3 Ways Texas Longhorns Can Beat NC State in the First Four

For the second straight year, the Texas Longhorns did just enough to have their season extended and a ticket booked to Dayton, Ohio, to compete in the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament, taking on the NC State Wolfpack on Tuesday night.

The Longhorns slotted into one of the final spots in the NCAA Tournament after sitting on the bubble till the end of the regular season and into Selection Sunday after falling into a rut, losing their last two games. And an ugly loss in the first round of the SEC Tournament to the Ole Miss Rebels, handed Texas five losses in its last six games.

Now, Texas will shift gears as it looks to keep its season alive against NC State, as the winner would secure the No. 11 seed in the NCAA Tournament, battling for a spot in the West region and a matchup against the BYU Cougars. Here's a look at three things the Longhorns will have to in order to keep dancing.

Contain NC State's Three-Point Shooting

NC State Wolfpack guard Paul McNeil Jr. runs onto the court before the first half of the game against Liberty Flames at Lenovo Center. | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Wolfpack finds its strength on the offensive side of the court, averaging 83.7 points per game, which is a Top 30 offense in the country and No. 3 in the ACC, behind Louisville and SMU.

NC State does a lot of its damage from beyond the arc, shooting 38.8 percent from three-point range, which ranks as the best three-point shooting percentage in the ACC as well as No. 11 in the country. The Wolfpack averages 10.4 three-pointers per game, which ties it for the second most in the ACC.

What is the Wolfpack's strength, the Longhorns struggle in defending, as opposing teams are shooting 36 percent from three against Texas, which is the second-highest opposing three-point percentage allowed in the SEC.

Backcourt Duo Has to Come Out Firing

Mississippi Rebels forward Malik Dia strips the ball from Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Longhorns start most of their ballgames ice-cold, setting the tone for the rest of the ballgame, leading to a downward spiral that Texas cannot overcome. The Longhorns cannot have that happen against the Wolfpack, and that'll have to start in the backcourt with Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark.

Pope has been able to put things together in the Longhorns' last two ballgames, averaging 23 points per game, shooting 36 percent from the field and 41 percent from beyond the arc. The Longhorns will need Pope's shot-making ability, especially from three-point range, to hang around with NC State.

Mark did not have his best showing in Texas' loss to Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament, with the veteran guard scoring only eight points on the night while shooting three of eight from the field and two of four from beyond the arc. Just like Pope, Mark has a knack for being able to create his own shoot, a skill that will have to be on early.

Matas Vokietaitis Has to Stay Out of Foul Trouble

Texas Longhorns center Matas Vokietaitis looks to pass againats Oklahoma Sooners forward Derrion Reid and center Kirill Elatontsev. | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

While it is difficult for a seven-footer with the playstyle of Matas Vokietaitis to stay out of foul trouble, he has not done a great job of limiting fouls, as he's tallied four or more fouls in the Longhorns' last six games.

Getting into foul trouble, especially early on, limits Vokietaitis' impact throughout the game. Against the Rebels, he ended with four fouls, scoring just 10 points while shooting 3 of 10 from the field in 25 minutes.

The Longhorns will have an advantage down in the paint as the Wolfpack does not have a single player taller than six-foot-ten on its roster. And the likely matchup against Vokietaitis is six-foot-nine Ven-Allen Lubin, giving the seven-footer the height advantage, which the Longhorns could take advantage of, but Vokietaitis has to stay on the court for it to even matter.