Dylan Disu OUT for Longhorns Elite Eight Matchup vs. Miami

The Longhorns will be without Dylan Disu for thier Elite Eight matchup against the Hurricanes Sunday afternoon in Kansas City.

© Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY

As the hours dwindle away prior to tip-off in Kansas City, Mo., at the T-Mobile Center, all eyes are on Texas' frontcourt and the status of forward Dylan Disu. 

As of now, the prognosis of the 6-9 senior playing in the Longhorns' Elite Eight matchup against fifth-seeded Miami seems bleak. 

However, according to reports, Disu has now been ruled out vs. the Hurricanes, leaving the Horns without their top big man.

Texas interim coach Rodney Terry said Saturday that the team would need to be ready to utilize its bench and find proper matchups against the Hurricanes without one of the breakout heroes of this year's tournament. 

“No different type of mentality we'll have going into tomorrow's contest against Miami, next man up, and that will be by committee,” Terry said. “It could be Brock. It could be obviously C.B., Christian Bishop, played really well for us. Timmy Allen had to play a little more inside for us as well."

Disu left Friday's 83-71 win over third-seeded Xavier in the Sweet 16 94 seconds after the opening tip-off. He would return from the locker room after further evaluation wearing a boot on his left foot to alleviate the pressure. 

Prior to the game, Terry knew that his big man that led the Longhorns to a victory over Penn State in the second round would be limited, but he wanted to give him a chance to take the court before shutting him down.

"He's worked so hard and he's earned the right to be here in a regional and play in a regional,” Terry said Friday night. “But we knew we weren't going to have him very much in this game tonight.”

Disu's done more than earn the right to play. He's been a driving force for the Horns' offense since the start of the Big 12 Tournament. In the conference finals against No. 2 Kansas, Disu totaled 18 points and shot 77.8 percent from the field. Against 15th-seeded Colage, Disu delivered again, shooting 72.7 percent while posting a 17-10 afternoon. 

But it was against the Nittany Lions that Disu left his mark on the tournament's madness. He went 14-for-20 inside the paint and registered 28 points while nabbing 10 boards. Disu also at some point suffered a bone bruise, thus hampering his chances of playing at full speed against the Musketeers. 

"That's the biggest thing for a bone bruise, just trying to stay off it as much as possible, ice, treatment,” Disu said Saturday during Texas' pregame presser. “But then tomorrow, if I can play I'll play."

With the Longhorns turning to their bench, the attention looks to be on Bishop, who saw his minutes expand once Disu left the court. A 6-7 forward known for his physical force down low, Bishop totaled 18 points and was 8-for-12 with nine rebounds. Brock Cunningham, who played in 22 minutes, finished with a career-high plus-19, while Allen did a bit of everything down low. 

"I always say to our guys, we're all we need, we're all we got. Do you know what I mean? We'll find somebody ready to go, and we'll band together like brothers, and we'll go out and compete against a really, really good Miami team.”

Disu said that he'd do everything in his power to help Texas reach the Final Four for the first time since 2003, but Terry must now sit him in hopes that he could be ready for a potential trip to Houston.

“It's been getting better," Disu said. "It's not something to play around with. We're taking our time."

Tip-off from T-Mobile Center is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. 

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