With LaMarcus Aldridge and P.J. Tucker in the lineup, Texas was supposed to have an easier time in the first round of this NCAA Tournament.

Unlike last year when they were without Aldridge and Tucker, the second-seeded Longhorns advanced this time because of the standout duo. But Penn sure made things difficult before Texas finally pulled out a 60-52 victory Friday night.

“P.J. said it best, seeds mean nothing. You got a team today that was going to shorten the game,” Longhorns coach Rick Barnes said. “I’m glad we get to play one more time. … If we made mistakes, they had a lot to do with it.”

Aldridge and Tucker bailed out the Longhorns (28-6) without much help, including the Texas guards being held scoreless before halftime when Penn led.

In his first NCAA tourney game, Aldridge had 19 points and 10 rebounds. Tucker, the Big 12 Conference player of the year, added 17 points and 12 rebounds.

“We weren’t getting any movement,” guard Daniel Gibson said. “They do a good job packing the middle and stopping things inside. Once we got moving, it was a lot easier to get baskets.”

The Ivy League champion Quakers (20-9) were only down a point and had the ball when coach Fran Dunphy called timeout with 5:53 left.

But Eric Osmundson missed a three-pointer, Tucker grabbed the rebound, and Gibson drove for the first of consecutive layups – with Brad Buckman’s blocked shot rebounded by Aldridge in between – to put Texas up, 45-40.

“Defensively, we were about as good as we can be,” Dunphy said. “When the separation occurred, we did things that were out of character for us. We had three open looks we didn’t make. We had to have those to beat a team like Texas.”

The Longhorns will play North Carolina State in the second round of the Atlanta Regional on Sunday in Dallas.

“We were able to control the tempo and get the shots we wanted,” said Mark Zoller, who had 13 points for Penn. “It came down to them making big plays. Those guys are relentless.”

Ibrahim Jaaber, the Ivy League’s player of the year and top scorer, was only 5-of-19 shooting for 15 points.