Texas faces NC State in a dangerous First Four rematch as Jordan Pope, Tramon Mark, and the Longhorns try to outlast one of the nation’s hottest shooting teams.
The Texas vs. NC State First Four matchup has all the ingredients for chaos, and that’s exactly why it feels so dangerous for the Longhorns.
Texas already beat the Wolfpack once, but March doesn’t care what happened in Maui. This time it’s win or go home, and the pressure in Dayton will be a whole lot heavier than it was back in November.
That earlier meeting was a track meet, with Texas escaping 102-97 behind Jordan Pope’s 28-point outburst and a huge night from Chendall Weaver.
The rematch probably won’t climb that high on the scoreboard, but expecting a defensive slugfest would still be wishful thinking.
NC State can light it up, and the numbers prove it. The Wolfpack average 83.7 points per game, rank among the nation’s best from deep at 38.8 percent from 3, and have multiple scorers who can wreck a game in a hurry.
That’s what makes Paul McNeil Jr. such a problem.
He’s averaging 13.9 points per game and hitting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc, which means one hot stretch can flip the whole night.
Quadir Copeland is just as dangerous in a different way. He also averages 13.9 points, but he drives the action with 6.6 assists and 1.7 steals per game, making him the guy Texas has to keep from controlling tempo.
Then there’s Ven-Allen Lubin, who adds 13.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, giving the Wolfpack real punch on the glass.
For Texas, the script isn’t complicated. Jordan Pope and Tramon Mark have to own the backcourt battle. Matas Vokietaitis has to make NC State uncomfortable inside. And the Longhorns have to find a way to make Darrion Williams work for everything.
Neither team is exactly built to lock people down, which means the game may come down to shot-making, pace, and who handles the moment better. Texas has already shown it can beat NC State.
Now it has to prove it can do it when the season is on the line.