Texas Reaches Sweet 16 as First First Four Team in 5 Years, Upsets Gonzaga

PORTLAND, Ore. — In a stunning upset that defied expectations, the University of Texas Longhorns secured a spot in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday, defeating Gonzaga 74-68. The victory marks a remarkable turnaround for the 11th-seeded Longhorns, who entered the tournament after a shaky finish to the regular season and a narrow win in the First Four.

Texas (21-14) becomes only the sixth team in NCAA tournament history to advance to the Sweet Sixteen after beginning their tournament run in the First Four, a feat last accomplished by UCLA in 2021, which ultimately reached the Final Four. The Longhorns will face either Purdue or Miami in the West Region semifinals in San Jose, California, on Thursday.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with Gonzaga (31-4) leading by as many as eight points in the first half. However, Texas rallied to capture a 35-33 lead into halftime. The Longhorns maintained their composure in the second half, answering every Gonzaga surge with a timely basket.

Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis led Texas in scoring with 17 points apiece, while Camden Heide provided a crucial spark off the bench, hitting a game-sealing 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds remaining. Heide’s shot gave Texas a four-point lead and effectively sealed the victory. Dailyn Swain added 11 points for the Longhorns.

Gonzaga was led by Graham Ike, who scored 25 points, but struggled to find consistent offensive support from his teammates. The Bulldogs, who had reached the Sweet Sixteen in nine consecutive tournaments prior to the last two years, saw their season end in disappointment.

“Our ride has never been easy, but we fought the good fight the whole way and we did it again,” said Texas head coach Sean Miller. Miller, in his first year leading the Longhorns, has now guided his teams to nine Sweet Sixteen appearances across his tenures at Xavier, Arizona, and Texas.

The victory over Gonzaga is particularly significant for Texas, which entered the tournament with a losing record in conference play and had lost five of their previous six games. Their First Four victory against BYU, featuring likely NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa, provided a crucial boost of momentum. The Longhorns are the first double-digit seed in this year’s tournament to reach the Sweet Sixteen.

Gonzaga head coach Mark Few acknowledged the difficulty of the game, stating, “We were both kind of trading punches. Both teams were having a hard time getting stops down the stretch, and we just couldn’t get one on that last possession.”

The Bulldogs’ loss raises questions about their future as they prepare to join the reconstituted Pac-12 conference next season. This marks the second consecutive year Gonzaga has been eliminated in the second round after a long run of Sweet Sixteen appearances.