Longhorns' Vokietaitis Leads March Madness Run

0:00On March 26, the Texas Longhorn's men's basketball team has turned things around in the NCAA tournament after stumbling at the end of their regular season with three losses in a row and five defeats in their last six games. They've now won their first three tournament match-ups, beating NC State in the first four, BYU in the first round, and Gonzaga in the second round too. Reach the Sweet 16. A big reason for their success has been Center Mata's Vokieta Itis, who's stepping up big time with an average of 18.3 points and 11, rebounds per game across those wins. He's shooting over 50% from the field while managing foul trouble at about 3.3 per game. Fans and analysts are buzzing about this run in head coach Sean Miller's first season with the program, but there's concern over guard Jordan Popes, availability. He's sprained in ankle against Gonzaga and is listed as questionable. He's been key with 11 points, 2.3 assists, and clutch shooting in. Big moments.

1:00Looking ahead, Texas faces the number two seeded Purdue Boilermakers on Thursday at 6.10 pm, central time from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Their main focus will be containing Purdue's star guard, Braden Smith, who leads them with 14.3 points and a team high 9 assists per game while hitting nearly 40% from 3. This match-up could send the long horns to the Elite 8 if they keep their momentum going against a tough Purdue squad.