The 11th-seeded Texas Longhorns beat the No. 3 seed Gonzaga Bulldogs 74-68 in the second round of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, on March 21, 2026.
Gonzaga led by eight points at 28-20 with 4:29 left in the first half, but Texas closed the half on a 15-5 run to take a 35-33 lead. The teams traded the lead in the second half, with neither ahead by more than four points until Texas built a six-point advantage on a three-pointer with 5:30 remaining.
Gonzaga narrowed the gap to two points with three minutes left, but Texas responded with a three-pointer to lead by five. At 69-66, Texas missed two three-point attempts, and Gonzaga dunked with 40 seconds to play, making it a one-point game. Camden Heide hit a corner three-pointer with 14.7 seconds left, and after Gonzaga missed, Matas Vokietaitis added a layup to seal the victory.
Texas shot 5-for-15 from three-point range, making three of its last five attempts, while Gonzaga went 4-for-16. Matas Vokietaitis and Jordan Pope scored 17 points each for Texas, with Vokietaitis adding nine rebounds. Graham Ike led Gonzaga with 25 points.
The win advances Texas to its first Sweet 16 appearance since 2015.[1] The Longhorns compete in the Big 12 Conference.[1]
Gonzaga, from the West Coast Conference, reached the championship game in 2021 but has had earlier tournament exits in recent years, including a second-round loss to Purdue in 2024.[2]
The Moda Center in Portland has hosted NCAA tournament games in previous years.[3]
Texas will face the winner of No. 2 Purdue versus No. 7 Miami in the Sweet 16 on Sunday at 12:10 p.m. ET.
Sources
- Texas Longhorns men's basketball. Wikipedia. Accessed October 4, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Longhorns_men%27s_basketball
- Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball. Wikipedia. Accessed October 4, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzaga_Bulldogs_men%27s_basketball
- Moda Center. Wikipedia. Accessed October 4, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moda_Center
