Texas was right on the cut line of the bubble coming into Saturday’s game with the Mountaineers, and without their best player, the Longhorns got their biggest win of the year.
On Friday night, our very latest edition of Bracketology was released. Texas, barely slipped in as one of the Last 4 teams in. It wasn’t surprising, as their great strength of schedule combined with some quality wins was balanced out with the already 13 losses the team has piled up.
That 13 is an important number because coming into the game with West Virginia, if the Longhorns would’ve lost, then failed to win the Big 12 Conference Tournament, they would have 15 total losses heading into Selection Sunday. The only of team in history to receive an at-large bid was Vanderbilt a couple of years ago, whose No. 2 SOS was their saving grace. But with the bubble so volatile, who knows what that would’ve meant this season.
More from Busting Brackets
- NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Analyzing top 5 teams for top-100 SG Larry Johnson
- Oregon Basketball: Projected starting lineup and depth chart for 2023-24
- Big East Basketball: Ranking all head coaches going into 2023-24 season
- Florida State Basketball: Is Seminoles roster good enough to win in 2023-24?
- SEC Basketball: 10 potential additions for the league if they ever expanded
Not only did Texas have to beat West Virginia, but they had to do it without their best overall player Mo Bamba, whose been injured as of late. It would always suck to not have him on the court, but to have him out against Sabaga Konate of West Virginia, that would make this an even tougher task.
But the offense for the Longhorns went to work early in this game, making 7/12 three-pointers in the first half. Unfortunately, the 10 giveaways neutralized that hot start.
The game was close all through the second half, but Texas was up by two points with just a few seconds. But senior guard Jevon Carter once again came up huge, going coast-to-coast to tie it up and send it into overtime. At that point, few non-Texas fans thought they would win it.
But the Longhorns once again overcame adversity, putting their foot on the Mountaineers throats in the extra time, taking a seven point lead midway through and holding on for the improbable victory.
Four players for Texas scored at least 15 points, with guards Matt Coleman and Kerwin Roach Jr. each scoring 22 points. As a team, the Longhorns shot 57% from the field, and 11/19 from deep.
This win all but secures a NCAA Tournament berth in my opinion. They get another quality win (six quadrant 1 wins on the season), have a top SOS, and even if they lose in the first round, they’ll have just 14 losses on the season. And considering how the other bubble teams have done this week, this team has separated themselves from others.
Next: March Player of the Year rankings
Texas is most likely going to be a double-digit seed come Selection Sunday. And that’s fine. Because after everything this program has gone through this season, their resiliency should be awarded with the ultimate invite.