NCAA Tournament: Texas Longhorns vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Yancy Gates had 15 points and 10 rebounds as Cincinnati withstood a late rally by Texas to win 65-59 on Friday in the second round of the NCAA tournament’s East Regional. The sixth-seeded Bearcats (25-10) jumped out to a 16-2 lead while Texas opened the game 1 of 14 and hit 16 percent for the entire first half. After trailing 31-17 at halftime, the Longhorns attacked, hitting five of their first seven from 3-point range. With 3:44 to play, Texas’ Jonathan Holmes hit a layup to tie it at 52, but the Longhorns would get no closer. Gates hit a shot over Clint Chapman’s head with 1:11 to give Cincinnati a 58-52 lead, and the Bearcats hit five free throws in the final 36 seconds. J’Covan Brown led No. 11 seed Texas (20-14) with 19 points, and Chapman had 10 points and 14 rebounds.

Big-12 Tournament: Texas Longhorns vs. Iowa State Cyclones

Texas knows enough to rely on J’Covan Brown when the Longhorns need a basket. The Big 12’s leading scorer converted a go-ahead three-point play with 36.3 seconds left, and the Longhorns held on to beat No. 25 Iowa State 71-65 on Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. Brown finished with 23 points for the Longhorns (20-12), who reached the 20-win plateau for the 13th consecutive season and likely removed themselves from the NCAA tournament bubble. Texas will face fifth-ranked Missouri in the semifinals Friday night. Royce White had 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Cyclones (22-10), and it was his turnaround bank shot with 51.6 seconds left that tied it 65. But after Brown was fouled on a spinning jumper and made the free throw, White lost control of the ball with 22.9 seconds left. It wound up in the hands of the Longhorns’ Jonathan Holmes, who made both free throws for a 70-65 lead. The Cyclones turned it over again on their next possession to seal the outcome.