Another day of carnage on the NCAA Tournament bubble offered padding for some struggling squads


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The 2026 NCAA Tournament bubble is so weak that teams struggling through prolonged late-season slumps are getting grace merely because others around the at-large cut-line are losing, too. Case in point: Texas.

The Longhorns took a Quad 2 loss against Ole Miss on Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Tournament at Bridgestone Arena, falling 76-66 against a Rebels team that is now just 13-19. The Longhorns will arrive at Selection Sunday as an 18-14 team that has dropped five of its last six games.

But they are still alive and kicking in the race for an at-large bid.

After another day of carnage, the Longhorns will remain in the CBS Sports Bracketology field of 68 for now, largely because no one has risen to take their spot.

Texas entered the day at No. 44 in the all-important Wins Above Bubble (WAB) metric and will take a hit following the loss. But the WAB's No. 46 (SMU), No. 47 (Indiana), No. 48 (Oklahoma State) and No. 49 (Cal) teams also lost Wednesday to provide some padding for the Longhorns' latest fall.

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