Show Me My Opponent, 2024 NCAA Tournament: (7) Texas

Scarier concept: Max Abmas or finding affordable housing in Austin?

After demolishing 15-seed Saint Peter’s like any respectable SEC school would, Tennessee moves onto the Round of 32 to play Texas. The national narrative is “Rick Barnes versus his old school” and/or “Rodney Terry versus his old boss” but I feel like that might be overplaying it? They played in 2021-22 in Austin and in 2022-23 in Knoxville. It’s the third year in a row where they’ve met. 🤷‍♂️

Mostly I think it’s interesting that every meeting has been a little stranger than the last. The first one had multiple 10-0 runs by each team in a game that ended 52-51. The second saw a putrid Tennessee offense drop 82 on a future Elite Eight team. Now there is this game, where a preseason top-20 Texas team had to scrap and claw to build a resume in Big 12 play while preseason top-10 Tennessee basically never once deviated from being that. This is kind of a referendum on both head coaches: Rick Barnes really needs this win and all that follow, but so does Rodney Terry. There’s a lot of Texas fans wondering if they made a mistake.

Like every game going forward, this is going to feel like the Biggest Game in World History, so strap in.

Hope for the reprieve.

BEHIND THE WALL ($): The Oakland Golden Grizzles of beautiful Rochester, MI, just off of scenic I-75