No. 14 seed Abilene Christian (23-4) vs. No. 3 seed Texas (19-7)
NCAA Tournament First Round, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis; Saturday, 8:50 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: Abilene Christian and Texas are set to square off in a NCAA first round game. Texas earned a 91-86 win over Oklahoma State in its most recent game, while Abilene Christian walked away with a 79-45 blowout win against Nicholls State in its last outing.
SAVVY VETERANS: Senior leadership could play a big role in this game’s outcome. Matt Coleman III, Andrew Jones and Jericho Sims have collectively accounted for 48 percent of all Texas scoring this season and 54 percent of the team’s points over its last five games. For Abilene Christian, Kolton Kohl, Coryon Mason and Reggie Miller have combined to score 35 percent of the team’s points this season, including 43 percent of all Wildcats points over their last five.MIGHTY MATT: Through 26 games, the Longhorns’ Coleman has connected on 38.9 percent of the 108 3-pointers he’s attempted. He’s also converting 82.4 percent of his free throws this season.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Wildcats have recently used assists to create baskets more often than the Longhorns. Texas has 44 assists on 83 field goals (53 percent) across its past three contests while Abilene Christian has assists on 63 of 93 field goals (67.7 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The disruptive Abilene Christian defense has forced opponents to turn the ball over on 28.3 percent of all possessions, the second-best rate in the nation. Texas has a forced-turnover percentage of only 18 percent through 26 games (ranking the Longhorns 250th among Division I teams).
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