AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall
The second-seeded Texas Longhorns faced a stiff test in the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament against the 10th-seeded Penn State Nittany Lions, but an unlikely hero stepped up in Dylan Disu to power the team to a 71-66 win.
Disu scored 28 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to spearhead the victory, which pushed the Longhorns to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2008. He shot 14-of-20 from the field and broke Kevin Durant’s program record for most field goals in an NCAA tournament game.
The senior forward entered Saturday’s matchup averaging just 8.5 points per game this season. He’s upped his play as of late, as this was his fifth straight game scoring in double figures.
Fans on Twitter were blown away by Disu’s performance as he put Texas on his back on Saturday:
Kevin Durant @KDTrey5
See y’all in the 16. Gameball goes to Dylan Disu, looked like a young Lamarcus Aldridge out there. Let’s get it @TexasMBB
LaMarcus Aldridge @aldridge_12
Big time win fellas! @TexasMBB DYLAN DISU way to carry us!!
Allie Berube @allieberube
That Disu kid is unbelievable. #MarchMadness
Mike Roach @MikeRoach247
Dylan Disu right now pic.twitter.com/ZG12rV5ctU
CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 @CBSSportsCBB
Dylan Disu scored 28 points, which is the most in a NCAA Tournament game by a @TexasMBB player since Kevin Durant in 2007. pic.twitter.com/xZPLkT6Fli
Cooper Watson @coopertwatson
Texas is so damn good.
Just beat a really good, confident Penn State team despite shooting 1-13 from deep. Gutsy win on a rare off-night. Except for Dylan Disu (28 PTS), that is.
John Fanta @John_Fanta
Dylan. Disu. Considering the stakes, his finest hour as a Texas Longhorn?
26 points. 13-for-19 FG.
He’s been outstanding.
Nash @NashTalksTexas
Dylan Disu is a BEAST pic.twitter.com/pJsOgGqIzq
Jeff Goodman @GoodmanHoops
Dylan Disu through the first 16 games this season: 6.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG
The last 5 games: 17.8 PPG, 8.8 PPG and has made 39-54 shots from the field. https://t.co/qb2uWaOeGH
During the NCAA tournament, teams need significant contributions from not only their star players but also their role players if they hope to make a deep run.
Disu gave Texas just that, and he could be the key to powering the team to a potential national title if he continues playing like this.
The Longhorns will face No. 3 Xavier or No. 11 Pitt in the Sweet 16.
Watch March Madness Live to stream every tournament game through the Final Four.
Leave a Reply