FACTS & STATS: Site: Greensboro Coliseum (23,500) -- Greensboro, North Carolina. Television: CBS. NCAA Tournament Record: Minnesota 12-9, Texas 32-29. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: The seventh-seeded Texas Longhorns and the 10th-seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers prepare for what many consider the best matchup of the East Region's first round in the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Minnesota is making its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance and owns a 12-9 all- time record in the event. The Gophers last participated in the "Big Dance" back in 2005, and Tubby Smith has done a tremendous job since taking over the reigns of the program. Smith has won 20 or more games in 16 straight seasons as a collegiate coach, and that is the longest active streak in the nation. While Minnesota owns a 22-10 overall record, the team has not put together back-to-back wins since January. In fact, had the club not beaten Louisville back in December, there is a good chance that it would have been relegated to the NIT.

As for Texas, it is entering its 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament, extending a school record. The Longhorns are one of just seven teams that have earned 11 straight tickets to the "Big Dance", and the club has advanced to the Elite Eight twice in the last three years. Texas reached the semifinal round of the recently concluded Big 12 Conference Tournament where it was knocked off by Baylor. Still, the team is 22-11 overall and has plenty of quality wins on its resume', including triumphs over UCLA, Villanova, Wisconsin and Oklahoma.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Texas and Minnesota on the hardwood. Next up for the winner of this tilt is a battle with either second- seeded Duke or 15th-seeded Binghamton.

Minnesota is far from explosive at the offensive end of the floor, as there is only one double-digit scorer on the roster. Lawrence Westbrook leads the team with a modest average of 12.4 ppg, and he is not the type of player who has proven capable of dominating a game at the offensive end. Damian Johnson (9.7 ppg) is the only other player netting more than 6.6 ppg, as coach Smith has relied on small contributions from a great number of players. Minnesota is generating 66.5 ppg while allowing 61.1 ppg on 39.8 percent shooting from the floor. Clearly, strong defense has been key to the Gophers' success. Johnson is averaging 13.6 ppg over the last five outings, and he will need to be effective at the offensive end tonight. He leads the team in blocks with 59, and the fact that his 26.8 minutes of action per outing also paces the squad is proof that coach Smith is constantly shuffling players in and out of the game.

There is no denying the talent that exists on the Texas roster, and it can be argued that the squad has underachieved this season. Standout guard A.J. Abrams is averaging 16.3 ppg and plays well in his 37 minutes per contest. Still, he is shooting a lackluster 39.6 percent from the floor, and the fact that he has only dished out 43 assists in 33 games suggests that he isn't a complete guard. Damion James averaged a double-double last season, and he isn't far off the pace this season with 15.4 ppg and 9.2 rpg. While those two players are the stars of the team, there are a couple of other double-digit scorers in the mix who provide balance. Gary Johnson has come off the bench in most games this season, and he is netting 10.5 ppg. As for Dexter Pittman, the club's big man, he generates 10.0 ppg. Texas is scoring 72.3 ppg while limiting opponents to 65.5 ppg on 40.6 percent field goal efficiency.

James and Abrams will be the best two players on the floor in this game, and considering that both will be wearing Texas uniforms, the edge goes to the Longhorns in this clash.

Predicted Outcome

Texas 70, Minnesota 66