Erskin’s Game Powers Texas

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.

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, Wisc., on Friday.

Texas jumped out to a 23-point lead against third-seeded Mississippi State (27-7), thanks largely to Erskin’s seven-for-seven 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 basket 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.

“He was the difference in the game,” Texas Coach Rick Barnes said of Erskin. “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.

Texas heads to the final 16 for the first time since 1997.