Texas Southern wins another First Four game to make 64-team bracket
The Texas Southern Tigers beat Texas A&M-CC on Tuesday, 76-67, to advance past the First Four round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and the third time in six years.
The First Four is a play-in round with eight teams battling to advance to the 64-team bracket. It was added to the men's NCAA Tournament in 2011 and the women's NCAA Tournament in 2022. Texas Southern is the only team to win multiple games in the round.
The bench came up big for the Tigers on Tuesday against Texas A&M-CC with the starting lineup scoring just 21 points. Senior guard Bryson Etienne matched that total all on his own from the bench with 21 points, while forward John Walker III added another 16 points.
It's the third time that Texas Southern earned a spot as a 16th seed. In 2018, the Tigers advanced to face No. 1 Xavier and lost, 102-83. Last year, Texas Southern lost to No. 1 Michigan, 82-66. With their win Tuesday, the Tigers will move on to play the No. 1 seeded Kansas Jayhawks on Thursday night.
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