Five reasons Texas Longhorns basketball can upset Purdue Boilermakers

Hello Sweet Sixteen! The Texas Longhorns have stormed through the NCAA Tournament so far, winning its play-in game against NC State and upsetting two highly thought of higher seeds in BYU and Gonzaga. The three wins in five days have made UT one of the rare First Four teams to advance this far and are the lowest seed left in March Madness.

Texas coach Sean Miller has shown why he’s had extensive success in the NCAA Tournament. UT is suddenly playing better defense and the offensive focal point has changed. It’s all worked as Texas prepares for its toughest test yet, No. 2 seed Purdue in Sacramento.

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Can Texas pull off another huge upset? Obviously, the odds are against the Horns. But Texas has also looked like a different team since the start of March Madness. An upset is possible to be sure. Here are some ways it could happen.

Mighty Mo

Momentum has the biggest impact on college sports and especially college basketball. Teams will get hot, or cold, and ride that streak longer than in pro sports. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Horns were in a funk, losing five of their last six.

But the script flipped as soon as the NCAA Tournament started and Texas is one of the hottest teams in the nation. Completing the very rare feat of winning three tournament games in five days, UT rode the momentum from the win in the First Four play-in game with NC State into wins over BYU and Gonzaga.

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Upset Experience

Texas was actually slightly favored in the NC State matchup. But the Horns have been a decided underdog against the Cougars and the Zags. BYU was a 2.5 point favorite while Gonzaga was a 5.5 point favorite. The mountain is higher to climb against the Boilermakers. The spread is currently 7.5 points.

But until you pull off an upset, you’re not sure you can do it. Texas has the confidence and the mental awareness that not only have they pulled off an upset in the tournament, but they’e pulled off two. The confidence in the Longhorns locker room should be high.