View source for Penn State-Texas 2nd-round Matchup Carries Plenty Of Meaning

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Penn State has been historically more likely to play Texas on a national stage in a football bowl game than the .<br> On Saturday night, the  matchup between two gridiron giants will be on the hardcourt for the first meeting in men´s basketball.<br> It just may present one of the most intriguing - and meaningful - second round games.<br> The teams are coming off sharp debuts in Des Moines, particularly on defense and from the .<br><br>Both programs, in their own way,  [http://xenterxity.org/index.php?title=User_talk:AlejandroSchardt Bolagila] would experience a sense of satisfaction from reaching the second weekend of the tournament.<br> Then there are their beloved head coaches.<br> Penn State (23-13) took a big step forward in Micah Shrewsberry's second season, reaching the Big Ten Tournament championship game and posting the first NCAA Tournament win in 20 years by  on Thursday night.<br> Shrewsberry has been mentioned as a candidate for high-profile openings at Georgetown and Notre Dame, but the 10th-seeded Nittany Lions would love to make his case for a long-term raise to make Penn State his permanent home.<br> "When the season ends, I have time to think about things like that. Right now, I've got my hands full with Texas and how are we going to guard Marcus Carr. I´ve been on the wrong side of some Marcus Carr scoring outbursts when he was at Minnesota," Shrewsberry said on Friday, referring to his two years as an assistant at Purdue.<br><br>"Once we crack that code we will be thinking about other things later."<br> Texas (27-8) has also been playing for a greater purpose, in a quest to get the interim tag removed from  after he replaced Chris Beard in a tumultuous start to this season. The Longhorns matched their season high with 13 made 3-pointers in their , shutting down the nation's best outside shooting team and giving Terry his first career NCAA Tournament victory.<br> "When the leader at the head is someone who is calm and poised it makes it that much easier for me as a point guard to continue to be calm and poised," Carr said.<br><br>"It just flows throughout the whole entire team. He does a great job of that."<br> The Longhorns have not advanced past the second round since 2008. Their last trip to the Final Four was in 2003, when Terry was an assistant coach.<br> The Nittany Lions have had far less success as a program, with just five NCAA Tournament appearances in the last 58 years.<br><br>Their 2019-20 team would have made it had the pandemic not canceled the tournament that year - another source of motivation for this group. Myles Dread and Seth Lundy - two of their top five scorers this season - have stuck around since then.<br> "Being a part of that team was definitely something special. Me and Myles´ relationship with those guys is like no other," Lundy said.<br><br>"It was a very connected team, and we´re still connected to this day."<br> HOME COURT ADVANTAGE?<br> This sure doesn't seem fair. Houston is the top seed in the Midwest Region,  [http://xvideros.com/__media__/js/netsoltrademark.php?d=www.behance.net%2Fbola-bet88 Bolagila] but the Cougars (32-3) will essentially be the road team when they face ninth-seeded Auburn in the second round at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.<br> The Tigers, after all, will be playing in their home state, just a two-hour drive from their campus in east Alabama.<br><br>The issue has become such a talking point that the NCAA felt compelled to release a statement explaining how it assembles the brackets.<br> "By principle, the Division I men´s basketball committee protects the top four seeds in each region against a home-court disadvantage in the first round of the tournament," the NCAA said.<br>"The committee does not adjust from its bracketing principles for the purpose of avoiding a potential home-court disadvantage beyond the first round."<br> Auburn (21-12) is thrilled to be playing so close to home, though the players were quick to point out on Friday that they had nothing to do with putting these pairings together.<br> "It wasn´t our fault that we got picked as the ninth seed and ended up in Birmingham," guard Zep Jasper said.<br><br>"That´s what we were hoping for, but we didn´t know we were going to be in Birmingham."<br> For Tigers guard Wendell Green Jr., any complaints just sound like ready-made excuses for the Cougars to fall back on if they spring the upset.<br>Houston is a 5 1/2-point favorite, per .<br> "But that´s nothing we can control," Green said. "We can only control what we can. They put us in Birmingham. It´s just a great opportunity for us."<br> Houston appears vulnerable after scraping by 16th-seeded Northern Kentucky in a 63-52 victory in the first round on Thursday, especially when  pulled himself out of the game in the first half because of nagging discomfort with his groin muscle.<br> Sasser was first injured last weekend in the American Athletic Conference Tournament.<br><br>He had five points in 14 minutes against Northern Kentucky, but said Friday he´ll be ready to go against the Tigers.<br> Houston´s players shrugged off playing in Auburn´s backyard, stressing that they´ve thrived away from home all season. Indeed, the Cougars are 16-1 in road and neutral-site games, their only loss coming in the AAC final when Sasser sat out.<br> "The luck of the draw," point guard Jamal Shead said.<br><br>"They got a lucky draw."<br> Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said he hopes Alabama´s sizable contingent in the 17,000-seat arena will help even out the support. The Crimson Tide, who have the top seed in the South Region, will be playing the late game against Maryland.<br>Alabama and Auburn are bitter rivals, of course.<br> "We´re playing Auburn," Sampson said, mentioning the early-evening start time. "Let´s go. We need some help. Roll Tide!"<br> ___<br> AP Sports Writer Paul Newberry