Tag: NCAA Tournament scores

Texas defeats Colorado State in team’s NCAA tourney opener, 56-44

Texas is back to the round of 32 after a huge win over Colorado State.

No. 7 Texas is back in the round of 32 after a gritty win over the No. 10 Colorado State Rams. The team did what it needed to do: Survive and advance.

The Longhorns’ tournament success continues under Rodney Terry who improved to 4-1 in the NCAA tournament as the team’s head coach. Terry’s team had a favorable first matchup.

Colorado State needed to beat Virginia in the play-in game to get there. Offensively, the Rams looked like a team that required a play-in game to reach the round of 64.

The Longhorns locked down the Rams offense in the first half. Colorado State trailed 27-11 at the half. Texas’ physicality and success at the backboard proved valuable.

Much of Texas’ offensive success came off two-point baskets. The team went 1-for-14 from behind the three point arc. The Longhorns’ opponent didn’t do much better going 6-for-24 from three point range.

Texas forward Dylan Disu and guard Max Abmas each scored 12 points despite shooting for a combined 10-for-33 from the field. Forward Chendall Weaver was the next highest scorer with 11 points on 5-for-7 on field goals.

Texas advances to face the winner between No. 2 Tennessee and No. 15 Saint Peter’s.

LOOK: Texas HC Steve Sarkisian in Kansas City for Elite Eight game

Steve Sarkisian is in attendance for the Elite Eight game.

Texas Longhorns head football coach Steve Sarkisian is in the house for No. 2 Texas vs No. 5 Miami. He will look to root the team on to its first Final Four appearance since 2003.

Sarkisian was seen with University of Texas President Jay Hartzell and Athletic Director Chris Del Conte ahead of one of the biggest basketball games in program history. He’ll hope the program can see the same result former Texas head coach Tom Herman saw for his new school, Florida Atlantic.

Head basketball coach Rodney Terry has a tremendous opportunity against the Hurricanes. The winner of the game enters a Final Four that includes San Diego State and Florida Atlantic. One of those two smaller schools will play in the National Championship game.

Texas is the only top three seed remaining after the No. 4 Connecticut Huskies defeated No. 3 Gonzaga Saturday night. The scenario is a golden opportunity for the Longhorns to push for a first ever national title in men’s basketball.

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Texas sends Xavier packing, advances to Elite Eight with 83-71 win

Texas will face the Miami Hurricanes Sunday with a chance to reach its first Final Four since 2003.

For the first time since 2008, the Texas Longhorns are headed to the Elite Eight. Interim head coach Rodney Terry and company won in dominant fashion.

The Longhorns never trailed in the game after a fast 8-2 start. Texas point guard Marcus Carr led the scoring charge early with 18 points on the game. While the Texas offense was scorching hot, the effort on the defensive end may have won the game for the Longhorns.

Xavier shot 43.8% from the field. It didn’t feel like the percentage was that high. Musketeer post player Jack Nunge shot a woeful 6-for-19 on field goal attempts, many of which were layups or in close range. The strong defensive performance by Texas occurred for the most part without Dylan Disu, who suffered a lower body injury early.

Tyrese Hunter finished with the highest mark totaling 19 points for the game. Christian Bishop followed with 18 of his own, with Sir’Jabari Rice adding 16 points for the team.

Texas will face the Miami Hurricanes Sunday with a chance to reach its first Final Four since 2003.

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College basketball analyst Andy Katz power ranks Texas, Sweet 16 teams

Texas checks in toward the top of the Andy Katz Sweet 16 power rankings.

The Texas Longhorns remain one of the best teams left in the NCAA Tournament. College basketball analyst Andy Katz ranked the Longhorns No. 3 out of the remaining 16 teams.

Texas head coach Rodney Terry and company survived the dangerous Penn State shooting attack winning 71-66. They did so without much help from the three-point line. The Longhorns shot a putrid 1-for-13 from long range adding to the degree of difficulty to pull off a win. Perhaps they earned style points by winning with far below average three point shooting.

Two No. 1 and 2 seeds have been eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. No. 1 seed Purdue became just the second No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 16 seed since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64-plus teams. No. 2 seed Arizona fell prey to Princeton, who advances to the Sweet 16. Kansas and Marquette fell out of contention in second round losses to Arkansas and Michigan State.

Here’s a look at how Andy Katz views the remaining teams in the NCAA Tournament.

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Kansas State joins Texas to represent Big 12 in the Sweet 16

Jerome Tang scoffed at Kentucky’s “tradition,” after K-State joined Texas in the Sweet 16.

Kansas State followed Texas to the Sweet 16 on Sunday with a win over the Kentucky Wildcats, 75-69. K-State head coach Jerome Tang had interesting comments about Kentucky after the huge win.

Tang said the following about his team’s win over Kentucky.

Well you know, we have a program that’s rich in tradition also. You know, all those old dudes that played for Kentucky, they ain’t coming back. Tradition does not help you if you don’t go out there and play with some dudes. And we had more dudes than they did today.

Few college basketball fans, if any, consider Kansas State anywhere near a blue blood program. Even so, the point Tang makes resonates with fans of underachieving programs. You’re only as good as your current team and coach. Kentucky coach John Calipari might be the better recruiter, but it’s evident Tang is the better talent optimizer.

Texas and Kansas State still stand as potential Final Four representatives for the Big 12 Conference.

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Former Texas coach Shaka Smart loses heartbreaker to Michigan State

After a heartbreaking loss to Michigan State, Shaka falls to 1-8 in his last nine NCAA Tournament games.

Marquette head coach Shaka Smart is a likable coach. Nevertheless, his struggles continued in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

Smart and his team lost in heartbreaking fashion to Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. There’s no shame in losing to one of college basketball’s best coaches. There is shame in how he lost.

Late into the game, Shaka used the first fifteen seconds of a TV timeout to have his team participate in a breathing exercise. The interesting use of time makes one wonder what usually goes on during long NCAA Tournament timeouts. Presumably, Tom Izzo used the time more productively.

There has been discussion as to whether or not Texas adequately valued Smart or made a mistake in firing him. We can put that discussion to rest.

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Shaka proved he could build and lead a quality team this season, but this year’s final result left something to be desired. Smart will look to build on a strong regular season after a tough season-ending loss.

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Texas head coach Rodney Terry simply gets it done in March

Rodney Terry ain’t it? Nah, he’s “it.”

Texas head coach Rodney Terry did more over the last week than he did in his time prior as the Longhorns’ leader. Terry won two NCAA Tournament games.

I have marveled at the notion some have put forth, that NCAA Tournament results don’t matter. Some assert it would be irresponsible to make a decision based on one or two random results in the tournament. In reality, coaches have significant impact over tournament results because of long TV timeouts and halftimes in which they can strategize.

Frankly, it would be far more unpredictable to hire Terry before getting it done in March. Until this season, he had made one NCAA Tournament appearance in ten seasons as a head coach. Like it or not, he had to prove he could win in the tournament. That’s exactly what Terry did on Saturday.

The Longhorns are going to the Sweet 16 and Rodney Terry is a huge reason for their success. The questions over whether or not he can win in the NCAA Tournament are gone. Now, he sets out to prove how far he can take the team in March.

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After winning Big 12 Tournament, Texas returns to Kansas City for Sweet 16

Kansas City has been kind to the Longhorns in basketball this year.

A week ago, Texas won the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City, Missouri. The Longhorns return for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.

If the conference tournament was any indication, Texas feels comfortable in the T-Mobile Center. Texas head coach Rodney Terry and company rode momentum to the program’s second ever Big 12 Tournament title. The team will look to rekindle the offensive fire it started a week ago when it faces the No. 3 Xavier Musketeers its next game.

What must happen for Texas is clear. Terry’s squad must get back to normal at the three-point line. The Longhorns shot just over 7% going 1-for-13 from behind the arc. It’s fair to assume that kind of performance from three will not be good enough to advance moving forward.

The pendulum swung negatively for Texas guard Sir’Jabari Rice who followed a 7-for-10 output from long range to go 1-for-6 against Penn State. He could be key for Texas guards getting back to form in the next game.

Perspective on No. 2 Texas’ huge win over No. 10 Penn State

We look at what a trip to the Sweet 16 means for the program and Rodney Terry.

The Texas Longhorns advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. On the surface, Texas defeated a bad basketball program historically and a mere No. 10 seed. In reality, the win gives the program a monumental boost in perception and internal confidence.

The Penn State Nittany Lions entered the game as one of the better three-point shooting teams in the country. The team shot especially well against the Texas A&M Aggies two days earlier. Thanks to some luck and what was at times an excellent defensive performance by the Longhorns, Penn State went cold from the three-point line.

On average, Penn State connected on just over 10 three-point baskets per game. Against Texas, the Nittany Lions made just 8 of 28 from long range. Albeit, the Longhorns shot a much worse 1-for-13 from behind the arc.

Let’s look at what Texas accomplished by pulling out an improbable win.

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Texas Basketball: Looking at the challenge Penn State presents

Penn State is an entirely new challenge than the Longhorns have faced.

Texas cruised past its first opponent in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. Winning likely won’t come as easily in the team’s second game.

The Longhorns will face the No. 10 seeded Penn State Nittany Lions on Saturday night. The two teams gave perhaps the most impressive performances of the tournament so far. Albeit, Texas’ performance paled in comparison to what Penn State accomplished against Texas A&M.

The matchup problem the Aggies had against the Nittany Lions is the same issue many Penn State opponents have ran up against of late. Penn State facilitator Jalen Pickett’s old fashioned style of play creates mismatches teams aren’t accustomed to facing.

The staple plays for Pickett revolve around backing down opponents and scoring or dishing to the open man. Three-point threat Andrew Funk was one of the beneficiaries of Pickett’s offense against Texas A&M, but even Nittany Lion post players got involved.

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Texas might need to make difficult decisions in what it allows on the defensive side of the floor. The Longhorns can provide help to stop Pickett or defend his role playing scorers, but they cannot do both.

The two teams will face off Saturday at 6:45 p.m. CT on CBS.

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