No. 11 Texas advances into the second round of the NCAA Tournament after wins over NC State and No. 6 BYU.
AJ Dybantsa scored 35 points for the No. 6-seed BYU Cougars, but it wasn't enough to prevent an upset at the hands of the Texas Longhorns going into the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
No. 11-seed Texas outlasted BYU, 79-71, in the first-round matchup in Portland on Thursday night. The Longhorns (20-14) advance into the Round of 32 after beating NC State in the First Four and upsetting one of the Big 12's best.
Dybantsa - the nation's leading scorer with 25 points per game entering the contest - shot 11-for-25 from the floor with 12 free throws made in as many attempts. He added 10 rebounds for a double-double after playing all 40 minutes.
Texas battled on the interior despite a weighted first-half fouls disadvantage while trying to guard the future NBA lottery pick. Matas Vokietaitis' 23 points and 16 rebounds proved to be vital, though he was just 3-for-11 at the charity stripe and missed a string of attempts in the waning moments that would've sealed the victory long before the buzzer eventually sounded.
Vokietaitis' perseverance through the missed free throws was best personified when he remained on the floor late in the second half, collected crucial rebounds on the inside and blocked a shot by Robert Wright III of BYU (23-12) in the final minute.
The Longhorns corralled a rebound after the block and Tramon Mark, the hero of the First Four game, nailed free throws to earn the victory.
Vokietaitis, 7-foot sophomore from Lithuania, pulled down nine of the Horns' 14 offensive rebounds. Mark added a clutch two-way showing with 19 points and four blocked shots. Dailyn Swain (14) and Jordan Pope (11) were the two other Longhorns who scored in double figures.
This performance comes just two days after Texas pulled off a narrow win over the Wolfpack in Dayton, Ohio. The team then took an overnight flight to the West Coast to play Thursday night as a first-round underdog.
Sean Miller's first year at the helm now has a statement NCAA Tournament victory that pushes the Longhorns into the weekend with momentum.
Texas advances in the West Region to face either No. 3 Gonzaga or No. 14 Kennesaw State on Saturday. The Bulldogs and Owls tip off just before 9:30 p.m. CST Thursday night.
