Texas Men’s Basketball vs. Arizona State (Preview)

(Via University of Texas Athletics - TexasSports.com)

No. 7 seed Texas (23-10, 11-7 Big 12) vs. No. 10 seed Arizona State (21-11, 10-8 Pac-12)

Thursday, March 20, 2014 - approx. 8:40 p.m. Central

BMO Harris Bradley Center (18,451) - Milwaukee, Wis.

 (Also Read: Texas Basketball confident, ready to make a run in the NCAAs)

GAMEDAY QUICK FACTS

• TELEVISION: The game will be televised nationally by CBS. Ian Eagle (pxp), Jim Spanarkel (analyst) and Lewis Johnson (reporter) will call the action.

• RADIO: The Longhorn Sports Network and KVET (FM 98.1/1300AM Sportsradio the Zone) broadcast every UT game on the statewide network. Craig Way (pxp) and Eddie Oran (analyst) will call the action. Check www.TexasSports.com for a listing of affiliates carrying the game. The game also will be carried nationally by Westwood One Radio. Wayne Larrivee (pxp) and Kelly Tripucka (analyst) will have the call.

• SERIES: Texas leads, 3-1. Last meeting: Texas 88-71 (Nov. 25, 1999; Bayamon, Puerto Rico)

 

NOTABLES

• QUITE A TURNAROUND
Last year, the Longhorns suffered through a 16-18 season (7-11 Big 12, seventh) and did not advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years under Rick Barnes (streak of 14 consecutive NCAA tourney appearances). This season, the Horns have posted a 23-10 record, including an 11-7 mark and tie for third place in the Big 12 Conference.

• WINNING THE FIRST ONE

Since the NCAA expanded its tourney field to 64 teams in 1985, the Longhorns are 16-6 in their opening game in the NCAA Tournament. Texas is 5-2 in its last seven NCAA opening-round contests.

• HOLMES LEADING BY CONSISTENT EXAMPLE

An All-Big 12 Second Team pick (coaches), junior forward Jonathan Holmes leads the team in scoring (13.0 ppg), ranks second in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and third in blocks (38) while averaging 23.9 minutes per contest. Holmes has reached double figures in scoring in 23 of his 30 games played, including five 20-point efforts, and has converted 51.2% of his field goal attempts this season.

 

TEXAS VS. ARIZONA STATE                                       
• Thursday's meeting will be the fifth all-time between Texas and Arizona State. The two teams have not met since 1999.
• The largest margin of victory in the series came in the most recent 88-71 win by Texas in Puerto Rico.
• Texas is 1-0 against Arizona State under head coach Rick Barnes. The two teams met in the Puerto Rico Shootout on Nov. 25, 1999, where Texas claimed an 88-71 win.
• This is the first meeting between the Longhorns and Sun Devils in the NCAA Tournament.

 

TEXAS IN THE BIG DANCE
This marks the 15th appearance in the last 16 seasons and 31st all-time appearance by the Longhorns in the NCAA Tournament. Texas sports a 34-33 (.507) record in its previous 30 trips to the Big Dance. This also marks the 23rd time in the past 26 seasons the Horns have earned a bid to the NCAA tourney.

 

TOURNAMENT TESTED
To say Texas has played a schedule that prepared it for the NCAA Tournament would be an understatement. Of Texas' 33 games this year, 18 have come against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns hold a 9-9 mark against 2014 NCAA participants: 1-0 vs. Mercer, 1-0 vs. Stephen F. Austin, 0-1 vs. BYU, 1-0 vs. North Carolina, 0-1 vs. Michigan State, 0-2 vs. Oklahoma, 1-1 vs. Oklahoma State, 1-1 vs. Iowa State, 1-1 vs. Kansas State, 2-1 vs. Baylor, 1-1 vs. Kansas).

 

WINNING THE FIRST ONE
Since the NCAA expanded the tournament field to 64 teams in 1985, the Longhorns are 16-6 in their opening game in the NCAA Tournament. Texas has won five of its last seven NCAA tourney opening-round contests entering Thursday's game.

AN "ELITE" PROGRAM                                                            
Texas has reached the NCAA "Elite Eight" twice in the last eight years and three times in the last 11 seasons. During the Barnes era, the Horns have made trips to the regional final in 2003 (beat Michigan State to advance to the Final Four), 2006 (lost to LSU in overtime) and 2008 (lost to Memphis).

 

IN "SWEET" COMPANY                                                                                                                                                                               
Texas has advanced to at least the NCAA "Sweet 16" a total of five times in the last 12 years (2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2008). The Longhorns are one of just 13 schools to accomplish this feat, joining Duke (9), Kansas (9), Michigan State (7), Connecticut (6), Kentucky (6), North Carolina (6), Syracuse (6), Arizona (5), Pittsburgh (5), Wisconsin (6), Louisville (5) and Xavier (5).

(Also Read: Texas Basketball confident, ready to make a run in the NCAAs)

BARNES IN THE BIG DANCE
Texas coach Rick Barnes is no stranger to March Madness. Over the last 26 seasons in stops at Providence, Clemson and at Texas, he has now guided 21 of those teams to the NCAA Tournament. Barnes will be making his 18th trip in the last 19 years to the Big Dance this season. He posts an 18-14 (.563) mark at Texas in NCAA Tournament games and an overall record of 20-20 (.500) in the Big Dance. Barnes has made six trips to the "Sweet 16" in the last 17 years, including a Final Four appearance in 2003 and "Elite Eight" appearances in 2006 and 2008.

 

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