Dylan Disu Lives His March Madness 'Dreams' as Longhorns Dance Into Sweet 16
DES MOINES, IOWA - The Texas Longhorns walked off the court at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 6 with a disappointing taste in their mouths.
After blowing a 10-point lead in the second half under the bright lights of MSG, the No. 2 Longhorns had stumbled into a 85-78 overtime loss to the No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini.
Texas forward Dylan Disu had finished with just one point in nine minutes of action.
But fast-forward three months later, he's making his March Madness dreams come true.
With the country's eyes locked on Texas' matchup with the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Round of 32 at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Disu took over on the biggest stage of his career with 28 points and 10 rebounds in one of the more memorable performances in program history to help the Longhorns win 71-66 and advance to the Sweet 16.
But while admitting he's living the March Madness dream, he saved the credit for his coaches and teammates.
"It means a lot," Disu said. "Everyone has dreams of showing up in March Madness, but I couldn't do it without my teammates."
Disu's 28 points marked the most by a Longhorn in the NCAA Tournament since Kevin Durant in 2007. Additionally, his 14 makes from the field set a program NCAA Tournament record.
After a strong start, Disu started to command double teams from the Penn State defense in the first half, but remained calm and steady despite becoming the center of attention. There was no sense of rush or panic.
Still, after he scored 12 points in the first 20 minutes, it seemed like the Nittany Lions would start pulling out all the stops to take him out of the offensive plan.
Instead, Disu put every bit of the team on his 6-9, 225-pound frame, delivering in the clutch with five of Texas' last six field goals after the Longhorns found themselves trailing 58-55 with 4:50 to play.
Whether it was turnaround jumpers in the post, shots off the catch or a one-handed floater that has quickly become his signature move, Disu was leaving the Nittany Lions in shock of what they were seeing.
"I don't know who the best team we played all year is, but I know that we've never played against a big man with that type of touch," Penn State guard Seth Lundy said. "I don't remember him missing one floater. ... It was hard to contest it."
Disu has been on a tear in the biggest moments of Texas' season.
Since the start of the Big 12 Tournament, which he was named the Most Outstanding Player of, Disu has averaged 17.8 points per game. And in his last four games - including Saturday - he's shooting a scorching 74.4 percent (35 of 47) from the field.
The Longhorns' March Madness dream is alive and well thanks to Disu. And in order to make more come true, they'll need their hometown forward to continue dominating.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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