Game Information
NCAA Tournament First Round
15-seed Colgate (26-8, 17-1 Patriot) vs 2-seed Texas (26-8, 12-6 Big 12)
Thursday, March 16, 2023 | 7:25 p.m. ET
Wells Fargo Arena | Des Moines, Iowa

How to Follow
TV: TBS (Brian Anderson, Jim Jackson, Allie LaForce)
Live Stream: NCAA.com
Live Stats: NCAA.com 
Radio: Westwood One (Jason Benetti, Robbie Hummel), Sirius XM 136 or 204

Game Notes | Press Conference Quotes

DES MOINES, Iowa – Colgate Men's Basketball wrapped up the final day of preparation before taking the court against No. 5 Texas in the first round of the NCAA tournament on Thursday with tipoff set for 7:25 p.m. Eastern inside Wells Fargo Arena. 

The Raiders are making their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance which is tied with Baylor and Iowa for the seventh-longest streak in the nation. Kansas (33), Michigan State (25), Gonzaga (23), Purdue (8), Houston (5), and Tennessee (5) are the only teams with longer active streaks. 

Colgate (26-8, 17-1 Patriot) claimed its third consecutive Patriot League championship and fourth in five years under 12th-year head coach Matt Langel, who was named District 13 Coach of the Year for the second time and Patriot League Coach of the Year for the fourth time. 

Uncharted Territory
Langel has guided Colgate to new heights once again setting program records in total wins (26) and conference wins (17) on its way to a No. 15 seed in the NCAA tournament. Colgate's 17 Patriot League wins also set a league record. The Raiders endured a 26-game conference winning streak which spanned over two seasons and carried over more than a calendar year. 

Colgate is led by Patriot League Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and Scholar-Athlete of the Year Tucker Richardson. The fifth-year senior averages 13.9 points and ranks 15th nationally averaging 5.8 assists per game. He is the only active Division I men's basketball player with at least 1,600 points, 700 rebounds, 600 assists, and 200 steals. 

The Raiders boast one of the nation's top offensive units, ranking first nationally in three-point field goal percentage (40.8) and fouls per game (12.6), second in field goal percentage (51.4), effective field goal percentage (58.5), and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.82), and third in assists per game (18.6). Colgate enters the tournament having won 20 of its last 21 games. 

Colgate in the NCAA Tournament
Colgate is making its sixth overall appearance in the NCAA tournament and fourth in five years. The Raiders have been a No. 14 seed in each of the last two tournaments and last played as a 15 seed in 2019 against Tennessee. Colgate has led in the second half in each of its previous three tournament appearances against Tennessee, Arkansas, and Wisconsin. 

History of the 15 Seed
Colgate is looking to become the 11th team in NCAA tournament history to win an opening-round game as a No. 15 seed. At least one 15th-seeded team has advanced through the first round in each of the last two NCAA tournaments, including St. Peter's and its historic run to the Elite Eight in 2022. Oral Roberts upset Ohio State in the first round in 2021. 

Scouting Texas
No. 5 Texas (26-8, 12-6 Big 12) went 3-3 in its final six regular season games before running through the Big 12 Tournament with wins over Oklahoma State, TCU, and Kansas. The Longhorns upset the top-seeded and defending national champion Jayhawks 76-56 in the conference title game. Texas led the Big 12 in scoring (78.8 ppg) anchored by senior guard Marcus Carr who leads the team in points (15.9), minutes (33.7), assists (4.8), and steals (1.8).
Series History
This is the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Colgate has not faced a Big 12 opponent since Dec. 5, 2015, when the Raiders visited TCU, and is 4-7 all-time against the conference with its last win coming against the Horned Frogs on Dec. 9, 1973. 

Up Next
Thursday's winner advances to play the winner of seventh-seeded Texas A&M and 10th-seeded Penn State on Saturday at Wells Fargo Arena.