Texas Longhorns Basketball NCAA Tournament

For months now, Texas has declined opportunities to turn itself into an NCAA tournament team. Despite their best efforts to watch the tournament from their couches, the Longhorns might still have a couple chances anyway.

Monday's loss to Baylor, in which they wasted a 12-point second-half lead and once again victimized themselves with poor late-game decision-making and lapses of judgment, left the Longhorns 17-11 overall and 7-8 in the Big 12. A few years ago, a record like that would have had Texas laughed out of the committee room for the tournament selection.

This year, though, it seems the Longhorns have a shot. What they don't have is a quality win over a highly rated opponent. If they beat both Texas Tech and Oklahoma to clinch a .500 record in the Big 12, the Longhorns have two more chance to make an impression on the committee. The Longhorns cap off their regular season at Kansas, and their Big 12 tournament opener could be a rematch with Baylor. A Longhorns victory over either of those two nationally ranked foes wouldn't guarantee an invitation, but it sure would help.