AUSTIN (KXAN) — After winning the Big 12 Conference tournament title in convincing fashion over the Kansas Jayhawks on Saturday, the Longhorns are now headed for Madness.
Texas is off to Des Moines, Iowa for the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and will take on 15th-seeded Colgate on March 16 at Wells Fargo Arena. Texas was placed in the Midwest region by the selection committee and it’s the 37th time the Longhorns have made it to March Madness. The game is set for 6:15 p.m. on TBS.
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The Longhorns were seeded No. 6 overall by the committee, one slot below where the committee had them Feb. 16 when they released a mock seeding list of the top 16 teams. Colgate, who finished 26-8 overall and 17-1 in the Patriot League, was given the No. 60 overall seed. The Raiders enter the tournament on a 9-game winning streak including its three wins in the conference tournament to secure their automatic bid.
Texas A&M is seeded No. 7 and Penn State is the No. 10 seed in their bracket, meaning the Longhorns could meet their old rivals in the second round. If the Longhorns win both games in Des Moines, they’ll advance to the Sweet 16 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.
The No. 1 overall seed is Alabama, and the Crimson Tide was placed in the South region.
Texas lost in the second round of the tournament last year to Purdue, and the year before they were bounced by 14th-seeded Abilene Christian in the first round after winning the Big 12 tournament and earning a No. 3 seed under Shaka Smart.
Texas has been to the Final Four three times in school history, and if they make it for a fourth time, they’ll be playing back in the Lone Star State. This year’s Final Four is at NRG Stadium in Houston. The national championship game is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. CDT, April 3, on CBS.