Texas had to wait 36 minutes to hear its name called, but for good reason.
At 6:36 p.m. on Monday, the Longhorns were named the No. 2 seed in the Kansas City Regional of the NCAA tournament. The team will host No. 15 Maine at the Frank Erwin Center in the Round of 64 on Saturday at 5 p.m., the last matchup revealed on ESPN’s selection show.
“It means a lot,” Texas head coach Karen Aston said. “It is a good feeling when you know you’re in.”
The tournament berth marks the Texas’ fifth under Aston and 31st all-time. Aston is 8-4 in the Big Dance at the 40 Acres, reaching the Round of 16 in each of the past three seasons and advancing to the Round of Eight in 2016.
The Longhorns exited last season’s tournament in the Sweet 16 as a No. 3 seed in a 77-66 loss to No. 2 Stanford.
“It just goes back to everything that we’ve worked for,” senior guard Brooke McCarty said. “Just to see your name pop up there, it’s a great feeling. You can never take it for granted.”