Texas and Purdue will battle it out with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
No. 6 Texas took down No. 11 Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA tournament behind a valiant second-half performance.
Each Texas starter finished the game in double digits leading Texas to its first March Madness victory in eight years.
The win sets the Longhorns up with a round of 32 matchup against No. 3 seeded Purdue. The Boilermakers are led by the dangerous duo of Jaden Ivey and Zach Edey. The two combined for 38 points in Purdue’s dismantling of Yale in the first round.
Courtney Ramey will likely be tasked to slow down Ivey while it will take a strong effort from the entire Texas frontcourt to keep Edey in check.
Here is how to tune in as the Longhorns and Boilermakers play for a spot in the Sweet 16 on Sunday.
After the 2-2 start, ESPN has projected Texas in the Cactus Bowl. UT has never participated in the Arizona based postseason matchup.
Before the 2020 season began, Texas not only had aspirations of winning its first Big 12 championship since 2009 but making it to the College Football Playoff. An experienced quarterback and a head coach entering his fourth season running the program gave the Longhorns hope.
That has not gone to plan four games into the year as Texas has dropped its two last games against TCU and Oklahoma. The program has never been at a lower place under Tom Herman, having to climb up a steep hill just to stay alive in the Big 12.
After the catastrophic 2-2 start, ESPN has placed the Longhorns in the Cactus Bowl in their latest bowl projections. Previously named the Insight Bowl, Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, and the Cheez-It Bowl, Texas has never participated in the Arizona based postseason matchup.
Facing Texas would be the Purdue Boilermakers out of the Big Ten conference. The two schools have faced off twice in their histories, dating back to 1950 and 1951. The Longhorns won the matchup in Austin 34-26 and then blanked the Boilermakers 14-0 in West Lafayette.
Purdue has yet to kick off their 2020 season. The Big Ten conference will begin to play on Oct. 24 after initially postponing its fall season. The Boilermakers will face Iowa at home at 3:30 pm CDT.
As for the rest of the Big 12, ESPN does not project a conference representative in the College Football Playoff. It has been since 2016 since the Big 12 (Oklahoma) has not made the playoff.
The Sooners’ in-state rival Oklahoma State is projected to represent the conference in the New Year’s Six. The Cowboys are slated to play in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against either BYU or USC.
Mike Gundy’s squad is the conference’s real last hope at the College Football Playoff. Currently sitting at 3-0, Oklahoma State still must play the Big 12’s premier opponents.
