Every name but Minnesota seemed to be popping up on the TV screen Sunday.

As the Gophers watched other bubble teams pick up at-large berths on CBS' Selection Show, they started to wonder what it meant for them. Almost three-quarters of the way through the selections, they had grown anxious.

Then, it happened.

The Gophers were named a 10th seed in the NCAA tournament's East Region and will face Texas, a No. 7 seed, on Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.

What transpired following the announcement involved body slams and pop bottles flying in a frantic celebration, according to players.

"You see some teams get in at a spot that we could be at," senior co-captain Jamal Abu-Shamala said. "When they called our name, it was one of the greatest feelings. We definitely went crazy."

In the midst of it all was a coach who had been through it all many times before but was still nervous enough to block media from watching the announcement with his team.

"You could feel the energy in the room," Gophers coach Tubby Smith said. "Just an explosion. And that usually happens."

NCAA tournament appearances have been rare lately for the Gophers. The team has made only two appearances in the past 10 years.

As Smith began to speak with reporters about Minnesota's first NCAA tournament bid since 2005, someone in the back of the room took a phone call. Smith, rather boldly, told him to take the conversation elsewhere.

But Gophers athletic director Joel Maturi didn't want to hang up on the school's president, Robert Bruininks, who had called to confirm the news.

"I didn't just do that?" Smith asked someone near him.

Considering what Smith has accomplished in his two years in Minnesota, Bruininks and Maturi will probably give him a break.

Smith was asked to bring pride back to Gophers men's basketball when he arrived in 2007, after the team finished 9-22. With the Gophers earning an NCAA bid in his second year on the job, it's safe to say he's done that.

That possibility is the reason Maturi hopped on a chartered jet and went to Lexington to convince the then-Kentucky head coach to join a slumping program nearly 800 miles away.

It's why Smith signed a seven-year, multimillion-dollar deal making him the highest-paid university employee. And it's why Maturi promised Smith he'd work toward building a new practice facility before he ever stepped off that private plane to accept the Gophers job two springs ago.

By wooing and satisfying Smith's demands, the Gophers got a coach who Sunday achieved the undeniable sign of progress for a team that hadn't won back some fans after an academic scandal in the late 1990s when he arrived. Smith, however, thought the Gophers would make it sooner.

"I thought we'd do it in one year," he said. "I was disappointed we didn't do it last year. 'Cause I thought last year's team, with the experience that they had, and we let some games slip away last year. We almost did that this year."

But a victory over the NCAA tournament's eventual No. 1 overall seed, Louisville, seven total victories over tourney teams, and a little mercy from the selection committee for a tough February allowed Minnesota to get one of the final bids, in spite of a 4-7 finish.

Now, Smith will prepare a young Gophers team with five newcomers and two sophomores to participate in one of the more thrilling championship events in sports.

Abu-Shamala, who like the rest of his teammates has never played in the NCAA tournament, said with Smith's track record and experience, he's not worried about Minnesota executing against the Longhorns later this week.

"He brings confidence, knowing that he's been so successful in the tournament," Abu-Shamala said. "We just have to put our trust in him, and from there, he should take care of the rest."