Penn State-Texas 2nd-round matchup carries plenty of meaning

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Penn State has been traditionally extra prone to play Texas on a nationwide stage in a soccer bowl recreation than the NCAA Match.

On Saturday evening, the Midwest Area matchup between two gridiron giants shall be on the hardcourt for the primary assembly in males’s basketball.

It simply could current one of the intriguing — and significant — second spherical video games.

The groups are coming off sharp debuts in Des Moines, notably on protection and from the 3-point line. Each packages, in their very own approach, would expertise a way of satisfaction from reaching the second weekend of the event.

Then there are their beloved head coaches.

Penn State (23-13) took an enormous step ahead in Micah Shrewsberry’s second season, reaching the Huge Ten Match championship recreation and posting the primary NCAA Match win in 20 years by disposing of Texas A&M on Thursday evening.

Shrewsberry has been talked about as a candidate for high-profile openings at Georgetown and Notre Dame, however the Tenth-seeded Nittany Lions would like to make his case for a long-term increase to make Penn State his everlasting residence.

“When the season ends, I’ve time to consider issues like that. Proper now, I’ve received my fingers full with Texas and the way are we going to protect Marcus Carr. I’ve been on the incorrect aspect of some Marcus Carr scoring outbursts when he was at Minnesota,” Shrewsberry stated on Friday, referring to his two years as an assistant at Purdue. “As soon as we crack that code we shall be fascinated about different issues later.”

Texas (27-8) has additionally been taking part in for a better function, in a quest to get the interim tag faraway from Rodney Terry’s title after he changed Chris Beard in a tumultuous begin to this season. The Longhorns matched their season excessive with 13 made 3-pointers of their win over Colgate, shutting down the nation’s greatest outdoors capturing crew and giving Terry his first profession NCAA Match victory.

“When the chief on the head is somebody who’s calm and poised it makes it that a lot simpler for me as some extent guard to proceed to be calm and poised,” Carr stated. “It simply flows all through the entire complete crew. He does an incredible job of that.”

The Longhorns haven’t superior previous the second spherical since 2008. Their final journey to the Remaining 4 was in 2003, when Terry was an assistant coach.

The Nittany Lions have had far much less success as a program, with simply 5 NCAA Match appearances within the final 58 years. Their 2019-20 crew would have made it had the pandemic not canceled the event that yr — one other supply of motivation for this group. Myles Dread and Seth Lundy — two of their high 5 scorers this season — have caught round since then.

“Being part of that crew was undoubtedly one thing particular. Me and Myles’ relationship with these guys is like no different,” Lundy stated. “It was a really linked crew, and we’re nonetheless linked to this present day.”

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE?

This certain doesn’t appear honest. Houston is the highest seed within the Midwest Area, however the Cougars (32-3) will primarily be the street crew after they face ninth-seeded Auburn within the second spherical at Legacy Enviornment in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Tigers, in any case, shall be taking part in of their residence state, only a two-hour drive from their campus in east Alabama. The difficulty has change into such a speaking level that the NCAA felt compelled to launch an announcement explaining the way it assembles the brackets.

“By precept, the Division I males’s basketball committee protects the highest 4 seeds in every area in opposition to a home-court drawback within the first spherical of the event,” the NCAA stated. “The committee doesn’t alter from its bracketing ideas for the aim of avoiding a possible home-court drawback past the primary spherical.”

Auburn (21-12) is thrilled to be taking part in so near residence, although the gamers have been fast to level out on Friday that that they had nothing to do with placing these pairings collectively.

“It wasn’t our fault that we received picked because the ninth seed and ended up in Birmingham,” guard Zep Jasper stated. “That’s what we have been hoping for, however we didn’t know we have been going to be in Birmingham.”

For Tigers guard Wendell Inexperienced Jr., any complaints simply sound like ready-made excuses for the Cougars to fall again on in the event that they spring the upset. Houston is a 5 1/2-point favourite, per FanDuel Sportsbook odds.

“However that’s nothing we are able to management,” Inexperienced stated. “We are able to solely management what we are able to. They put us in Birmingham. It’s only a nice alternative for us.”

Houston seems weak after scraping by Sixteenth-seeded Northern Kentucky in a 63-52 victory within the first spherical on Thursday, particularly when All-American guard Marcus Sasser pulled himself out of the sport within the first half due to nagging discomfort together with his groin muscle.

Sasser was first injured final weekend within the American Athletic Convention Match. He had 5 factors in 14 minutes in opposition to Northern Kentucky, however stated Friday he’ll be able to go in opposition to the Tigers.

Houston’s gamers shrugged off taking part in in Auburn’s yard, stressing that they’ve thrived away from residence all season. Certainly, the Cougars are 16-1 in street and neutral-site video games, their solely loss coming within the AAC remaining when Sasser sat out.

“The luck of the draw,” level guard Jamal Shead stated. “They received a fortunate draw.”

Houston coach Kelvin Sampson stated he hopes Alabama’s sizable contingent within the 17,000-seat enviornment will assist even out the help. The Crimson Tide, who’ve the highest seed within the South Area, shall be taking part in the late recreation in opposition to Maryland. Alabama and Auburn are bitter rivals, after all.

“We’re taking part in Auburn,” Sampson stated, mentioning the early-evening begin time. “Let’s go. We’d like some assist. Roll Tide!”

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AP Sports activities Author Paul Newberry contributed from Birmingham, Alabama.

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