Texas, and North Texas in particular, has a large presence in March Madness this year. Not only will a number of Texas teams be participating in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, but some key games will be held in Dallas and some of the top teams in the country will showcase talented players that were raised here in DFW.
Here’s what to know about NCAA March Madness in North Texas.
When Are the Tournaments?
The men’s tournament runs from March 19 to April 8. The women’s tournament runs from March 20 to April 7.
Which Texas Schools Are Playing?
On the men’s side, TCU is the lone North Texas rep in the field of 68 for 2024. Since Jamie Dixon took over as head coach in 2016, the Fort Worth squad has been a regular presence in the tournament, but hasn’t exactly made a lot of noise once it got in. As the ninth seed in the Midwest, the Horned Frogs will play against eight seed Utah State on Friday, March 22. Additionally on the men’s side, Houston (1 seed), Baylor (3 seed), Texas Tech (6 seed), Texas (7 seed) and Texas A&M (9 seed) represent the Lone Star State. Sorry, no SMU, UNT or UT-Arlington in the NCAA tourney year. However, the Mustangs and the Mean Green are taking part in the NIT, the annual consolation prize for those who missed out on the big dance.
North Texas schools were shut out of the women’s tournament this year. In the rest of the state, Texas (1 seed), Baylor (5 seed), Texas A&M (11 seed), Rice (14 seed) and Texas A&M Corpus Christi (16 seed) have made the field in 2024.
Are Any March Madness Games Being Played in North Texas?
The “Sweet Sixteen” and the “Elite 8” games for the South region of the men’s tournament will be played at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 29 and 31. None of the games for the women’s tournament will be played in Texas. What Are the Experts Saying About the Chances for Texas Schools?
Noted college basketball expert Andy Katz doesn’t have very high hopes for any of the Texas schools on the men’s side of things. He predicts 2021 national champ Baylor will lose in the second round, and Houston, perhaps the best team in the nation throughout the regular season, will go down in the Elite 8. The FanDuel sportsbook has Baylor as an underdog to make the Elite 8 with +320 odds, while giving Houston a much better shot at getting past the Elite 8 with -138 odds. At +980, one stands to make a killing by putting a few bucks down on TCU to make it that far.
Women’s game expert Autumn Johnson has a slightly rosier outlook. She predicts the UT Longhorns will make the Final Four, where, she believes, they will lose to South Carolina, the team she expects to win it all. The oddsmakers seem to think the Longhorn women have the best shot of any Texas schools to win it all with odds set at +2000, which is way higher than overall tournament favorite South Carolina at -145.
Are Players from North Texas in the Tournaments?
Players who showed off their skill at the high-school level in North Texas loom large over this year’s tournament. According to Sports Illustrated, Dallas Jesuit alone has five alumni, including top Texas scorer Max Abmas, ready to get mad in March. Players from McKinney, Flower Mound, Duncanville, Denton, Lancaster and Arlington also help fill the rosters of Texas teams in the men’s tourney. Sports Illustrated noted that the women’s tournament will showcase North Texas high school students, including two from DeSoto on the Texas Longhorns squad. Players from Keller, Irving, Mansfield and Frisco will also be vying for the women’s NCAA title.
