As the SEC gained both momentum and praise throughout the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season, heated debates were inevitable. There are always a couple of squads that controversially receive an NCAA Tournament at-large bid, but this year’s outrage is of a different variety. Texas’ inclusion in the 68-team bracket has many people accusing the selection committee of being overly enamored with a single conference.
The Longhorns, who were firmly on the bubble heading into Selection Sunday, were picked to be the SEC’s whopping 14th representative in March Madness. Sub-.500 LSU and South Carolina are the only two programs in the league that are not going to the Big Dance. Texas went 6-12 in conference play and earned an overall record of 19-15, drawing the condemnation of many fans who ardently believe bias crept into the decision-making room.
Rodney Terry’s group, which is led by star freshman guard Tre Johnson, gains entry over the likes of West Virginia, Indiana and Boise State, to name a few. Let the protesting begin.
Fans take issue with Texas landing on the NCAA Tournament bracket
“Texas is undeserving,” @jenerette_allen commented. “They don’t belong but the NCAA hoping they will sell a few tickets,” @ChojnackiNyle said. “The NCAA bias towards the SEC and especially Texas is pathetic and all over ratings,” @WTxFlatlander vehemently expressed. “Too much SEC love just like in college football,” @LTSports80 stated.
“Two teams that went 6-12 in conference play get in,” @Lance_Britton argued. “I don’t care how difficult a schedule someone allegedly plays. If you can only win 1 of every 3 games down the stretch, you don’t deserve a bid.” Contrary to the conference’s tagline, there are obviously plenty of fans who believe playing in the SEC should in fact not mean more.
The case for Texas
It is worth noting that Texas basketball was not the only polarizing NCAA Tournament choice. North Carolina got a pass for its 1-12 Quad 1 record and Xavier and Oklahoma (another SEC school) have also produced mixed reactions. Despite all of the backlash, few can deny that the Longhorns are dangerous when at their best.
And they seemed to be playing near their peak form during the SEC Tournament. A 79-72 win over Vanderbilt and a triumphant double-overtime thriller against Texas A&M in the second round clearly made a strong statement. Texas owns another victory versus the Aggies in the regular season and has also beaten Kentucky, Missouri and Mississippi State (all single-digit seeded NCAA Tournament teams).
A relatively weak non-conference schedule that featured no signature victories compounded the program’s 6-12 SEC record, putting it in an extremely vulnerable position. But in the end, seven Quad 1 wins and residence in what is arguably the deepest basketball league in NCAA history were enough to punch the Longhorns’ March Madness ticket.
They will battle Xavier in the play-in round, also known as the First Four, in Dayton, Ohio on March 19. Leading scorer and SEC Freshman of the Year Tre Johnson (19.8 points per game, 39.2 percent 3-point shooting) will try to lead his squad to an unexpected deep run in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. With his ability to heat up at a moment’s notice, head coach Rodney Terry’s guidance and a potentially favorable draw, Texas could tear up many brackets.
But since that is all hypothetical right now, the fire-breathing and anti-SEC rhetoric will run rampant.
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