Texas vs BYU: Containing Dybantsa

0:00On March 19, the Texas Longhorns punched their ticket to the next round, with a close 68-66 win over NC State in Daytonon. Tuesday, now they've flown overnight to Portland for Thursday's showdown against the number 6 seed BYU Cougars at the Motor Center. The big question is, how they'll contain BYU freshmen forward, AJ DeBonza, the nation's top scorer at 25.3 points per game. DeBonza stands out as a three-level threat, whose scores inside, from mid-range and beyond the arc. He leads the country in free throw attempts, too, hitting over 76% while drawing fouls like few others. No teams held him under 20 points since late January, and he's dropped 40 or more twice this season. Texas coach Sean Miller has praised his all-around skills, but the Longhorns face real defensive hurdles. Her main matchup, Junior Wing Dailin Swain, battles foul trouble often, and backups lack the size or discipline to step up effectively.

1:00Meanwhile, Texas ranks low nationally in forcing turnovers, which could hurt against the guy who averages three per game. BYU's dealing with their own issues after losing guard Richie Saunders to injury, hurting their spacing and secondary scoring. That leaves fewer reliable shooters around DeBonza, opening chances for Texas to double team or clogged driving lanes. Still, BYU runs smart sets to free him up in the half-court. Tip-off is at 6.25 p.m. Central on TVS, and if Texas stays disciplined on defense without fouling out key players, they could exploit those. Weaknesses, and keep their tournament run alive.