Bracket Buster: Is Texas 'Vulnerable' vs. Virginia Tech?
The Texas Longhorns are battling momentum, history and arguably the hottest team in basketball when they face No. 11 Virginia Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee on Friday.
No. 6 Texas was upset by TCU in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament while the Hokies are riding the high of an ACC Championship run into the tournament.
Historically, the matchup between the No. 11 and No. 6 seeds has led to frequent upsets, most recently last season when two out of the four matchups were won by the lower seed. Since 1985, No. 11 seeds have beaten No. 6 teams in 37.5 percent of games.
Virginia Tech could be the toughest No. 11 seed in the tourney. The Hokies are the only power conference team seeded 11 or lower in this year's tournament to win its conference as undisputed champions.
Texas has lost its last four first-round tournament games and hasn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since it beat Arizona State in 2014.
On the other hand, Longhorns coach Chris Beard, a Texas graduate, has never lost a first-round NCAA Tournament game as a head coach; dating back 2016 when he led Little Rock to a first-round upset of Purdue.
Texas has the fifth-best odds (+1100) to win the East region, while Baylor is the favorite at +240. However, Sports Illustrated has Virginia Tech as the team most likely to bust brackets in the East Region.
The Hokies come into the NCAA tournament red-hot after storming through the ACC tournament to punch their ticket to the Big Dance. Since starting 0–4 and 2–7 in ACC play, Virginia Tech has won 13 of 15 games, including statement performances against North Carolina and Duke in the semifinals and championship game this week in Brooklyn. This is a veteran group that has played in the NCAA tournament before and won’t be afraid of the moment.
Mike Young’s offense is very hard to guard because of all the screening and cutting the players do, and this team can absolutely light it up from three (39% from deep as a team this season, third in the nation). Plus, the Hokies draw a vulnerable Texas team in the first round matchup and have handled teams with high-level athleticism far better of late than they did early in the season.
The Hokies may be a trendy pick to bust brackets but Texas has notable wins against Tennessee, Iowa State and Kansas. The Longhorns have adopted a gritty defensive identity, with its defensive efficiency for the 2021-22 season landing in the top 15.
Kevin Jairaj, USA Today
Kevin Jairaj, USA Today
Texas ranks sixth in the nation in scoring defense (59.6 ppg) entering the NCAA Tournament. This season, UT is a perfect 17-0 when holding its opponent below 60 points.
A Longhorns' season filled with rollercoaster results comes down to one game. Texas is making their 20th NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 23 seasons, joining only seven other teams to do so. The Longhorns are seeking that 'One Shining Moment' with first-year coach Beard, who was hired precisely for this moment.
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