Though the Longhorns let their second-round game with Miami get way, way too close, Texas has once again made it back to the Sweet 16 and has a date with Stanford.
Fueled by an excellent offensive performance from A.J. Abrams and the usual leadership of point guard D.J. Augustin, the Longhorns looked nearly unstoppable until the waning minutes of their 75-72 win over the Hurricanes.
That’s why fans need to look past the final score and the last few minutes of Sunday’s game. Every team faces a scare before the Sweet 16 and Texas passed the test.
So, when taking the game as a whole into view, there should be no reason why Texas won’t make it through Stanford – who had to go to overtime with Marquette to punch their ticket – in Houston and end up playing Memphis for the South Region final.
This may turn out to be the most exciting postseason run for the Longhorns since T.J. Ford was in burnt orange.
This article appears in March 21 • 2008.