No. 6 seed Texas defeated No. 11 seed Virginia Tech in Friday afternoon’s first round tilt in Milwaukee by a final score of 81–73
The Longhorns closed as the game favorite, and covered by a significant margin in an emphatic victory over the ACC champion Hokies.
The final betting margin was never in doubt, but the first half betting margin was. Texas was a half-point first half favorite, and following a made free throw by Hokies guard Storm Murphy with 2.1 seconds left in the first half, Virginia Tech led 32–31.
When it looked like Texas -0.5 backers were dead in the water, this happened.
Marcus Carr banked in a prayer from beyond halfcourt as time expired in the half, leading Texas to improbably cover the half-point first half spread.
That shot was a microcosm of the game for the Longhorns, who made 47.4% of their field goals from the field overall and nearly 53% of their attempts from three.
The suffocating defense and timely offense led the Longhorns to their first tournament victory under first-year coach Chris Beard. He is no stranger to tournament success in March, as he led Texas Tech to a national championship appearance in 2019 before losing to Virginia.
Texas will face Purdue on Sunday with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line.
