No. 2 seed Texas looks to advance to Sweet 16 for first time in 15 years

DES MOINES, Iowa - After dominating their NCAA opener, No. 2 Texas now has a chance to do something the program hasn't done in 15 years, advance to the Sweet 16.

"Just going back to Austin like after a win on the road, and feeling that. I can only imagine what it'd be like to go back headed to the Sweet 16," said Timmy Allen/UT Sr. Forward.

"We want to definitely be a part of that elite club at our school that gets to say, you know, we're winners. So, we just want to bring that back to Austin," said Marcus Carr/UT Guard/Graduate Student.

The Horns who have won five straight games, including back-to-back 20-point wins, are feeling pretty good coming off a hot shooting night in their opener.

The Longhorns tied the school's NCAA Tournament record with 13 three-pointers, seven of which came from Sir'Jabari Rice. The Horns also held Colgate, the nation's top three-point shooting team, to just three for the night.

"I think our team's obviously playing our best basketball of the year. They're sitting right now with the fourth most wins in school history. They've done some great things to this point right now. And I think they're still a hungry team and still want more," said Rodney Terry/UT Men's Basketball Interim Head Coach.

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DES MOINES, IOWA - MARCH 16: Dylan Disu #1 of the Texas Longhorns reacts after a play during the second half against the Colgate Raiders in the first round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 16, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

"Our goal was to win three championships. We got one out of the three so far. And so we're just trying to get the last one that's available," said Sir'Jabari Rice/UT Guard/Graduate Student.

Up next, the Horns get Penn State, who blew-out Texas A&M, and nearly beat Purdue, a No. 1 seed in the Big 10 title game.

"We just gotta be on point when we play against these guys. You know they're not going to be coming out here playing around. They're not going to be scared. So neither can we. We just gotta take care of business," said Christian Bishop/UT Sr. Forward.

"Last year we played in the first round, and we're able to win. And we put this team back together. I thought they had a great experience last year. You know the thing I've said to those guys, you know each round you get a chance to advance. It just gets better and better," said Terry.

Texas and Penn State are scheduled to tip-off around 6:45 p.m. Saturday, March 18.