Houston Cougars lead men's side while UT Longhorns among top seeds for women in NCAA tournament

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The state of Texas will be well represented in both the men's and women's NCAA college basketball tournaments as March Madness begins this week.

The men's side boasts five Texas teams while the women complete their strong showing with four.

Men's:

• Houston (1)

• Texas Tech (3)

• Texas A&M (4)

• Baylor (9)

• Texas (11)

Women's:

• Texas (1)

• TCU (2)

• Baylor (4)

• Stephen F. Austin (14)

Cougars back at the top

It's likely no surprise the University of Houston men's basketball team is a contender again.

After all, in the past five seasons under head coach Kelvin Sampson, the program has reached the Final Four, the Elite Eight and the Sweet 16 (three other times).

But as ESPN notes, this is the best offensive group of Cougars that Sampson has coached.

The Coogs are No.1 in the Midwest region after going 30-4 and claiming the Big 12 title. Auburn, Duke, and Florida round out the group of No.1 seeds.

For Houston, this also makes them the top-seeded team in the NCAA tournament for the third year in a row. It's likely their best shot at a national title, too.

The first round for Houston will be a Cougars versus Cougars matchup, as UH and its opponent, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville happen to have the same mascot. Their game is 1 p.m. Thursday in Wichita, Kansas.

Sixth year senior J'Wan Roberts, who's been in this position before, alluded this might finally be the year.

"I've been to the tournament every year that I've been in college, but I feel like this last one is kind of special, and I don't want to jinx it, but I feel like this might be the one," Roberts told ABC13.

But there's another reason to watch what happens with Roberts.

He's missed the last two games with a sprained ankle but says hell be back for Game 1. Coach Sampson may beg to differ. When asked, Sampson said they'll be meeting with sports medicine before making any decisions on Roberts' ankle.

Party on the plaza

Houstonians can gather with fellow fans during a free watch party at Avenida Plaza in front of the George R. Brown Convention Center on Thursday before tipoff.

Festivities start at noon and are expected to include live music, giveaways, games, and selfie stations (because pics or it didn't happen).

Fans are, of course, asked to wear red.

Look out for the Longhorns

On the women's side, the Texas Longhorns locked in a No. 1 seed in their region. They finished 31-3 in their first SEC season, won a share of the championship and are one of the country's top defensive teams.

Texas also earned its first No. 1 ranking since 2004.

The Longhorns will open the tournament at home Saturday against the winner of High Point vs. William & Mary.

One to watch: UT's Madison Booker. She started getting recruiting attention from college coaches as a seventh grader in Mississippi.

Booker eventually signed with Texas coach Vic Schaefer. After leading the Longhorns to the Elite Eight as a freshman last season, Booker has pushed them to heights the program hasn't seen in more than 20 years.

Baylor, TCU, and Stephen F. Austin are also dancing in the women's tournament.

Star-studded rosters

You'll have no shortage of stars to watch on the women's side.

The UCLA Bruins own the No. 1 overall seed, a first for that program.

Coach Dawn Staley's South Carolina Gamecocks are No.1 in Region 2, the aforementioned Longhorns sit atop Region 3, and JuJu Watkins and the USC Trojans are first in Region 4.

Paige Bueckers is another name to know. She and UConn are in the same region as USC.

When do the teams play?

The action all starts this week. Men's games in the First Four tipoff March 18 in Dayton, Ohio. The women's First Four starts a day later on March 19. You can catch the women's games on ESPNU and ESPN2.

Here's when you can see all the other action.

Men's:

First Four in Dayton, Ohio

Texas (11) vs. Xavier (11): Wednesday, March 19 at 9:10 p.m. ET

First Round/Round of 64

Houston (1) vs. SIU Edwardsville (16): Thursday, March 20 at 2 p.m. ET
Texas A&M (4) vs. Yale (13): Thursday, March 20 at 7:25 p.m. ET
Texas Tech (3) vs. UNC Wilmington (14): Thursday, March 20 at 10:10 p.m. ET
Baylor (9) vs. Mississippi State (8): 12:15 p.m. ET

The men's national championship game will be Monday, April 7 in San Antonio.

Women's:

First Round/Round of 64

Stephen F. Austin (14) vs. Notre Dame (3): Friday, March 21 at 2 p.m. ET
Baylor (4) vs. Grand Canyon: Friday, March 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET
TCU (2) vs. FDU (15): Friday, March 21 at 3:30 p.m. ET
Texas (1) vs. High Point/William & Mary (16): Saturday, March 22 at 9:45 p.m. ET

The national championship game is Sunday, April 6 in Tampa, Florida. View the full schedule here.

ESPN and the Associated Press contributed to this report.