It’s not been an incredible NCAA Males’s Match for the double-digit seeds. That’s, except you’re Sean Miller’s Texas Longhorns.
The No. 11 seed prevented catastrophe with some late Travon Mark heroics in opposition to NC State within the First 4, then vanquished AJ Dybantsa and BYU within the first spherical, and now they’ve taken out No. 3 seed Gonzaga 74-68 in entrance of an unsurprisingly pro-Gonzaga crowd at Moda Heart in Portland, Oregon. It’s the primary time Texas has superior to the Candy 16 as a 10-seed or decrease since 1997, and it’s tied for the bottom seed Mark Few has ever misplaced to in his distinguished teaching profession.
With Texas up 69-68 within the closing seconds, Cam Heide, who’d solely performed 13 minutes and hadn’t scored all recreation, was left huge open within the nook for what was successfully a dagger three. The switch from Purdue shot 46 p.c from deep on the 12 months, and he picked on hell of a time to get on the scoresheet.
Texas turned it over simply 5 occasions to twenty assists, with guard Dailyn Swain placing in a extremely environment friendly 11 factors, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. It’s the clear basketball that has been key to Texas’ turnaround.
These guys will let you know, there’s nothing that we speak extra about proper now than the worth of
limiting turnovers, attempting to play the sport with single-digit turnovers,” Sean Miller stated to SB Nation in his post-game press convention.
“Dailyn Swain within the final two video games has 12 assists and one turnover,” Miller added. “There aren’t a number of guys at his dimension particularly with what we ask him to do, that may do this. And he’s an enormous cause.“
Lithuanian large man Matas Vokietaitis wasn’t as dominant as he was versus BYU, however he nonetheless put up 17 factors and 9 rebounds and had a greater time on the foul line than the 3-of-11 nightmare in opposition to the Cougars.
After a late-season hunch noticed them lose 5 of their final six video games, the Longhorns needed to sweat out Choice Sunday to see if they’d even make the event with an 18-14 report, and now they’ve joined the shortlist of groups to go from First 4 to the second weekend.
Solely six First 4 groups have superior to the Candy 16
This 12 months marks the fifteenth season of First 4 video games within the NCAA Males’s Match. Texas is simply the sixth of 60 First 4 winners to get to a minimum of the Candy 16.
- 2026 Texas (No. 11 seed)
- 2021 UCLA (No. 11 seed, Misplaced in Last 4)
- 2018 Syracuse (No. 11 seed, Misplaced in Candy 16)
- 2014 Tennessee (No. 11 seed, Misplaced in Candy 16)
- 2013 La Salle (No. 13 seed, Misplaced in Candy 16)
- 2011 VCU (No. 11 seed, Misplaced in Last 4)
Final season, Sean Miller knocked Texas out within the First 4 as Xavier head coach, and now in his first season as Longhorns head coach he’s two wins away from his first Last 4. It’s no marvel he’s referred to as this group “resilient” with the street they’ve travelled.
Who will Texas play within the Candy 16?
Having gone from Dayton to Portland in a rapid-fire turnaround following their win over NC State, the Longhorns will get some effectively deserved relaxation earlier than heading right down to San Jose, California, the place they’ll tackle the winner of No. 7 seed Miami vs. No. 2 Purdue both Thursday or Friday. At this level, who’s to doubt their probabilities of changing into the subsequent UCLA or VCU? They’ve finished an unbelievable job making it this far, and so they’ve assured that this chalk-heavy event will nonetheless have a double-digit seed within the Candy 16.
