Texas makes history as Longhorns become sixth First Four team to reach Sweet 16
No. 11 Texas upset No. 3 Gonzaga 74-68 behind Camden Heide’s late 3-pointer, becoming the sixth First Four team to reach the Sweet 16 and the first since UCLA in 2021.
Texas makes history as Longhorns become sixth First Four team to reach Sweet 16 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Texas’ March run has officially turned historic.
No. 11 seed Texas upset No. 3 Gonzaga 74-68 on Saturday night at the Moda Center, becoming just the sixth First Four team in NCAA Tournament history to advance to the Sweet 16 - and the first to do so since UCLA's Final Four run in 2021.
Texas now joins a rare group of programs to make a deep run after starting in the First Four. Since the NCAA Tournament expanded in 2011, only six teams have advanced from the First Four to the Sweet 16: VCU (2011), La Salle (2013), Tennessee (2014), Syracuse (2018), UCLA (2021) and now Texas. Both VCU and UCLA went on to reach the Final Four, highlighting the potential for unexpected runs to extend even further.
MORE: Texas turns key weakness into strength in upset of Gonzaga The Longhorns leaned on physicality throughout, scoring 46 points in the paint compared to Gonzaga's 38 while also capitalizing on mistakes. Texas turned turnovers into 11 points, while limiting the Bulldogs to just two points off giveaways. The victory caps a dramatic turnaround for a Texas team that entered the NCAA Tournament on a three-game losing streak and was forced into the First Four just to reach the field of 68.