The Texas Longhorns are back on the path to the Sweet 16.
With sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis and senior guard Jordan Pope both finishing up 17 points each, No. 11 seed Texas defeated No. 3 seed Gonzaga, 74-68, at Moda Center in Portland. The victory advances the Longhorns (21–14) to the NCAA West Regional Semifinals for the first time since 2023, and the first time Texas made the Sweet 16 as a No. 8 seed or lower since 1997.
Leading the charge, Sean Miller earned his ninth career Sweet 16 appearance, improving to 25-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament play. It was not exactly a good start, but Texas figured out how to end the first half strong. At that point in the first 20 minutes, after trading leads, the Bulldogs were up 33-28 with under two minutes to play.
That was when the Longhorns flipped the script.
Pope made a mid-range jumper, Chendall Weaver converted a transition layup, and Pope finished the run with a deep three at the buzzer to give Texas a 35-33 lead over the break. That was the kind of momentum-swinging stretch that created the perfect mood for everything to come after.
In the second half, it was a battle from opening to closing. Neither team was able to lead by over eight points. Gonzaga then surged back to lead late, bringing the margin up to 69-68, with only 40 seconds remaining thanks to a Graham Ike dunk.
But then came Camden Heide’s comeback with a clutch three from the right corner, to push the lead to 72-68 with 14 seconds left, and Vokietaitis finished with a breakaway layup at the buzzer.
Vokietaitis scored nine rebounds and converted 7-of-11 from the field, and junior Dailyn Swain contributed 11 points, six rebounds and six assists, not a single turnover in 38 minutes. The Longhorns locked in at all ends, shooting 51.7 percent from the floor, and held Gonzaga to a meager 38.7 percent shooting in the second half. Texas’ hustle categories were also dominated, outscoring the Bulldogs 11-2 in points off turnovers and 46-38 in points in the paint. Nic Codie turned in a season-high 12 points from the bench during another great 5-of-6 shooting performance, adding three assists, as well as a career-best plus-minus for the season’s biggest impact in that game.
Texas is now moving on to the Sweet 16 in San Jose, where the Longhorns will face No. 2 seed Purdue on Thursday, March 26 at 6:10 pm.
