March Madness Sweet 16 bracket: Tracking Texas schools at NCAA tournament (zero left)

Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times
·5 min read
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The NCAA tournament has winnowed 68 teams to four and zero are from Texas or the Big 12.

Surely everyone predicted the Florida Atlantic-San Diego State semifinal in their bracket, but if anyone had someone from Texas, they're done. The Final Four will feature a nine seed, a four and two fives.

A view of the March Madness logo at center court before the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Villanova Wildcats.
A view of the March Madness logo at center court before the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Villanova Wildcats.

It also features an El Pasoan in Connecticut star Tristen Newton.

The Final Four is scheduled for April 1, while the National Championship Game is April 3.

Track the Texas teams and those with local connections here. If they have an X next to their name, they are done.

Mar 24, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Sir'Jabari Rice (10) reacts after drawing a foul during the second half of an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional semifinal against the Xavier Musketeers at T-Mobile Center.
Mar 24, 2023; Kansas City, MO, USA; Texas Longhorns guard Sir'Jabari Rice (10) reacts after drawing a foul during the second half of an NCAA tournament Midwest Regional semifinal against the Xavier Musketeers at T-Mobile Center.

x-No. 2 Texas Longhorns

Former UTEP coach Rodney Terry and his team were halfway on the bus to Houston, leading No. 5 Miami by 13 points in the second half and by 10 points nearing the mid-point and blew it entirely. Former New Mexico State star Jabari Rice couldn't hit a late 3, Texas went cold, fell into a tie in the final 1:30 and couldn't get a stop as they fell 88-81.

There was no shortage of foul calls, 37 in total, as the final 10 minutes were a free-throw shooting contest that did not work in Texas' favor. The 1966 Texas Western team is secure in being one of two Texas teams to win a national title, along with 2021 Baylor.

x-No. 1 Houston Cougars

At this point the YMCA gym down the street has as many No. 1 seeds as the NCAA tournament. Precisely zero remain after Houston was routed by No. 5 Miami 89-75, which was settled, if not officially over, before No. 1 Alabama was ousted by No. 5 San Diego State. This is the first time ever there hasn’t been a No. 1 seed in the Elite Eight. Does this open up the Kansas City bracket for No. 2 Texas? We’ll know soon enough.

So now the Mountain West and Conference USA each have one more team in the Elite Eight than the Big 10 and SEC.

As for what Terry thinks of Boum, as one could guess, quite well, per the Austin American-Statesman.

Texas now gets No. 5 Miami in a game where it should be favored. Probably no way Texas can move on from Terry now and surely no way if the Horns beat Miami.

More:Who will win March Madness 2023? Check out NCAA tournament bracket, schedule

x-No. 3 Baylor

Bye bye Baylor. The Bears were bounced in the second round by the Creighton Blue Jays, as the assembled might of Omaha topped Waco.

x-No. 6 TCU

The Horned Frogs went back and forth with Drew Timme's Gonzaga Bulldogs in the second round but came up short, 84-81.

x-No. 7 Texas A&M

The Aggies went one-and-done in a blowout loss to No. 10 Penn State Thursday night, ending a chance to take on old and future rival Texas in the second round.

x-No. 16 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

The Islanders became the first Texas team to win a game in the tournament when they beat Southeast Missouri State in a First Four game Tuesday in Dayton, Ohio and the first out when they got blown out by No. 1 Alabama Thursday afternoon. They were the only team in the field that lost to UTEP this season, as they lost two of three at the Jim Forbes Classic.

El Paso connections

No. 4 Connecticut

Burges alum Tristen Newton had another all-around point-guard game, putting up eight points and seven rebounds while only turning it over once, as his Connecticut Huskies blasted No. 3 Gonzaga 82-54. UConn assistant coach Kimani Young is a UTEPer.

The Huskies get Miami next.

x-No. 3 Xavier

Former UTEP star and current honorable-mention All-American Souley Boum didn't go out the way he wanted but finished a short but stellar Xavier career with 12 points, and most amazingly for the shortest guy on the floor, two blocks. He also has a UTEP degree.

Here's what he told the Austin American-Statesman about Terry and playing against him: "It’s crazy because it just shows you how everything comes full circle. We have a great relationship. I know he cares about me. I care about him."

x-No. 7 Northwestern

They are done. Former UTEP defensive stopper Tydus Verhoeven's team won a game but went out against No. 2. UCLA. Verhoeven didn't get to do much in the game but he grabbed a rebound.

And other things

Unstoppable C-USA

You can't spell Final Four without the F in Florida Atlantic. The No. 9 Owls held off No. 3 Kansas State 79-76 following the "let Markquis Nowell have his" strategy to a T. Nowell had 30 points and 12 rebounds and by four points or two assists it wasn't enough to top the Conference USA's representative. They are the league's second Final Four team after 2008 Memphis (losers in overtime in the championship game to Kansas).

Between the NCAA, the NIT (UAB and North Texas are semifinalists) and the CBI (Charlotte reigns!) C-USA is 14-1 in the postseason (Rice in the CBI was the loss) as of Saturday night. And if you don't deign to count the CBI, fine, then C-USA is 8-0.

But sure, take eight Big 10 teams to the NCAAs so UAB and UNT can make up half the NIT Final Four.

FAU has San Diego State next in a battle of a team going to the American Athletic and one waving hello at the Pac-12.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: NCAA men's March Madness bracket:: Tracking Texas schools