The Texas Longhorns have managed to keep their season alive and continue dancing for a little while longer after advancing past the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament, taking down the NC State Wolfpack in a close 68-66 affair on Tuesday.
With the victory over the Wolfpack, the Longhorns will now head out west, securing the No. 11 seed in the West Region, and travel from Dayton, OH, out to Portland, OR, to take on the No. 6-seeded BYU Cougars.
The Cougars await the Longhorns after finishing the regular season with a 23-11 overall record and a 9-9 record in one of the best basketball conferences in the country, the Big 12, and making a run to the Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals.
Texas Longhorns vs. BYU Cougars
Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark dribbles defended by NC State Wolfpack guard Quadir Copeland. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
The Longhorns managed to secure the win after a late-game push from the Wolfpack, thanks to a game-winning shot from guard Tramon Mark, which put the Longhorns up two points with less than two seconds left to go on the game clock.
Mark delivered a much-needed performance for the Longhorns against the Wolfpack, ending the night with 17 points, shooting 50 percent from the field and two of five from beyond the arc, along with five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.Â
Texas also received a big-time performance from guard Chendall Weaver as he put together his usual high-energy outing off the bench, recording a double-double with 11 points while shooting three of five from the field, along with 10 rebounds, as well as two steals and an assist.
All eyes from the Longhorns will undoubtedly be on BYU’s freshman star forward AJ Dybantsa, as not only has he been one of the top freshmen in the country, but he has been one of the top players in the nation throughout the season.
Dybantsa heads into the Thursday night matchup against the Longhorns, averaging 25.3 points per game, the most of any player in the country, while shooting 51.3 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range, along with 6.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
The Longhorns will look to survive another round in the NCAA Tournament and make it to the second round as they take on BYU in Portland, OR, from the Moda Center at 6:25 p.m. CT. Be sure to check back here at tipoff for live updates as the game goes on.
Live Updates
It’ll be the usual starting five for the Longhorns to take on BYU: guard Jordan Pope, guard Tramon Mark, guard Dailyn Swain, guard Camden Heide and center Matas Vokietaitis.
Matas Vokietaitis wins the tipoff, and the Longhorns will have the first possession of the ballgame.
Under 16 Timeout
It’s a fast-paced back-and-forth start to the ballgame as the Longhorns take a 15-12 lead with 14:52 left in the opening half.
The Longhorns are once again having a quick start shooting from the field as they did on Tuesday night, starting the evening 6 of 11 from the field and three of five from beyond the arc. Camden Heide is getting himself involved early with five points and making his first three-point attempt.
The Cougars are right there as they start the evening shooting six of eight from the field and missing their only three-point shot of the game. AJ Dybantsa is finding a rhythm, already with six points while shooting three of four from the field.
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The pace from the start of the game has continued as the Longhorns stayed with their lead, up 23-21 with 11:01 minutes left to play in the first half.
Texas’ quick start has slowed down for a little bit as the Longhorns now shoot 9 of 16 from the field and four of eight from beyond the arc. However, Jordan Pope cashes in on his second three-pointer after a Sean Miller timeout to retake the lead. The Cougars have sustained their start, shooting 9 of 13 from the field, and AJ Dybantsa is already in the double-digits with 10 points.
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The Longhorns keep a 30-25 lead over the Cougars with 6:42 minutes remaining in the opening 20 minutes of the game.
Dailyn Swain is starting to get himself more involved on the offensive side of the court with seven points and four assists while shooting three of five from the field. Texas will need more out of its forward as BYU’s AJ Dybantsa is not finding much resistance from the Longhorns defense as he has a game-high 14 points while shooting five of nine from the field.
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The Longhorns have kept on pushing with a 37-32 lead with 3:38 minutes remaining in the first half.
Matas Vokietaitis is taking advantage of the size difference, down low in the paint, as the Longhorns’ big man has a team-high nine points while shooting four of six from the field, along with four rebounds.
Halftime: Texas 46, BYU 37Under 16 Timeout
The Longhorns have come out of the locker room and sustained a 55-47 lead with 14:44 minutes left to play in the second half.
The Cougars came out quickly for the second half with a seven-to-nothing run, cutting the Longhorns’ lead to just four points, but after a timeout from Sean Miller, the Longhorns got back on track and opened up an eight-point lead. Matas Vokietaitis keeps feasting in the paint with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
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Texas keeps battling as it holds a 63-51 lead over BYU with 12:15 minutes remaining in the second half.
After an early second-half frenzy from the Cougars, the Longhorns have retaken control of the pace in the ballgame with an 8-2 run, giving the Longhorns their largest lead of the night so far.
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