Texas in 'do or die' mode, could be SEC's 14th NCAA Tournament team after wild win over rival Texas A&Mon March 14, 2025 at 1:04 am

The Longhorns picked up another Quad 1 win Thursday with their backs against the wall

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NASHVILLE — The question came up Thursday inside a victorious Texas locker room following the No. 13 seed Longhorns’ wild 94-89 double-overtime victory over No. 5 seed Texas A&M in the second round of the SEC Tournament.

Exactly how many Quad 1 victories do the Longhorns have now? After someone suggested the number may be six, several players responded in unison with the correct number.

“Seven,” they said, leaving no room for doubt.

“We actually don’t talk about it as much as you might think,” graduate center Kadin Shedrick told CBS Sports moments later. “But seven Quad 1 wins, that’s nice.”

Will it be nice enough to get Texas onto the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble? It will have to be if the Longhorns can’t keep the magic alive against No. 4 seed Tennessee in Friday’s quarterfinals.

At 7-9 in Quad 1 opportunities, the Longhorns are doing some last-minute cramming to atone for the shortcomings of a disappointing season that has left head coach Rodney Terry on the hot seat.

“I think we should be in by now, for sure,” Texas freshman phenom Tre Johnson said. “But if not, we can still put our hardhats on and come back and get another one tomorrow.”

No team with seven Quad 1 wins was left out of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, which is a morsel that could provide some hope if the Longhorns can’t string together their first three-game winning streak since December.

If Texas can avenge a 74-70 loss to Tennessee from Jan. 11, then its outlook would become far rosier.

“They can get in by beating Tennessee,” CBS Sports Bracketology Expert Palm said Thursday on CBS Sports HQ.

The Longhorns seem to understand the assignment.

“It feels like we’ve got to win tomorrow,” Shedrick said. “It’s nice to get two wins in a row, but the focus shifts to Tennessee now.”

Adding Quad 1 wins over Vanderbilt and the Aggies this week has inched the Longhorns closer to the right side of the bubble and closer to the SEC potentially placing 14 of its 16 teams into the Big Dance.

“Our season is on the line, it’s do or die” junior guard Jordan Pope said. “We’re desperate, we’re just trying to give our all each and every game and play like it’s our last game.”

It’s the correct approach, since every game could be Texas’ last. Unless the Longhorns were to accept an invitation to a postseason event aside from the NCAA Tournament, each game this week could bring the end of an era.

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In his second season as the full-time coach, Terry is simultaneously on the cusp of reaching the NCAA Tournament and of potentially receiving a pink slip.

Against that backdrop, his team navigated the emotions of a rivalry game with poise Thursday, turning the ball over just six times in 50 minutes against the Aggies and roaring back from a 5-point deficit in the first overtime period.

Star guard Tramon Mark fouled out, as did defensive stopper Chendall Weaver. No matter, the Longhorns persisted and found a way.

“Win or go home,” graduate guard Julian Larry said. “Then, if we lose, that’s it and there’s nothing else after that. We’ve got to keep that same mentality and just know it’s win or go home from here on out in this tournament.”

There is recent precedent for high-major programs with embattled coaches making special runs during championship week.

With a season – and potentially even coach Rodney Terry’s future – hanging in the balance, the Longhorns are in the early stages of a 2024 NC State impersonation.

The Wolfpack were on the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble entering the ACC Tournament last season, and coach Kevin Keatts’ was on the hottest of seats. NC State proceeded to rattle off nine straight wins to reach the Final Four, preserving Keatts’ job for one more season (Keatts was fired to start the week).

After two wins in two days, it’s a little early to anoint the Longhorns as this year’s Wolfpack, but they are off to a good start on the quest to salvage a once-wayward 2024-25 campaign.