{"id":206662,"date":"2026-03-16T10:54:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-16T10:54:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/206662\/"},"modified":"2026-03-16T10:54:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T10:54:07","slug":"texas-basketball-gets-new-life-in-ncaas-but-are-the-longhorns-hungry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/206662\/","title":{"rendered":"Texas basketball gets new life in NCAAs, but are the Longhorns hungry?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Texas basketball<\/a> gets North Carolina State in the First Four game<\/a> Tuesday, but the Longhorns didn\u2019t even know their season was still alive until Selection Sunday.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While many teams were comfortably waiting for their travel destination to be announced, the Longhorns (18-14) weren\u2019t so sure because they went from a surefire tourney participant to a three-game collapse that sent them hurtling back to the bubble.<\/p>\n

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Yet they practiced without knowing if they would be part of March Madness in 2026.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark (12) puts the ball up as Texas A&M Aggies forward Jamie Vinson (4) defends in the second half as the Texas Longhorns play the Texas A&M Aggies at Reed Arena in College Station, Feb. 28, 2026. Texas won the game 76-70.<\/p>\n

Sara Diggins\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

WOMEN\u2019S HOOPS: Texas gets its NCAA assignment<\/a><\/p>\n

TEXAS VS. NORTH CAROLINA STATE<\/p>\n

When\/where:\u00a08:10 p.m. Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio.<\/p>\n

TV\/radio:\u00a0truTV; 1300 AM, 98.1 FM.<\/p>\n

The Horns, who blew a pair of must-win games and limped to an 18-13 finish of the regular season before a one-and-done SEC Tourney appearance<\/a>, were the Last Team In in ESPN\u2019s bracketology projection and could only hope that Joe Lunardi and the selection committee were in lock step.\u00a0They were.<\/p>\n

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As a result, it\u2019s another chance to play ball and while Texas has done little to earn any kind of faith, it can all change in a game or even two if it can turn back the Wolfpack and earn a first-round matchup against BYU in Portland.<\/p>\n

Sean Miller and the hunger factor<\/p>\n

Texas coach\u00a0Sean Miller<\/a> gave his players a couple of days off after last Wednesday’s loss to Ole Miss, met with his staff back in Austin, then the call was made to return to the practice court.<\/p>\n

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Sign up for Ced’s Corner\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sign up for\u00a0Cedric Golden\u2019s newsletter <\/a>for hot takes and expert analysis each Tuesday on Texas Longhorns football and beyond. \u00a0It’s called Ced\u2019s Corner, from the mind of the American-Statesman\u2019s resident sports columnist, the 2025 NSMA Texas Sportswriter of the Year.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a familiar itinerary. The Horns are packing up their galoshes and heading to wintry Dayton for the second straight year. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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There has to be a brutal psychology that comes with practicing hard while the great unknown looms in the air. It was during those workouts that Miller and his staff quietly gauged players’ intensity level and buy-in<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas head men’s basketball coach Sean Miller argues with referee Anthony Jordan during the first half March 7, 2026 against the Oklahoma at Moody Center in Austin.<\/p>\n

Scott Wachter\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it’s the hardest thing that you could do as a college basketball coach,\u201d Miller said. “You have no promise that your season is going to continue and you really see it truly how it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

MORE CED: Texas football\u2019s $3 million WR Cam Coleman is worth every penny\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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No coach can be a fan of practicing against the unknown. For all we could have known, the Horns went hard for no reason at all. Had they been excluded from the NCAA field, those practices would have been ceremonial in nature because methinks the school would have turned down an invite to the NIT.<\/p>\n

\u00a0But here they are, prepping for another run.<\/p>\n

To that end, I asked Miller Sunday if he saw the right focus and hunger from a group that hasn\u2019t had a reason to smile since knocking off Texas A&M<\/a> in College Station Feb. 28.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur guys have really stayed with it,” he said. “What they showed me is that they relished an opportunity like we talked about. It’s our collective responsibility that if we get picked for the tournament, you can’t restart it on Selection Sunday. You have to already be headed in that direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Miller praised his most experienced players \u2014 Tramon Mark, Jordan Pope and Chendall Weaver \u2014 for setting the tone over the last few days. Those are also the three players who are finishing up their college careers. It\u2019s a new lease on basketball life for them. Will the others follow?<\/p>\n

MORE CED: Why Will Muschamp is a great hire for Texas football<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuesday’s game against North Carolina State is a rematch of Texas\u2019 102-97<\/a> win at the Maui Invitational, but 24 games have passed and a lot of changes have taken place on both teams.<\/p>\n

Miller went through something similar last season when Xavier had to wait to hear its name called. The Musketeers took out Texas in the First Four before bowing out against Illinois in the first round.<\/p>\n

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If ever there was a team that should be motivated to turn things around, it\u2019s Texas. Records don\u2019t matter anymore. The past is in the past.<\/p>\n

The slate is wiped clean and all that remains is the basketball. Let\u2019s see if Texas can make some new memories on the sport\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

New life presents a new opportunity.<\/p>\n

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