBB Teetering on the Bubble in Latest ESPN Bracket Prediction

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Nicholas Simon | Last updated Mar 10, 2025 1:11 PM ET

Texas Longhorns men's basketball had a rough end to the regular season and with Selection Sunday fast approaching, one prominent bracket expert doesn't like its odds of dancing.

ESPN college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi released his latest bracketology update on Sunday night and still had Texas as one of his first four teams out of the 2025 NCAA Tournament field. The Longhorns were in the same spot from his update last week as they remain on the outside looking in.

Texas wrapped up the regular season this past week and its final two games were a mixed bag. The Longhorns seemingly captured some momentum for themselves with an 87-82 road upset of Mississippi State last Tuesday, only to squander it with a 76-72 home loss to fellow bubble team Oklahoma on Saturday.

UT's resume to close the slate was subpar, posting a 17-14 overall record while finishing 14th in the SEC standings. The team is currently ranked No. 42 in the all-important NET ratings, mostly a function of its extremely difficult schedule in conference play. However, its 5-10 record in Quad 1 games is not impressive enough to sneak into the dance in the eyes of experts like Lunardi.

The Longhorns' disappointing first season in the SEC has only ratcheted up speculation over head coach Rodney Terry being dismissed at the end of the year. The team has massively underperformed despite the presence of freshman guard Tre Johnson, who is being touted as a potential lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Texas' final shot at potentially stealing a bid for the big dance comes this week in Nashville for the SEC Tournament. The Longhorns will open with a first-round matchup against Vanderbilt on Wednesday and if they don't win the tournament outright, they will need to at least make a deep run for consideration on Selection Sunday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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