- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,170,632
- Reaction score
- 59
PORTLAND, OR — Texas is going from First Four to Sweet 16.
The 11th-seeded Longhorns are keeping their March Madness run alive, upsetting No. 3 seed Gonzaga, 74-68, in the second round of the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament for their third win in five days.
Fresh off slaying AJ Dybantsa and No. 6 seed BYU in the first round, Texas went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs in a game where the lead changed 10 times and neither team led by double-digits.
Both teams traded buckets for the majority of the second half, but a spurt with just under seven minutes left gave Texas its largest lead at six and forced Gonzaga to have to catch up. The Bulldogs were able to make it a one-point game in the final minute, but Texas' Camden Heide hit a clutch 3-pointer that sealed the win.
In a physical game that was mostly played near the basket, Texas outmuscled the Zags with 46 of their points in the paint, compared to Gonzaga’s 38. Another key factor was Texas capitalizing on mistakes with 11 points off turnovers, compared to just two from the the Bulldogs.
Texas becomes first First Four team to reach the Sweet 16 since UCLA’s Final Four run in 2021, and while it is by no means a Cinderella considering the resources it has, the Longhorns keep the magic of March alive, guaranteeing a double-digit seed makes the second weekend of the tournament.
Only four such teams were able to make the second round, and one of them – Texas A&M – lost earlier in the day.
The Longhorns’ run is remarkable considering how it entered the tournament on a three game losing streak, which forced Texas to have to play in the First Four to reach the field of 68. Tramon Mark’s game-winning shot against NC State on Tuesday, March 17 started the hot streak.
Gonzaga’s loss was also a rarity for the established program. It won 10-straight against double-digit seeded teams, not having fallen to one since 2016. The last team seeded 11th or higher to know the Bulldogs out of the tournament was Wyoming in 2002.
Texas now heads to San Jose, California, where they await the winner of Purdue and Miami (Fla.) on Thursday, March 26.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas upsets Gonzaga to continue March Madness run in Sweet 16
Continue reading...
The 11th-seeded Longhorns are keeping their March Madness run alive, upsetting No. 3 seed Gonzaga, 74-68, in the second round of the 2026 men’s NCAA Tournament for their third win in five days.
Fresh off slaying AJ Dybantsa and No. 6 seed BYU in the first round, Texas went toe-to-toe with the Bulldogs in a game where the lead changed 10 times and neither team led by double-digits.
Both teams traded buckets for the majority of the second half, but a spurt with just under seven minutes left gave Texas its largest lead at six and forced Gonzaga to have to catch up. The Bulldogs were able to make it a one-point game in the final minute, but Texas' Camden Heide hit a clutch 3-pointer that sealed the win.
In a physical game that was mostly played near the basket, Texas outmuscled the Zags with 46 of their points in the paint, compared to Gonzaga’s 38. Another key factor was Texas capitalizing on mistakes with 11 points off turnovers, compared to just two from the the Bulldogs.
You must be registered for see images
Texas becomes first First Four team to reach the Sweet 16 since UCLA’s Final Four run in 2021, and while it is by no means a Cinderella considering the resources it has, the Longhorns keep the magic of March alive, guaranteeing a double-digit seed makes the second weekend of the tournament.
Only four such teams were able to make the second round, and one of them – Texas A&M – lost earlier in the day.
The Longhorns’ run is remarkable considering how it entered the tournament on a three game losing streak, which forced Texas to have to play in the First Four to reach the field of 68. Tramon Mark’s game-winning shot against NC State on Tuesday, March 17 started the hot streak.
Gonzaga’s loss was also a rarity for the established program. It won 10-straight against double-digit seeded teams, not having fallen to one since 2016. The last team seeded 11th or higher to know the Bulldogs out of the tournament was Wyoming in 2002.
Texas now heads to San Jose, California, where they await the winner of Purdue and Miami (Fla.) on Thursday, March 26.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas upsets Gonzaga to continue March Madness run in Sweet 16
Continue reading...
