Longhorns' Dylan Disu Returns to March Madness After Crushing Injury: 'God Has a Plan'

Texas Longhorns forward Dylan Disu had to watch from the sidelines last year as his team fell painfully short in the Elite Eight.

AUSTIN -- Dylan Disu put himself on the national map last season in the NCAA Tournament after carrying the No. 2 seed Texas Longhorns to a Round of 32 win over No. 10 Penn State in Des Moines last season. Unfortunately for the Austin area native, his plans of taking Texas to the promised land were cut short.

Though the team kept it under wraps in the week leading up to the Sweet 16 against Xavier, Disu had injured his left foot at some point during his clutch 28-point, 10-rebound performance in a 71-66 win over the Nittany Lions. A source told me courtside right before tip-off against the Musketeers in Kansas City that Disu wasn't going to play, a sudden surprise to say the least.

He got the start anyways, but was immediately pulled after logging just two minutes and one rebound before returning to the bench in a black walking boot and hoodie. Texas coach Rodney Terry said after topping Xavier that he wanted to give Disu the opportunity to start a Sweet 16 game despite the injury before he was ruled out completely for the Longhorns' matchup with Miami two days later.

© Sara Diggins, Austin American-Statesman

Without Disu, Texas would go on to blow a 13-point lead in the second half before falling 88-81 to the Hurricanes. The Longhorns were unable to secure what would've been their first Final Four berth since 2003.

“It was difficult to watch that game not being able to help your teammates and then actually seeing them fall there at the end," Disu said Monday. "That was tough, but feeling that feeling and getting to that point in the tournament definitely motivated me to want to get back there and not have to feel that feeling again.”

Terry has said it many times himself since last season that the Longhorns likely would've kept playing if Disu was healthy against the Hurricanes. The star big man, however, isn't wasting any energy on what is done.

“I feel like things happen the way they’re supposed to happen," Disu said. "God has a plan for me, it wasn’t His plan for me to play in that Sweet 16 and Elite 8 game. I just have to accept that and keep it pushing and hope that He has something better for me down the road.”

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The Longhorns will tip-off their first-round matchup in Charlotte on Thursday at 5:50 p.m. CT as they await the winner of Colorado State vs. Virginia from the First Four.

“It was the most fun time in my life for sure playing and making that deep run," Disu said. "I want to be able to feel that again.”