No. 11 Texas defeats No. 3 Gonzaga 74-68 to advance to Sweet 16
The 11th-seeded Texas Longhorns beat the No. 3-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs 74-68 in a second-round game of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 21, 2026, at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon.
Texas advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2004, when the Longhorns reached the regional semifinals as a No. 4 seed in the Midwest Region before losing to Oklahoma State.[1]
Gonzaga held an eight-point lead at 28-20 with 4:29 left in the first half. Texas closed the half on a 15-5 run to lead 35-33 at halftime.
The teams traded the lead multiple times in the second half, with no margin exceeding four points until a Texas three-pointer created a six-point lead with 5:30 remaining.
Gonzaga reduced the deficit to two points with three minutes to play. Texas responded with a three-pointer for a five-point edge at 69-64.
Texas missed two three-point attempts that rimmed out. Gonzaga dunked to trail by one point with about 40 seconds left.
Camden Heide hit a corner three-pointer with 14.7 seconds remaining to put Texas ahead by four. Gonzaga missed a shot on its next possession, and Matas Vokietaitis scored a layup to secure the win.
Texas made 5 of 15 three-pointers, including three of its last five. Gonzaga shot 4 for 16 from three-point range.
Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis scored 17 points each for Texas, with Vokietaitis adding nine rebounds. Graham Ike led Gonzaga with 25 points.
The win marked Gonzaga's second straight second-round exit. Texas will face the winner of No. 2 Purdue versus No. 7 Miami, set for Sunday at 12:10 p.m. ET.
Sources
- Texas Longhorns men's basketball. Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Longhorns_men%27s_basketball
- Gonzaga Bulldogs men's basketball. Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonzaga_Bulldogs_men%27s_basketball
- Moda Center. Wikipedia. Accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moda_Center
