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DALLAS (AP) -- Deginald Erskin hit jump shots, tapped in misses
and dunked with authority. The Texas forward didn't miss a shot,
and his teammates weren't too bad either.
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It looked like a blowout for coach Rick Barnes and Texas in Dallas -- not a bad place to play for Texas, with Longhorns fans galore in the house. Texas came out and pounced on SEC tournament champion Mississippi State, taking a 22-point lead.
Texas was led by forwards Deginald Erskin (17 points, 8-of-9 from the field) and Brian Boddicker (11 points) as well as point guard T.J. Ford (11 points, six assists).
Late in the game, coach Rick Stansbury's Bulldogs cut the lead to two and it became a nail-biter. But Texas found a way to survive and advance. Coach Rick Barnes' Texas club is one of four Big 12 teams in the Sweet 16 (with Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma).
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Then, Erskin didn't touch the ball for much of the second half.
And the Longhorns watched their lead dwindle.
But it was Erskin's three-point play with 1:52 left that helped
Texas stave off Mississippi State's rally and spring a 68-64 upset
Sunday in the Midwest Regional.
The No. 6-seeded Longhorns (22-11) play No. 2 Oregon in the
round of 16 in Madison, Wis., on Friday.
Texas jumped out to a 23-point lead against third-seeded
Mississippi State thanks largely to Erskin's 7-for-7 opening. The
6-foot-6 junior finished with 17 points.
"I was in the right place and right time," Erskin said. "T.J.
(Ford) got me the ball and I was able to contribute. It feels good
to be able to do that."
But he had a 12-minute scoring drought in the second half until
making a bucket while being fouled by Mississippi State forward
Mario Austin with 1:52 left and the Bulldogs within two points.
Erskin made the free throw to put the Longhorns ahead 64-59.
"I really thought he was the difference in the game," Texas
coach Rick Barnes said. "We told the guys to get him the ball. Our
players will tell you he's the hardest player on the team to
guard."
Royal Ivey made four free throws in the final 26 seconds to seal
the win.
Reserve Brian Boddicker added 11 points for the Longhorns, and
Ford, a freshman, chipped in 11 points and six assists.
Texas heads to the final 16 for the first time since 1997.
Barnes is 5-9 in the tournament over 14 seasons at Providence,
Clemson and Texas. His teams had advanced to the round of 16 just
once before -- Clemson in 1997.
Ford scored seven straight points and had assists on two other
baskets during an early 16-2 run that put the Longhorns ahead 20-5.
In Texas' first-round victory over Boston College, Ford keyed an
early spurt that put Texas up by 22 at one juncture.
"I came out really aggressive, trying to start off where I left
off the other night," Ford said. "I thought I'd come out and set
the tone for the team."
On Sunday, Texas made 14 of its first 18 shots on the way to a
34-11 lead with just under 7 minutes remaining until halftime.
Mississippi State (27-7) was out of sync from the very start.
On the Bulldogs' first possession, Austin shot an air ball and,
after the miss was rebounded, Derrick Zimmerman turned the ball
over. On Mississippi's State next trip down the court, Zimmerman
barely drew iron on a 3-point attempt.
|  | | Brian Boddicker was the second-leading scorer for the Longhorns, dropping in 11. |
The Bulldogs made a late run, however, using a couple of 3s each
from Timmy Bowers and Michael Gholar to close the gap to 41-29 by
the break.
In the second half, Mississippi State continued to cut into the
Longhorns' lead. Using a strong halfcourt defense, the Bulldogs
forced Texas into turnovers and converted them into easy layups.
On consecutive possessions in the final three minutes, Ford
uncharacteristically threw the ball away. Ford, who has a 2.2-to-1
assist-turnover ratio, finished with seven of the Longhorns' 20
turnovers.
Mississippi State pulled within 60-57 with about 3 minutes
remaining, but Zimmerman missed a 3-pointer that would have tied
it.
After combining for 45 points in a first-round win over McNeese
State, Austin and Marckell Patterson struggled. Austin had four
points and one rebound at the half, finishing with 12 points and
six rebounds. Patterson scored only four points.
Mississippi State coach Rick Stansbury, who had complained all
week about the "pod" system which allows some teams play closer
to home, wasn't happy about playing in a building that was mostly
filled with fans clad in Texas orange.
"If you're asking me should a lower-seed have an advantage --
no," Stansbury said. "We're the only high seed that had to do
this."
Mississippi State was led by Bowers' 15 points and Michal
Ignerski's 12. | 
Road Trip