Longhorns' Sir'Jabari Rice Says His 'Dreams' Nearly Took Him to Two Other Teams

In hindsight, Texas Longhorns Sir'Jabari Rice admitted he clearly loves the decision he made by coming to Austin, as his immeasurable contributions throughout the season now has the team set for a battle in the Sweet 16 against the Xavier Musketeers on Friday.

AUSTIN -- When Texas Longhorns guard Sir'Jabari Rice arrived to Austin via the transfer portal this past offseason, he came in as a relative unknown compared to many other newbies the team has acquired in recent seasons.

However, in a matter of months, he became one of the most important players on one of the best teams in the country, and his immeasurable contributions throughout the season now has the Longhorns set for a battle in the Sweet 16 against the Xavier Musketeers on Friday.

But when speaking to the media on Tuesday, Rice revealed that he's always been "more of a dreamer," and that these dreams nearly landed him at two other major programs.

"I was more of a dreamer," Rice said. "So I thought I'd be at Michigan or North Carolina or something like that, playing for one of those schools."

In hindsight, Rice admitted he clearly loves the decision he made. While UNC and Michigan sit at home watching March Madness after missing out on the tournament, he's helped lead the Longhorns to their first Sweet 16 since 2008, all while playing on the biggest stage of his career.

"But that's just a dream and it ended up going a totally different way but I'm blessed and I wouldn't ask for it to be any other way honestly," he said.

Rice exploded for 23 points on seven made 3s and six rebounds in Texas' 81-61 win over Colgate in the Round of 64 before adding 13 more points in the 71-66 win vs. Penn State on Saturday.

He's now two wins away from playing in the Final Four back in his hometown of Houston. He's still keeping true to that "dreamer" theme, but will hardly be getting ahead of himself.

"Just to be in a situation to play for the national championship is definitely something you dream about, especially being in your hometown, your home city, so it would be a blessing if we were fortunate enough to get there," he said. "But we're trying to take care of Xavier."

The second-seeded Longhorns and third-seeded Musketeers will tip-off from T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on Friday at 8:45 p.m. CT.

---

You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Longhorns? Click Here to Subscribe to the Longhorns Country Newsletter

Want even more Texas Longhorns? Check out the SI.com team page here

Follow Longhorns Country on Twitter and Facebook.

Make sure to subscribe to the Longhorns Country Podcast today! Click here To Listen.