Texas sits atop a number of NCAA Tournament Field of 64 projections

As the Texas Longhorns pursue the SEC regular season championship, they’re also in pursuit of a national seed in the NCAA Tournament. With the way the Longhorns’ season is going, earning the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and a path through Austin all the way to Omaha is an outcome looking more likely by the week.

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Texas is the consensus No. 1 team in most if not all of the polls, and they also hold a top spot in a ranking critical to NCAA Tournament seeding. Per WarrenNolan.com, the Longhorns claim the No. 1 spot in RPI, ahead of other SEC teams like No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Auburn, and No. 5 LSU. In Warren Nolan’s system, they have an analog to the Quadrant system the NCAA uses in creating and seeding the field of 68 for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. Texas has a 14-3 record in Quadrant 1 games, more than any team in the nation.

All those factors have Texas as the projected No. 1 overall seed in the tournament according to several outlets.

On3, D1Baseball, and Baseball America have Jim Schlossnagle’s team as the No. 1 national seed, and have a number of interesting teams projected to join them in the Austin regional plus interesting potential super regional matchups.

On3 Field of 64 Projection – April 29

Austin Regional

1. Texas Longhorns (No. 1)
2. UTSA Roadrunners
3. Arizona State Sun Devils
4. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats

Los Angeles Regional

1. UCLA Bruins (No. 16)
2. Arizona Wildcats
3. Texas A&M Aggies
4. Grand Canyon Antelopes

The Roadrunners lead the American Athletic Conference and even have a win in Austin over the Longhorns from March 18. Arizona State is 29-16 and trails Big 12-leading West Virginia by a couple of games and is projected to make the field as an at-large. Bethune-Cookman is the projected winner of the SWAC tournament.

Across the bracket are the UCLA Bruins. UCLA is second in the Big 10 with a 33-11 overall record. Also included are the Texas A&M Aggies, creating the selection committee’s favorite possibility: a Texas vs. Texas A&M matchup in the postseason.

D1Baseball Field of 64 Projection – April 30

Austin Regional

1. Texas Longhorns (No. 1)
2. TCU Horned Frogs
3. UT-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros
4. Oral Roberts Eagles

Los Angeles Regional

1. UCLA Bruins (No. 16)
2. Cal Poly Mustangs
3. Texas A&M Aggies
4. Fresno State Bulldogs

TCU is currently 32-13 and 14-7 in the Big 12, a few games back of the Mountaineers. UTRGV is 29-15 and 19-8 in the Southland and is projected to receive an at-large bid. The Longhorns defeated the Vaqueros 11-4 on April 15. Oral Roberts is projected to make the field as the Summit League tournament champion.

Baseball America Field of 64 Projection – April 30

Austin Regional

1. Texas Longhorns (No. 1)
2. Dallas Baptist Patriots
3. UT-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros
4. Bryant Bulldogs

Raleigh Regional

1. North Carolina State Wolfpack (No. 16)
2. Oklahoma Sooners
3. Northeastern Huskies
4. Yale Bulldogs

DBU is currently No. 25 in Baseball America’s top 25 and has a one game lead atop the Conference USA standings. The Patriots are 30-13 overall with a No. 23 ranking in RPI. DBU has one-off wins over Oklahoma (x2), TCU, and Oklahoma State. Bryant was included as the projected conference tournament champion from the America East

On the opposite side is NC State, who is currently No. 18 in Baseball America’s rankings and No. 28 in RPI. The Wolfpack lead the ACC and boast a 30-13 overall record. Oklahoma is the listed No. 2 seed, a projection that creates the possibility of a Red River Shootout with a spot in Omaha on the line. The Sooners are 30-13 and 11-10 in SEC play. Northeastern and Yale are projected conference tournament champions from the Coastal Athletic Conference and the Ivy League.

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Texas heads to Fayetteville, Ark. to face the Razorbacks this weekend for a Thursday through Saturday set. Arkansas is a projected regional host according to several outlets.