The Texas Longhorns were included in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field on Selection Sunday, despite losing to the Ole Miss Rebels at the SEC Tournament on Wednesday. Coach Sean Miller’s team enters the tournament with a 9-9 SEC and an 18-14 overall record.
The No. 11-seeded Longhorns will tip off their March Madness journey with a First Four clash against the No. 11-seeded NC State Wolfpack at UD Arena in Dayton on Tuesday.
What Channel Is Texas vs. NC State On?
The Texas vs. NC State game will tip off at 9:15 p.m. ET on March 17 at the University of Dayton Arena. The First Four matchup will be televised on truTV and will be available to stream on Sling.
Longhorns vs. Wolfpack Will Have a Special Broadcasting Duo
The Longhorns versus Wolfpack game will have legendary sportscaster Dick Vitale calling the game. Vitale will be joined by NBA legend Charles Barkley as an analyst and Brian Anderson doing the play-by-play, while Jenny Dell will be the sideline reporter.
Despite being an ESPN analyst between 1980 and 1990, before CBS took over the NCAA Tournament, Vitale has not called a single Big Dance game in his career. During an interview with the Associated Press, Vitale detailed why he was calling the First Four game on Tuesday.
“This is happening because he (Barkley) worked a game on ESPN. Now I’m doing back the favor and giving them a game on their network,” Vitale said.
He further revealed that he had had opportunities to make his debut on the grand stage but had turned down the assignment.
“I had been offered chances in the last few years. Sean McManus (the retired chairman of CBS Sports) would call and say, ‘You shouldn’t end your career without doing an NCAA game, and we’ll let you do it on CBS.’
“I appreciated it so much, but I told him the one thing I wanted on my resume was that I worked my entire career at ESPN. He was surprised but said he respected that.”
It’s an unusual partnership due to the fact that Vitale has worked for ESPN for the entirety of his storied broadcasting career, while Barkley is a TNT Sports analyst. Vitale and Barkley first called a game together in December, when the Kentucky Wildcats faced off against the Indiana Hoosiers.
The winner of the First Four clash on Tuesday will face the No. 6-seeded BYU Cougars, led by standout freshman AJ Dybantsa, in Portland on Thursday.
