For the second consecutive season, Texas men’s basketball will find itself in Dayton, Ohio, for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament First Four — the play-in games for March Madness. 

Seeded in the West bracket, Texas will have a rematch with North Carolina State on Tuesday. If the Longhorns beat the Wolfpack in Dayton, they will face No. 6 BYU in Portland, Oregon, creating the possibility of a brutal travel schedule. 

“We’re playing an opponent that we respect a great deal,” head coach Sean Miller said. “We played each other this year, so I think there’s familiarity on both sides. We’ve actually followed NC State very closely this year.”

Led by senior guard Jordan Pope, scoring 28 points and major bench points by senior guard Chendall Weaver and junior guard Simeon Wilcher, Texas dispatched then No. 23 North Carolina State, 102-97, at the Southwest Maui Invitational for its first ranked win of the season. 

Notably, Texas has not fared well with teams they’ve faced twice — beating Oklahoma, Georgia and Ole Miss in their first meeting, then losing the second match. 

Much of the blame for the Longhorns sneaking into the NCAA Tournament by way of the First Four is in large part due to Texas dropping five of its last six games, leaving it out of consideration as one of the last four in. 

The 10-point loss to Ole Miss in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament essentially sealed the Longhorns’ spot as one of the eight teams in the First Four. 

“I think with a win in either of those two outings (Oklahoma and Ole Miss),” Miller said, “We clearly would have been in the tournament and probably a seed line higher — we knew that.”

The Longhorns were able to avoid being left out of the dance this year due to their six Quad 1 wins this season, adding to their quality of work to sway committee members. 

Texas’ only appearance in the First Four last season came against Miller, who was at Xavier at the time. The Musketeers rallied from a 13-point deficit, beating the Longhorns, 86-80, in Rodney Terry’s last game as Texas head coach. 

“I think there’s a little bit of irony and going back to UD arena,” Miller said. “I think that familiarity can be helpful. Our guys have been in UD arena. They’ve been in the city of Dayton, and they kind of know what this First Four feels like.”