Texas basketball to join a trio of blue bloods in Las Vegas Invitational next season

The beginning of the Texas Longhorns 2018-19 schedule will pit head coach Shaka Smart’s squad against a pair of blue bloods, as the ‘Horns will join UCLA, Michigan State and North Carolina in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational in Las Vegas.

“Texas will make it first appearance in the tournament and first trip to Las Vegas since the 2001-02 season,” the school said in a release. “The Longhorns defeated UNLV 87-78 at the Thomas and Mack Center on December 22, 2001.”

“UT is the only team in the Invitational to have a winning record against North Carolina. Texas has won seven of the last meetings between the two schools and owns a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series against UNC. Texas is 3-3 against UCLA and 4-5 against Michigan State.”

The specific match ups to open the invitational are currently unclear, but the four-game invitational will get underway on Thursday, Nov. 22, with the championship game and the consolation game set to take place on Friday, Nov. 23.

Last season, Texas took part in the PK80 Invitational, notching a 1-2 record after a win over Butler and back-to-back overtime losses against Duke and Gonzaga.

Tickets for the Las Vegas Invitational can be purchased here.

This story will be updated.