MARCH MADNESS: Tramon Mark’s legacy-cementing bucket extends Texas’ dance in 68-66 victory

At long last, we have madness!

All across America, diehard hoop-heads, casual viewers, and those of us who are only 70% sure March Madness is even about basketball are coming together.

MORE MARCH MADNESS: UH star freshman Kingston Flemings earns AP All-America honor ahead of NCAA March Madness debut

In a beautiful display of chaos and hope, we all pursue the impossible: a perfect bracket.

Before we tip off, we should get to know the Texas teams taking the floor in the 2026 Big Dance.

This year, seven Texas teams made the cut, up from only five in 2025.

We have the Houston Cougars continuing their dynastic March run as a No. 2 seed, a couple of mid-ranking contenders in Texas Tech and TCU, and three double-digit seeds looking to shock the world in Texas A&M, Texas, SMU, and Prairie View A&M.

Texas extends its season

Tuesday night, the Texas Longhorns were the first Texas-based team to take the floor in the Big Dance, facing NC State in the First Four.

With just seconds remaining in a tied game, Texas senior guard Tramon Mark rose up and fired a tightly contested two-pointer from the right wing, just inside the arc.

Money.

With the Longhorns’ season—and Mark’s collegiate legacy—hanging in the balance, the shot swished through the net. Texas survived a 68–66 thriller.

With the win, the Longhorns secured a date with No. 6 seed BYU on Thursday.

Here’s every Texas team in March Madness:

Houston Cougars

• Seed / Region: No. 2 — South Region
• First-Round Matchup: Idaho (15): Thursday, 9:10 p.m. - truTV
• Record (Overall / Conference): 28–6 overall, 14–4 Big 12 (second place)
• Finish in Conference Tournament: Lost Big 12 Tournament Final to Arizona, 79–74
• Best Win This Season: at BYU (77–66)
• Worst Loss This Season: Three-game losing streak in mid-February (at Iowa State, vs. Arizona, at Kansas)

Texas Tech Red Raiders

• Seed / Region: No. 5 — Midwest Region
• First-Round Matchup: Akron (12): Friday, 11:40 a.m. - truTV
• Record (Overall / Conference): 22–10 overall, 12–6 Big 12 (tied for third place)
• Finish in Conference Tournament: Lost Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinal to Iowa State, 75–53
• Best Win This Season: at Arizona (78–75 OT)
• Worst Loss This Season: at Arizona State (72–67)

TCU Horned Frogs

• Seed / Region: No. 9 — East Region
• First-Round Matchup: Ohio State (8) - Thursday, 11:15 a.m. - CBS
• Record (Overall / Conference): 22–11 overall, 11–7 Big 12 (sixth place)
• Finish in Conference Tournament: Lost Big 12 Tournament Quarterfinal to Kansas, 78–73
• Best Win This Season: at Texas Tech (73–65)
• Worst Loss This Season: at Colorado (87–61)

Texas A&M Aggies

• Seed / Region: No. 10 — South Region
• First-Round Matchup: Saint Mary’s (7) - Thursday, 6:35 p.m. - truTV
• Record (Overall / Conference): 21–11 overall, 11–7 SEC (tied for fourth place)
• Finish in Conference Tournament: Lost in SEC Tournament Second Round to Oklahoma, 83–63
• Best Win This Season: at Georgia (92–77)
• Worst Loss This Season: at Oklahoma State (87–63)

Texas Longhorns

• Seed / Region: No. 11 — West Region (Beat NC State in First Four, 68-66)
• First-Round Matchup: BYU (6): Thursday, 6:25 p.m. - TBS
• Record (Overall / Conference): 18–14 overall, 9–9 SEC (10th place)
• Finish in Conference Tournament: Lost in SEC Tournament First Round to Ole Miss, 76–66
• Best Win This Season: at Alabama (92–88)
• Worst Loss This Season: vs. Oklahoma (88–85 OT)

SMU Mustangs

• Seed / Region: No. 11 —Midwest Region (First Four)
• First-Round Matchup: Miami-OH (11): Wednesday, 8:15 p.m. - truTV
• Record (Overall / Conference): 20–13 overall, 8–10 ACC (tied for 11th place)
• Finish in Conference Tournament: Lost in ACC Tournament Second Round to Louisville, 62–58
• Best Win This Season: vs. Louisville (95–85)
• Worst Loss This Season: at Syracuse (79–78)

Prairie View A&M Panthers

• Seed / Region: No. 16 —South Region (First Four)
• First-Round Matchup: Lehigh (16): Wednesday, 5:40 p.m. - truTV
• Record (Overall / Conference): 18–17 overall, 9–9 SWAC (8th place)
• Finish in Conference Tournament: Won SWAC Tournament Final vs. Southern, 72-66
• Best Win This Season: vs. Southern (72-66)
• Worst Loss This Season: at Wichita State (105-62)