Follow live as the Texas Longhorns take on the Purdue Boilermakers with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line.
have found a way to keep on dancing in the NCAA Tournament after what was a rough end to the regular season, in which the Longhorns lost three straight and five out of their last six games.have done just that through their first three games of the NCAA Tournament, coming away with wins over NC State in the First Four and then upset losses over BYU in the First Round and Gonzaga in round two.
And now the Longhorns have a chance to play for a spot in the Elite Eight in head coach Sean Miller's first year with the program as they get ready to take on the No. 2-seededTexas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis drives against Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike in the second half. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Throughout their three wins in the NCAA Tournament, the Longhorns have received big-time performances from center Matas Vokietaitis, who, now in the late stages of the season, is playing his best basketball of the year. In the Longhorns' three wins, the big man is averaging a double-double with 18.3 points per game while shooting 53.8 percent from the field along with 11 rebounds per game, and he is also doing his best to stay out of foul trouble as he is averaging 3.3 fouls per game in the postseason.still in question. As of last night's initial player availability report, Pope is listed as questionable after picking up an ankle injury in the Longhorns' win over Gonzaga. Pope has been a crucial piece to the Longhorns' run to the Sweet Sixteen, as he averages 11 points per game while shooting 35.1 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from the 3-point line, along with 2.3 assists per game. If Pope is unable to go, not only does Texas lose a key contributor, but also a player who can make the difficult shots in the big and high-pressure moments. The Longhorns game plan will undoubtedly be set on slowing down Boilermakers guard Braden Smith, as the Second Team All-American is the engine that runs the Purdue offense as its leading scorer, averaging 14.3 points per game while shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc. Smith is also the Boilermakers top playmaker with the guard averaging a team-high nine assists per game. The Longhorns will look to survive another round in the NCAA Tournament and punch their ticket to the Elite Eight, from the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif at 6:10 p.m. CT. Be sure to check back here at tipoff for live updates as the game goes on.Ylver Deleon-Rios is an English major and Journalism and Media minor at the University of Texas at Austin. His experience in sports journalism includes writing for The Daily Texan, where he has worked on the soccer and softball beats. A native Houstonian, he roots for the Astros and the Rockets while also rooting for the Dallas Cowboys.Daily Dunk: Best College Basketball Bets Today 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament Odds: Every Team's Odds to Win Ahead of Sweet 16
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