Texas stuns Gonzaga to advance to Sweet 16, March Madness run continues

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.