Dallas ? A.J. Abrams certainly got over those jitters that bothered him in his NCAA Tournament debut.

In his second tourney game Sunday, the Texas freshman guard was only doing what his coach told him to do. Abrams was aggressive and took open shots, scoring 16 as the Longhorns advanced to the Atlanta Regional semifinal with a 75-54 victory over North Carolina State.

“He was a little jumpy the other night, and we got him for it,” coach Rick Barnes said. “He had a great response. He definitely had a different perspective on things.”

With Abrams and the starting backcourt of Daniel Gibson and Kenton Paulino playing the way they did, the dynamic inside duo of P.J. Tucker and LaMarcus Aldridge didn’t have to dominate for Texas (29-6) to get into the round of 16 for the fourth time in five seasons.

Abrams was scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting in 18 minutes Friday against Penn. Gibson and Paulino were held without a point in the first half of that game, when the Longhorns trailed.

But Gibson and Paulino got the Longhorns off to a fast start against N.C. State with their three-point shooting. Then Abrams came through in two key stretches, including 10 points in the second half after Paulino picked up his third foul.

“He’s the rookie, but he’s one of the best players I’ve ever played with,” said Tucker, the Big 12 Conference player of the year. “He knows how to play the point guard position. He can move the ball around and get shots for us.”

North Carolina State (22-10) was within 42-37 when Gavin Grant shuffled the ball to Cedric Simmons for a one-handed slam dunk with 15:45 left. After a timeout, Abrams hit a three-pointer.

The Wolfpack then had four turnovers and missed two shots on their next five possessions before Tony Bethel’s three-pointer from the right corner bounced on the rim several times before falling.

Texas' Brad Buckman (22) and Mike Williams walk off the floor after their 75-54 victory over N.C. State. The Longhorns won Sunday in Dallas, advancing to the Sweet 16.

Then it was Abrams’ turn. He scored the next seven points.

“We knew he was a good shooter,” Bethel said. “Because of their offense, their guards are going to get open looks. He knocked down some tough ones. He stepped up for them.”

Tucker, who is from Raleigh, N.C. but wasn’t offered a scholarship by the hometown Wolfpack, still had 17 points and 10 rebounds. And Aldridge, the league’s defensive player of the year, had 10 points on 2-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds.

West Virginia 67, Northwestern State 54

Auburn Hills, Mich. – Jerry West was flicking jumpers for West Virginia the last time the Mountaineers were rolling like this in the NCAA Tournament.

Kevin Pittsnogle scored 14, leading the sixth-seeded Mountaineers past 14th-seeded Northwestern State (26-8).

The Mountaineers (22-10) led by as many as 25 in the second half, but had to hold off a late rally as the Demons pulled to 57-49 with four-plus minutes left.