AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas didn’t make the NCAA Tournament field of 64, but they made the field of 68.
The Longhorns will play a First Four game March 19 in Dayton, Ohio, against the Xavier Musketeers. The game will be broadcast on truTV with a tip-off time yet to be determined.
A win will give them a No. 11 seed in the official first round of the Midwest Region against No. 6 seed Illinois on March 21 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In the overall seed list, Texas was one of the lowest-seeded at-large teams at No. 41. Xavier was seeded No. 42, putting them in the play-in round for a No. 11 regional seed.
In their first season in the Southeastern Conference, the Longhorns posted a 19-15 overall record and 6-12 in SEC play. With the SEC’s strength this season, the selection committee felt six regular season wins plus two in the conference tournament were enough to give them a shot in the play-in round.
Xavier (21-11, 13-7 Big East) lost in the Big East tournament quarterfinals to Marquette to end its regular season.
Texas posted seven Quad 1 wins, two more than last season when they were a No. 7 seed in the tournament. Texas ended the season with a NET ranking of No. 39.
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Houston is the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.
Texas A&M is the No. 4 seed in the South Region and will face 13-seed Yale, the Ivy League champions.
Auburn is the No. 1 overall seed playing in the South Region. The SEC earned 14 bids, a record for any conference in tournament history. The Final Four is April 5 and 7 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Reaction and quotes from Texas head coach Rodney Terry will be added to this story
