Texas holds off late Penn State rally to advance to Sweet 16

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Dylan Disu had a season-high 28 points on 14-for-20 shooting, steadying Texas down the stretch after a late Penn State surge and leading the Longhorns to their first regional in 15 years with a 71-66 victory in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

The second-seeded Longhorns (28-8) made just one of 13 shots from 3-point land, so Disu turned this into a mid-range game. He went 5-for-5 over the final 4 1/2 minutes and grabbed 10 rebounds for good measure.

Sir'Jabari Rice scored 13 points for Texas, which will play the Pittsburgh-Xavier winner on Friday in the Midwest Region semifinals in Kansas City, Missouri. The 11th-seeded Panthers and third-seeded Musketeers meet on Sunday.

Camren Wynter had 16 points for the 10th-seeded Nittany Lions (23-14), who were coming off their first NCAA Tournament victory in 20 years. Second-team All-American Jalen Pickett had 11 points and 10 rebounds with seven turnovers.

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Dylan Disu #1 of the Texas Longhorns reacts after a made basket against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Wells Fargo Arena on March 18, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa.  (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Andrew Funk (12 points) and Seth Lundy (11 points) rallied after a scoreless first half for each, but the top two 3-point shooters in the Big Ten this season went a combined 4-for-16. Penn State was 8-for-28 from deep, despite a steady stream of clean looks in the second half.

The outside shots that each team leaned on the first round mostly dried up, with the Longhorns going 31:18 without