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GAME 36: Texas, Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Frank Erwin Center, Austin, Texas - NIT Third Round

GAMETIME: 7 p.m. MDT

Radio: 850 AM KOA (Mark Johnson, Scott Wilke)

TV: ESPN2 (Mike Morgan, Robbie Hummel)

Watch Online: WatchESPN

Listen Online: CUBuffs.com, TuneIn

Live Statistics: CUBuffs.com

Texas is 18-16 overall and placed sixth in the Big 12 Conference at 8-10. The Longhorns are the No. 2 seed in this eight-team quadrant, winning home games over South Dakota State and Xavier to reach the quarterfinals. Texas averages 71.2 points per game while shooting 43 percent from the field. The Longhorns lead the Big 12 in 3-pointers made at 8.8 per game. Defensively, Texas holds its opponents to 67.4 points, the third-best mark in the Big 12. The Longhorns allow opponents to shoot 43.1 percent from the floor.

Senior guard Kerwin Roach II tops Texas in scoring at 14.8 points per game while averaging 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals a contest. Senior forward Dylan Osetkowski leads the Longhorns and ranks fifth in the Big 12 in rebounding at 7.1 per game while scoring 10.7 points an outing. Sophomore guard Matt Coleman III paces the Longhorns in assists (117) while averaging 9.8 points per game. Sophomore guard Jase Febres is second in the Big 12 in 3-pointers made at 2.4 per game. Freshman forward Jaxson Hayes averages 10.0 points and 5.0 rebounds, but has not played in the NIT due to an injury. Hayes leads the Big 12 in field goal shooting at a whopping 72.8 percent and ranks third in blocks at 2.2 per game.

Shaka Smart is in his fourth season at Texas with a record of 68-66. He is in his 10th season as a collegiate head coach with a record of 231-122.

This will be the 25th meeting between the former Big 12 rivals with Texas holding a 14-10 series edge. It will be the second meeting in three seasons as Colorado took a 68-54 decision in the consolation game of the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Nov. 22, 2016. Colorado’s Lucas Siewert is the only active Buff to see action in that last game, scoring three points in 11 minutes. Kerwin Roach II scored 16 points to lead the Longhorns. Texas holds a 7-2 lead over the Buffaloes in Austin.

Colorado head coach Tad Boyle is 2-0 against Texas. Shaka Smart is 0-1 against Colorado as a head coach.

"I can count one hand how many times our guys have not been emotionally into the game — and I'd have some fingers left. They've done a pretty good job. But tonight was just a little bit of a step back. But we'll learn from it and be ready to go Wednesday in Austin." — CU head coach Tad Boyle, via cubuffs.com

With a second round NIT victory against Norfolk State, the Buffaloes improved to 23-12 on the 2018-19 season.

23 victories on the year is tied for second most in CU men's basketball history. A win against the Longhorns would tie the 2010-11 and 2011-12 teams for most wins in a single season.

The Buffaloes recorded double-digit conference wins for the fifth time in eight seasons of the Pac-12 era and the first since 2015-16. Colorado claimed record of .500 or better in conference play (includes Big 12) for the sixth time in nine seasons.

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A win against Texas would send the Buffs to Madison Square Garden for the NIT semifinal on April 2. Colorado would face TCU, who defeated Creighton by the score of 71-58 on Tuesday night.