Horns up, Longhorn fans — March Madness is here.
After losing to Xavier in its First Four game last night, Texas men’s basketball will not advance to the NCAA First Round, but March Madness energy is still alive in ATX. No. 1 seed Texas women’s basketball will soon host the first and second rounds of the 2025 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Moody Center. To celebrate, let’s take a look at Texas’ history in the NCAA Tournament.
Texas women’s hoops
It’s been a sensational season for Texas women’s basketball, and the team is getting hot at the perfect time. The Horns have won 15 of their last 16 games and boast a dominant 31-3 record overall, including a 15-0 winning streak at the Moody Center.
The Longhorns will take on either High Point or William & Mary on Saturday, March 22. Take a glance at Texas women’s basketball’s March Madness history:
- This year marks Texas’ 37th appearance in the tournament, which ties the program for the second most appearances among all NCAA Division 1 teams.
- It’s also the first time Texas has secured a No. 1 seed in consecutive seasons since 1987-1988.
- The 1985-1986 Longhorns were the first-ever women’s team to claim the title of undefeated national champions and the only team in program history to win the tournament. Psst — Fran Harris, a star player on that team, led Austin’s bid for a WNBA expansion team.
Texas men’s basketball
Texas men have made 39 total appearances in March Madness since 1939, with 23 of those occurring in the last 26 seasons. If that sounds impressive, it’s because it is. Only seven schools in the nation — and none other in the state — accomplished the same feat.
This year also marked UT men’s basketball’s fifth consecutive trip to the tournament — the program’s longest streak since its 14-year run from 1999 to 2012.
Here are more fast facts about Texas men’s basketball in March Madness:
- Texas was one of eight teams invited to the first NCAA Tournament in 1939.
- The Longhorns have made it to the Final Four thrice in program history: in 2003 vs. Syracuse, in 1947 vs. Oklahoma, and in 1943 vs. Wyoming.
