College Hoops Alive and Well in Texas

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Texas is a football hotbed, but the Lone Star State is bountifully represented in the March Madness tournament this year as well. Last night the NCAA Selection Committee announced the 68-team lineup for this year’s NCAA Tournament, and gave Texans plenty of rooting-interest options as five of the squads hail from right here in Texas.

As the post-play-in portion of the Tournament begins on Thursday, Baylor as the No. 5 seed in the West region will take on No.12 Yale, and the No. 8 seed in the Midwest, Texas Tech, will face off against 9th-seeded Butler.

A&M guard Danuel House is looking for a run to Houston for the Aggies

Friday, No. 14 Stephen F. Austin — in the Tournament for a third straight season — will be the underdog against the East’s No. 3 seed West Virginia. The same day, a No. 3-seed Texas A&M will take on No. 14 Green Bay, with the Aggies among the chic picks to eventually advance to The Final Four.

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Meanwhile, No. 6 Texas will tip-off against No. 11 Northern Iowa that day, and if all goes according to the oddsmakers (and the Aggies and the Longhorns both win), it will set up an all-Texas second-round match-up between the two rivals … bitter in football and maybe about to turn up the heat on the court as well.

The unfortunate omission from the group: SMU and its 25-5 record, deemed ineligible due to a ban following violations of NCAA policies.

Texas is football country. But starting Thursday, and maybe lasting all month as the Final Four heads to Houston, it’s a basketball world.

printable-march-madness-bracket

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Mike Fisher has over 30 years of covering professional sports and has done so based in Dallas since 1990. 'Fish' is an award-winning journalist, TV analyst and radio talk-show personality who serves as the Dallas Cowboys' 'insider' for 105.3 The Fan on the radio and as the Dallas Mavericks' insider for Fox Sports Southwest on TV. Fish is the publisher of DallasBasketball.com , is also a national contributor to FOX Sports, has covered 21 Super Bowls, has authored two best-selling books on the Cowboys (with forewords by Jerry Jones and Troy Aikman) and can be followed at @FishSports on Twitter.