Texas Longhorns Basketball

Historically, the Longhorns football team’s success on the gridiron was a far greater point of pride for the University of Texas at Austin than its Longhorns men’s basketball team’s prowess on the hardwood. The Longhorns basketball team, however, was actually quite strong in its early years, making two appearances in the Final Four in the 1940s. A slump then followed from the 1950s to the late 1980s where the team registered occasional conference championships but struggled to find its feet at the national level. This began to change in 1990 under head coach Tom Penders, who led the Longhorns on 7 trips to the NCAA postseason March Madness tournaments in just 8 years, including the team’s first Elite 8 appearance since 1947. Ever since, the team has continued to move from strength to strength, qualifying for 15 March Madness in 16 seasons under legendary head coach Rick Barnes (14 of these consecutive) and 4 more times since. Through the years, the Longhorns have also produced many top players who have moved on to star in the NBA, including Slater Martin, LaMarcus Aldridge, and the incomparable Kevin Durant. Since that long-awaited return to the Elite 8 in 1990, the Longhorns have reached the Sweet 16 on 7 occasions and the Elite 8 on 4, with their most recent run coming in 2023. The closest Longhorns have been to a championship was in 2003, when the team reached the Final Four only to fall 95-84 to the Syracuse Orange (who would go on to win the title). Loyal Longhorns hoops fans will be hoping that 2024 will be the year when the team will finally get their shot at a title in an NCAA championship final. 

How can I get cheap tickets to Texas Longhorns games?

The dazzling new Moody Center opened on the University of Texas at Austin campus in 2022 as the home to the Texas Longhorns men’s and women’s basketball teams. Along with the team’s surging fortunes over the past three decades, this exciting new venue, coupled with Austin’s emergence as one of the hip new rising cities in America for sports and entertainment, has led to Longhorns games at Moody Center becoming a huge ticket draw. While this makes for a fantastic game day atmosphere, it can also render tickets difficult to come by, particularly for postseason tournament games, key conference deciders, or rivalry matchups (see below). For the cheapest tickets to exciting Texas Longhorns games, check the TicketX listings on this page and use our handy TicketX seating chart to compare prices and locations. You can purchase tickets from TicketX with a single click for the lowest commission fees! 

Texas Longhorns Basketball Rivalries

The Texas Longhorns basketball team has a long list of rivals drawing from many of the same schools that they have football rivalries with, both within the Big 12 Conference and throughout their region. Their most heated rivalry is probably with the Oklahoma Sooners, with whom the Longhorns have long vied for dominance of the Big 12. Other Big 12 Conference rivals include the Kansas Jayhawks, Baylor Bears, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Longhorns also have a long-standing and quite bitter rivalry with the Arkansas Razorbacks as well as an in-state rivalry with the Texas A&M Aggies.

Are Texas Longhorns basketball games exciting?

Just as they are at the university’s famous football games, Longhorns basketball fans are a devoted and passionate bunch, turning up in big numbers dressed in their school colors of burnt orange and white to roar their team on to victory. In a tradition developed by the football team’s cheerleaders, Longhorns fans of all sports love to stick their fingers up like steer horns and shout “Hook ‘em, Horns!” to spur on their team. With the brand new Moody Center lighting up game nights,a Longhorns basketball game these days is an experience that you won’t soon forget!