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Texas Basketball: 5 takeaways amid NIT victory vs. Xavier

By Andrew Miller

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 21: Kerwin Roach Jr. #12 of the Texas Longhorns reacts against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first half of the 2016 Legends Classic at Barclays Center on November 21, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 21: Kerwin Roach Jr. #12 of the Texas Longhorns reacts against the Northwestern Wildcats in the first half of the 2016 Legends Classic at Barclays Center on November 21, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: Paul Scruggs #1 of the Xavier Musketeers celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 15: Paul Scruggs #1 of the Xavier Musketeers celebrates his three point shot in the first half against the Villanova Wildcats during the semifinal round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

4. Xavier just as up and down as Texas

Who would’ve thought that the Texas basketball program would find its way into a matchup with a team just as up and down as themselves. Xavier entered this game with a record of 19-15, while the Horns sat at 17-16. Each team sat on the bubble for the NCAA Tournament heading into the Big 12 and Big East conference tourneys.

However, Texas landed in the NIT as a two-seed and Xavier as a three-seed. The Musketeers worked past the six-seed Toledo Rockets to head to the Forty Acres and the Frank Erwin Center for round two. Texas had to get past a stingy South Dakota State squad that just wouldn’t go away in the first round.

Ironically enough, the similarities between the Horns and Musketeers extends to the NCAA Tournament resumes that each team boasted. Xavier had some tough losses and premier victories to the height of beating the Villanova Wildcats. Meanwhile, Texas had some lows like losing to the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Radford Highlanders, and highs of beating Kansas and the North Carolina Tar Heels.

All that mattered in this game, though, was the Horns getting the best of a one-seed in the NCAA Tournament last year in Xavier. Texas won the first half of this game 38-32, then Xavier got them by the same margin in the second half. This was a back-and-forth game between two nearly identical teams in style and talent.

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