The improbable March run for the Texas Longhorns keeps rolling. Behind 17 points apiece from Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis, No. 11 seed Texas held off third-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs 74–68 on Saturday night to advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament—becoming the first team in five years to reach the regional semifinals after starting in the First Four.
A clutch corner 3-pointer by Camden Heide with 14.7 seconds remaining provided the decisive blow, capping another resilient performance by a Texas squad that has transformed from late-season uncertainty into one of March’s toughest outs.
First-year coach Sean Miller watched his Longhorns (21–14) enter the tournament having lost five of their previous six games. Even their First Four victory over N.C. State raised questions. Now, Texas is headed to San Jose.
The Longhorns will face either the Purdue Boilermakers or the Miami Hurricanes in Thursday’s West Region semifinals in San Jose.
The last First Four team to reach the Sweet 16 was the UCLA Bruins in 2021—a group that rode its momentum all the way to the Final Four. Texas is now attempting a similar March climb.
Texas led most of the second half but never fully shook Gonzaga. After Graham Ike powered inside for a dunk that cut the deficit to 69–68 with 40 seconds remaining, Miller called timeout and diagrammed the decisive play.
Heide—who had played just 13 minutes—popped free in the corner and buried his only basket of the night to push the lead to four. Vokietaitis followed with a breakaway layup in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
The moment encapsulated Texas’ tournament identity: poised, opportunistic and unafraid of the spotlight.
The Longhorns trailed by eight in the first half but rallied to take a 35–33 lead into the break and controlled key stretches after halftime.
Dailyn Swain ignited the crowd-neutral arena with a dunk that gave Texas a 57–54 lead midway through the second half. Moments later, Pope drilled a 3-pointer to extend the advantage to six.
When Ike trimmed Gonzaga’s deficit to 66–64, Pope answered again—burying another 3 that restored breathing room at 69–64 and shifted the pressure back onto the Bulldogs.
Ike finished with 25 points for Gonzaga (31–4), but the Bulldogs struggled to generate consistent secondary scoring against Texas’ disciplined defense.
Coach Mark Few saw his program exit in the second round for the second straight season after a remarkable stretch of nine consecutive Sweet 16 appearances that included two national runner-up finishes.
Gonzaga was making its 27th tournament appearance and enjoyed strong crowd support—fans even broke into “Let’s Go Zags!” chants after David Fogle stretched the early lead to 28–20—but Texas’ composure proved decisive late.
The Bulldogs had opened the tournament with a win over the Kennesaw State Owls, yet their season ended with disappointment once again.
Saturday’s victory marked Texas’ 15th Sweet 16 appearance and its first since the 2022–23 season. It also represented the ninth regional semifinal trip for Miller, who previously reached five with Arizona and three with Xavier.
Texas’ momentum began with a first-round upset of the BYU Cougars, a game that included a win over projected NBA lottery pick AJ Dybantsa. Now the Longhorns have become the first double-digit seed in a largely chalk-filled tournament bracket to punch a Sweet 16 ticket.
From the First Four to the West Region semifinals, Texas has turned one of the tournament’s most unlikely paths into one of its most compelling stories. And the Longhorns aren’t finished yet.
