A couple of college basketball programs, which have played throughout the 2025-26 season, recently clashed in the hopes of making it into the first round of the 2026 national tournament. On Tuesday, March 17, coach Will Wade’s NC State Wolfpack lost 66-68 to coach Sean Miller’s Texas Longhorns in their First Four matchup on neutral grounds, the UD Arena in Dayton, Ohio, for a shot at this year’s March Madness.
NC State vs Texas Box Score
NC State
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| D. Williams | 21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| V. Lubin | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| T. Holloman | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| P. McNeil Jr. | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Q. Copeland | 16 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| M. Sagnia | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| S. Ebube | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| M. Able | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| T. Arceneaux | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Texas
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| C. Heide | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| M. Vokietatis | 15 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| J. Pope | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| D. Swain | 13 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| T. Mark | 17 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| N. Codie | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Weaver | 11 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Wilcher | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
NC State vs Texas Game Summary
Coach Sean Miller‘s game plan for their 2026 First Four matchup seemed to be working well right off the tip, as they jumped to an early seven-point lead, 9-2, over the Wolfpack. NC State fired back to reduce the deficit to three points, 12-9, but Dailyn Swain’s scoring and playmaking prowess proved too much. The Longhorns maintained their lead up to the halfway point of the first period, 22-14.
Come the latter half of the first period, though, coach Will Wade‘s team clawed its way back. After the Texas-based program extended its lead further, NC State went on a five-point run that put them within one point of the Longhorns, 30-29. A last-ditch effort from both Texas and the Wolfpack went for naught, as both teams finished the first half with the aforementioned score, and it was deemed to be anyone’s ball game.
To open the second period, both teams got back right into the swing of things in the hotly contested affair, given that they found their groove at the tail end of the first half. Texas managed to hold onto its lead on the back of Swain and company’s consistent play. The Wolfpack did all they could to snatch the lead, but the Longhorns were still up by two points, 43-41.
As the final stretch of the NC State-Texas First Four matchup rolled on, the Longhorns seemingly had an answer for every attempt by coach Wade’s squad to get the edge. Ultimately, the Longhorns expanded their advantage to as much as eight points, 61-53. But, NC State once again bounced back and was just down by two, and then tied it up with just 18 seconds left in the game. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, Longhorns’ Tramon Mark hit a mid-range jumper to win the game for Texas, 68-66.
Also Read: NC State HC Will Wade Sounds Off on “Casual Personalities” on His Team; Attacks Team’s 3+ GPA
Read More: Texas HC Sean Miller Makes Massive Claim About Arkansas’ Darius Acuff Jr, Which Might Challenge AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson And Cameron Boozer
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