Texas defeated No. 11 Virginia Tech, 81-73, in the first round of March Madness, while Purdue beat up on No. 14 Yale, 78-56, in its tournament opener. Now the Longhorns take on the Boilermakers in an all-chalk second-round matchup.
Round of 32: No. 6 Texas vs. No 3 Purdue
How to watch
Gametime: 8:40 p.m. EST
TV: TNT
Live Stream: March Madness Live, TNT app, fuboTV, Sling, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV
Texas head coach Chris Beard talks with Dylan Disu. Getty ImagesTexas (+3.5) over Purdue
All season, the Boilermakers have been questioned because of their mediocre defense. The bigger problem for Purdue, however, has been its issues against tough defenses, which surfaced in losses to Rutgers, Indiana and Wisconsin (twice). The Longhorns’ unit is better than any Purdue has faced this season and the Boilermakers’ recent downturn on offense — they averaged 68.5 points 10 games before the NCAA Tournament after averaging 86 points over the first 17 games — will continue against a group led by one of the best tournament coaches (Chris Beard) in recent years. Any customary Texas scoring shortcomings will be solved by a meeting with a defense that will not be bailed out on this day.
