Texas Longhorns vs. Miami: 3 Things to Watch in Elite Eight
KANSAS CITY, MO. - The No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns will face off with the No. 5 seed Miami Hurricanes in the Elite 8 on Sunday at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City with a spot in the Final Four on the line.
Both teams are coming off convincing wins in the Sweet 16. Texas toppled the No. 3 Xavier Musketeers 83-71 on Friday right after Miami upset the No. 1 seed Houston Cougars, 89-75.
There's lots to talk about ahead of what is one of the biggest games in the history of both programs, but let's look at three main things to keep an eye on.
Guard play from both sides
It goes without saying that the backcourt play in Sunday's meeting will be top tier, at least based on the results from both games in Kansas City on Friday.
Whether it's Marcus Carr vs. Nijel Pack, Tyrese Hunter vs. Isaiah Wong, Jordan Miller vs. Sir'Jabari Rice or whichever matchup you want to throw together, these six guys will determine the outcome, especially considering each trio is top three on their respective teams in scoring.
On scoring alone, these six combined for 112 of the 172 total points by both Miami and Texas in the Sweet 16. Pack, who led the Canes with 26 points on seven triples in the win over Houston, is averaging 19.7 points per game in three career meetings with Texas.
Regardless of who comes out on top, buckets will be had between two sets of guards that have an argument for being the best in college basketball.
Christian Bishop vs. Norchad Omier
Nothing is official, but it seems unlikely that Dylan Disu will play Sunday. Even if he's technically "active" as a way to keep the Canes guessing, don't expect him to play significant minutes after wearing a walking boot on Friday and only having one day of rest.
But Bishop proved Friday that Texas fans have little to worry about if Disu sits out. He finished with a season-best 18 points and nine rebounds against Xavier, consistently finding wiggle room near the basket on the receiving end in the pick-and-roll along with remaining dangerous as a lob threat.
However, getting free underneath on offense and corralling misses on defense will be much harder to come by against Omier. At 6-7, 248 pounds, he's got about 20 pounds on Bishop and will be an imposing physical presence underneath. Omier finished third in the ACC in rebounding (9.7). but exceeded this average against Houston, as he posted 12 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.
With Disu's potential absence, it could be Omier against Bishop for a majority of the night in a potential one-on-one that will be interesting to watch.
Which version of themselves will the Longhorns "choose" to be?
No matter what version of themselves they've played as over the past three weeks, the Longhorns have looked like one of the best teams in college basketball.
In the NCAA Tournament, Texas has found success in a variety of ways.
In the first round against Colgate, it was some uncharacteristically hot shooting from the Longhorns that helped them cruise to the second round, where they did the exact opposite against Penn State. Texas, along with some hounding defense on star point guard Jalen Pickett, leaned on Disu inside while going just 1 of 13 from 3-point range as a team to pull out the win over the Nittany Lions.
But against Xavier, it was healthy balance. The Longhorns harassed the Musketeers on defense from the jump, which helped result in 16 assists on 7 of 12 from deep and 52.5 percent shooting from the floor. Texas went up 6-0 right away and never looked back.
Against Miami, it's anyone's guess - even maybe for the Longhorns themselves - what the winning formula could look like. But they've proven lately that it hardly matters and will look to find whatever way they can to get it done against the Hurricanes.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter
Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here
Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.
Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.
