Cam Heide explains game-sealing shot against Gonzaga
The Texas sharpshooter was in a slump heading into the NCAA Tournament, but trust from his coach and teammates resulted in an historic shot.
PORTLAND, OREGON - MARCH 19: Camden Heide #5 of the Texas Longhorns celebrates a basket against the BYU Cougars during the first round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Moda Center on March 19, 2026 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Chris Swann/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images Sean Miller called game. Camden Heide was his vessel.
After the Texas Longhorns junior forward committed two fouls within the first 2:18 of the second half, the struggling sharpshooter checked out and didn’t return until 32 seconds remained with the score 69-68 in favor of the No. 11 seed seeking an upset of the No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs at the Moda Center in Portland with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.
Miller had a simple message for Heide — “I’m going to put you in to shoot it. ” After the timeout, Longhorns graduate guard Tramon Mark dribble left from the left wing towards the baseline, was cut off, but as he pivoted and dribbled towards the middle, one Bulldogs defender stepped up to stop Mark as Texas sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis sealed Gonzaga forward Graham Ike and another defender marked Longhorns junior wing Dailyn Swan in the paint, leaving Heide open as he spaced from the wing to the corner. Mark saw Heide, who had to catch the pass over his right shoulder, but was able to square up to the basket and drain the most important three for Texas in the NCAA Tournament since Kenton Paulino hit the game-winner against West Virginia to send the Longhorns into the Elite Eight in 2006.
"HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE A LONGHORN" 🤘 @TexasMBB DANCES ON TO THE SWEET 16 🕺 #MarchMadness pic. twitter. com/Arb6sfDgRe — NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 22, 2026 “I was able to catch the ball, shoot it, and make it,” Heide said.