Since the NCAA men’s tournament’s last expansion in 2011 only two teams have advanced from the First Four to the Elite Eight. On Thursday Texas mounted a strong bid to become the third.
In the end, the Longhorns emerged 79–77 losers to Purdue in the Sweet 16, so VCU (2011) and UCLA (2021) will continue to stand alone. It was not for a lack of trying on the part of coach Sean Miller’s squad, however—as Texas guard Jordan Pope made clear postgame.
