AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- The Texas Longhorns are officially off the NCAA tournament bubble and into the field of 68 - but they'll do it with a second straight trip to Dayton, Ohio for the First Four.
The Longhorns (18-14) are set to face North Carolina State on Tuesday at the University of Dayton Arena. The victor will claim the No. 11 seed in the West Region and advance to play BYU on Thursday in Portland, Oregon.
Tuesday's matchup will be a familiar one; Texas previously outscored NC State 102-97 during the Maui Classic in November.
Texas head coach Sean Miller hopes the Big Dance provides a much-needed reset for a squad that has struggled to find its rhythm over the past month. The Longhorns have dropped five of their last six matchups, culminating in a lackluster 76-66 defeat to Ole Miss in the opening round of the SEC Tournament in Nashville. That slide not only cost Texas a first-round tournament bye, but also pushed them squarely onto the NCAA bubble.
Ultimately, the selection committee rewarded Texas for its formidable regular-season resume. The Longhorns boast six Quad-1 victories—tying them for 22nd nationally—which was enough to edge out other bubble teams like San Diego State and SEC rivals Oklahoma and Auburn.
