For the second straight season, Texas finds itself in Dayton for the First Four. Last year, the Longhorns lost their opening game, but this season's squad aims to go above and beyond following its play-in opportunity.
There was good news for Texas men's basketball on Selection Sunday, as they returned to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-straight season.
However, the bad news for Longhorns was that they're headed to Dayton after narrowly squeaking into the field again.
The First Four was unfavorable for Texas last season, with the squad being narrowly defeated by Xavier to end their season.
Following the loss, Texas made the ironic move to hire the head coach who handed them their final loss, as former Xavier head coach Sean Miller joined the Longhorns with hopes to return them to March Madness glory.
Fast forward, Miller is back in the same position as last season, but now with a chance to earn a win for the Horns instead of sending them home.
Texas' opponent on Tuesday night is NC State, which is two years removed from a Final Four run as an 11-seed. They followed this up with an underwhelming campaign last season, much like Texas.
The Longhorns and Wolfpack have both also shared recent struggles, with the pair losing pivotal games down the regular-season stretch to send them to the bubble.
Not only did the duo share a similar end to the season, but their season statistics are also nearly identical. So far this season, Texas is averaging 83.8 points per game, while NC State is sitting at 83.7.
The Longhorns are allowing 76.8 points to their opponents, and the Wolfpack closely mirrors that with 76.5. Tuesday night's showdown can be seen on truTV starting at 8:15 p.m. CT.
If Texas can find the success it was missing from last season and earn a win over an evenly-matched foe in Dayton, they'll clinch the West Region's 11-seed and set up a date with No. 6 BYU on Thursday at 6:15 p.m. CT in Portland.