Former Texan basketball standouts to matchup in second round of NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Sunday in Tulsa

LEVELLAND — Looking to punch their ticket to the NCAA Sweet 16, a pair of former Texan basketball players will matchup today in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament as Texas Tech's Deshawn Corprew will take on Montell McRae and the University of Buffalo at 5:10 p.m. in Tulsa at the Bank of Oklahoma Center.

Sunday's matchup will air on the TNT Network.  

A 6-5 redshirt sophomore for the Red Raiders, Corprew was a part of the Texans' 2018 national championship team under head coach Steve Green. During his time in Levelland, Corprew averaged 12.1 points and 5.3 rebounds for South Plains, scoring a career-high 27 points on Jan. 18, 2018 against Western Texas, and netted 21 points in the national title game in which the Texans defeated Southern Idaho 98-95.

Wearing No. 3 for the red and black, Corprew has seen significant action this season, scoring in double figures seven times including a career-high 13 points against UTRGV on Dec. 28.

A 6-10 senior forward from Cleveland, Ohio, McRae will look to help Buffalo reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history as they make their second straight appearance in the Round of 32 in the NCAA tournament.

McRae was a part of the Texan's Final Four team in 2017 which finished third at the NJCAA national tournament, capping the year with a 32-2 record and a perfect 16-0 mark in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference. As a sophomore, McRae played in 34 games for South Plains, averaging 6.2 points per game and shot 64.2 percent from the floor.

McRae scored in double figures six times during his sophomore stint in Levelland, including a career-high 18 points in the Texans' 93-80 victory over Odessa on Feb. 8, 2017.  Wearing No. 1 for Buffalo, McRae has seen action in 35 games this season, averaging 5.7 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a senior. McRae has scored in double figures six times this season, most notably, an 18 point, seven rebound performance in a 74-58 win over Eastern Michigan on Jan. 4.