Recapping First Texas-NC State Matchup Before First Four

The Texas Longhorns are heading to Dayton, Ohio, for the First Four of the NCAA Tournament with a rematch from the Maui Invitational forthcoming. Back on Nov. 26, 2025, the Longhorns beat the NC State Wolfpack 102-97, a matchup that featured 115 second-half points and ten players scoring in the double digits.

Now, with a spot on in the Round of 64 on the line, the two sides will again clash on Tuesday night in what can again be expected to be a game filled with offensive firepower.

Texas is familiar with the First Four — senior guards Jordan Pope, Chendall Weaver and Tramon Mark each featured for the Longhorns in last year's game against Xavier. Junior forward Dailyn Swain was on the opposite side, which was coached by now-Texas head coach Sean Miller.

"I think that familiarity can be helpful," Miller said on Sunday. "Our guys have been in UD Arena. They've been in the city of Dayton, and they know what this First Four feels like. Obviously, we're playing an opponent that we respect a great deal, but we've played each other this year, so I think there's familiarity on both sides."

The First Four provides an opportunity for the Longhorns not only to cement themselves in the March Madness field but also to gather some momentum ahead of a potential matchup with BYU. Texas will have had almost a week off before facing NC State, a layoff undeniably crucial after the recent struggles of Miller's team.

"I think there's some real power in getting a game under your belt and a win. You've already won, you've already advanced," Miller said about the prospect of winning in the First Four.

Recap of Texas vs. NC State in Maui Invitational

Texas Longhorns vs. NC State Wolfpack — North Carolina State Wolfpack reacts during the second half of the game against the Texas Longhorns at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The Wolfpack enters the First Four with a very similar late-season trajectory to the Longhorns, with both sides seeing their seasons defined by up-and-down stretches. NC State has lost five of its last six games, falling to Virginia in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

The result in Dayton will be based on which side is able to overcome its recent woes more effectively.

In Maui, Texas took a 10-point lead into the halftime break — the Longhorns led got as large as 15 in the first 20 minutes. But NC State stormed back early in the second half. Last than five minutes into the half, Texas' lead had shrunk to just one point. Minutes later, the lead was gone altogether. The middle portion of the period was back-and-forth, both teams essentially scoring at will.

A 10-0 run between the 7:25 and 5:49 marks allowed Texas to regain control of the contest and form a lead it would ultimately hold onto late, even in the face of a high-flying Wolfpack attack.

Over the course of the game, Texas' three-point shooting proved to be its best friend, the Longhorns converting 16 of their 32 attempts. Pope had seven makes on his own, while Weaver, Camden Heide and Simeon Wilcher each made three to help in the team's deep-shooting effort.

NC State's senior duo of guard Quadir Copeland and Ven-Allen Lubin contributed a combined 51 points to lead the way for the Wolfpack. Will Wade's team got just 11 points from its bench in the November matchup — the help the Wolfpack gets from its rotation will be heavily important to the outcome.

Nevertheless, Miller knows NC State will bring all it has offensively on Tuesday.

"They do it through just great, balanced scoring," Miller said. "I think they have four players that average around 13 a game, and they have really good depth. Obviously, they're a very connected team offensively. They have, I feel like, when they play well, they have great firepower, great scoring punch to the game ... it's going to be a heck of a game."

Three Keys to the Game in Dayton

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain (3) lays the ball in against the Mississippi Rebels during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

1. Need to start fast

Over the course of the season, the Longhorns have found themselves in early, detrimental holes. Specifically in the last two games, those deficits have been especially frustrating.

In the overtime loss to Oklahoma, Texas' deficit grew as large as nine points in the opening 10 minutes. Oklahoma had a 12-point lead over halfway through the second half before Texas stormed back late. Against Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament, the Longhorns found themselves down 12 at about the midway point of the first half.

"I felt when we entered the SEC Tournament, we were still connected to the disappointment of our Oklahoma game," Miller said. "It felt like a 19th game in the SEC, and before you know it, you're down. The game doesn't feel right. We were like playing in mud from the beginning, and I think that made it even more disappointing."

When facing an offensively electric team like NC State in Dayton, a slow start may be even tougher to recover from. Gaining momentum early — and maintaining it — needs to be a priority of Miller and his staff's message ahead of Tuesday night.

2. Take care of the basketball offensively

In the first matchup against NC State, Texas had just seven turnovers, taking pretty good care of the ball while shooting 55.7% from the field.

Across the two recent losses, Texas has a combined 25 turnovers. Its season average has increased to 11 per game, compared to NC State's of 9.2. The Wolfpack has also had turnover issues in some contests within its recent stretch, but not to the extent of the Longhorns.

Miller knows Texas' protection of the ball on a possession-by-possession basis can prove to be one of the most important factors in Tuesday's contest.

"The one thing that's happened to us the last two games, in a very quiet way, is we turned the ball over. ... A lot of those turnovers that we had were live-ball turnovers, which translated into a breakaway layup, a foul, three-point shot, and they were back-breaking plays in both games, Miller said. "We have to get back to being a team that could play with fewer than 10, which we have been most of the year. "

3. Take advantage of chances at the free-throw line

This season, the Longhorns rank in the top 10 across the nation and No. 2 across the SEC in free throws attempted per game. Center Matas Vokietaitis, specifically, has been one of the best in the country at getting to the free-throw line, averaging 7.8 attempts per game.

Back in November, the Longhorns shot 28-33 from the line against NC State, out-making their opponent by eight shots. It hasn't always been that pretty for Texas on free throws, though. Struggles, especially in crunch-time moments, have turned hopeful wins into losses — a clear example coming in Maui against Arizona State.

The Wolfpack averages 18.2 personal fouls a game (had 27 versus Texas on Nov. 26) and gives up an average of 21.2 free throws per game. The opportunities to get to the strip will be there.

The question will likely be if the Longhorns can take advantage, or if areas of struggle, such as its own foul trouble or shaky shooting, will get the better of them. Frequency and efficiency of free shots can play a big part in Texas' ability to prevail offensively.