Texas vs. Arizona may be the heavyweight matchup of the 2011 NCAA Tournament Bracket’s Third Round: the stifling Texas defense being tasked with corralling Arizona’s superb Derrick Williams is at least the most interesting matchup of Sunday. The Longhorns and Wildcats will tip at 6:10 p.m. Eastern from Tulsa on Sunday, according to the 2011 NCAA Tournament schedule, and Marv Albert and Arizona great Steve Kerr will have the call.
NCAA Bracket 2011: No. 4 Texas Vs. No. 5 Arizona
The Oakland squad Texas lined up against in the Second Round was a trendy upset pick and a Sweet Sixteen dark horse. The Longhorns disabused the dreamers of that notion, though not until late: a flurry of late buckets from the Golden Grizzlies cut a Texas lead that stretched to 17 at one point to a four-point, 85-81 victory. That’s bad if Texas is looking for style points, but the Longhorns’ defense-heavy style doesn’t call for them. Tristan Thompson, Jordan Hamilton, and Cory Joseph combined for 47 points and 22 rebounds against Oakland, which is good; Dogus Balbay couldn’t stop Reggie Hamilton from chipping in 25 points for Oakland, which is not. If Texas is playing its best, it beats Arizona, but the Longhorns have been schizophrenic of late.
Arizona had to escape Memphis in the Second Round just to get here. The Wildcats let Memphis creep back in again and again late, and eventually needed Williams to block a Wesley Witherspoon shot to preserve a 77-75 victory. But Williams was excellent, scoring 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Arizona will need more of that against Texas, because Wildcats not named Derrick Williams shot 17 for 39 from the field and four of 18 from three, collected just 18 rebounds, and had 11 turnovers. Against Memphis, a team can do that and win; against Texas, that’s far less likely.
Star Watch: Hamilton playing well is usually a good harbinger for Texas: the Longhorns are 12-3 when he scores 20 or more points, with losses to Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and Kansas.
Prediction: A classic clash comes down to the final minutes, and it’s not Hamilton but Thompson who carries the ‘Horns to a 72-69 win.
More Reading: SB Nation’s Texas blog Burnt Orange Nation has everything about the Longhorns covered, while our Arizona blog, Arizona Desert Swarm, is the best Wildcats fan community you will find.
Need help picking your bracket? Check out SB Nation’s full 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, picking every game of March Madness, or our region by region breakdowns for the East Region, West Region, Southeast Region, and Southwest Region.
Did your team miss the 2011 NCAA Tournament? We have you covered: check out the 2011 NIT bracket.
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