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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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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 14: Evan Battey #21 of the Colorado Buffaloes reacts after hitting a shot and getting a foul call against the Oregon State Beavers during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes defeated the Beavers 73-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 14: Evan Battey #21 of the Colorado Buffaloes reacts after hitting a shot and getting a foul call against the Oregon State Beavers during a quarterfinal game of the Pac-12 basketball tournament at T-Mobile Arena on March 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Buffaloes defeated the Beavers 73-58. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

1. Current and former Big 12 foes await

In the third round of the NIT, Texas basketball is set to either face Colorado or Norfolk State. That game will be decided at 9 p.m. on March 24, the same day that the Horns upended Xavier in overtime. Colorado would be a much more intriguing opponent for the Horns than Norfolk State would be, which would be much better for the crowd size on the Forty Acres next round.

Norfolk State got to the second round of the NIT by pulling off the big upset over the one-seed Alabama Crimson Tide. That win over Alabama for Norfolk State led to the departure of head coach Avery Johnson. Yet, Colorado is still the favorite to get the best of the eight-seed Norfolk State.

However, there’s more than just Colorado that is a current or former Big 12 foe of Texas on the same side of the NIT bracket. In the region below the Horns on the NIT bracket, either the Nebraska Cornhuskers or TCU Horned Frogs could await them among the final four teams at Madison Square Garden.

light. Related Story. 3 NCAA Tournament teams worse than the Longhorns

This would add an extra point of intrigue and entertainment to what was a letdown of a postseason result for Texas in the first place. If the Horns are matched up against Colorado in the next round of the NIT, it would still get the game at home at the Frank Erwin Center on March 27. Either TCU or Nebraska would come at MSG in New York City since its in the final four.

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