Texas Advances to Sweet 16 After Defeating Gonzaga

PORTLAND, Ore. — In a thrilling match, Texas triumphed over Gonzaga 74-68, marking the first time in five years that a team from the NCAA Tournament’s First Four has advanced to the Sweet 16. Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis each contributed 17 points, while Camden Heide made a pivotal 3-pointer in the final moments of the game.

The Longhorns, seeded 11th, come in with a 21-14 record under rookie coach Sean Miller. Though they stumbled through the tournament—losing five of six prior games and winning narrowly against North Carolina State—they are set to face either second-seeded Purdue or seventh-seeded Miami in the West Regional semifinals Thursday in San Jose, California.

UCLA was the last team to make it to the Sweet 16 from the First Four, having reached the Final Four back in 2021.

“It’s been a tough journey, but we really battled until the end,” Miller shared after the game.

Third-seeded Gonzaga, with a strong record of 31-4, saw Graham Icke lead their scoring with 25 points but struggled overall to find additional scoring support. Despite their success in previous tournaments—having reached the Sweet 16 for nine consecutive years, including two national title game losses—they fell short this time, exiting in the second round for the second straight year.

A key moment came when Icke’s dunk put Gonzaga ahead 69-68 with just 40 seconds remaining. Following that, Miller took a timeout to set up a play. Heide, playing only 13 minutes, found himself in the corner and nailed a crucial shot with 14.7 seconds left, extending Texas’ lead to four points.

“He’s our best 3-point shooter, so keeping him on the bench made little sense,” Miller explained. “The play unfolded perfectly, he got open, and that was it.”

Vokietaitis further secured the game with a layup on a fast break.

Despite entering the game as 6.5-point favorites according to BetMGM, Gonzaga had an eight-point lead in the first half, only for Texas to rally back and lead 35-33 at halftime.

A dunk from Daylene Swain gave the Longhorns a 57-54 edge with 7:33 remaining. A subsequent three-pointer by Pope extended the lead to 62-56. Although Gonzaga narrowed the gap with a layup, Pope responded once more with another 3-pointer, making it 69-64.

“Both teams exchanged blows,” noted Gonzaga coach Mark Few. “Neither could stop the other late in the game, and that last shot by Heide was a game-changer.”

This victory marks Texas’ 15th time reaching the Sweet 16 and their first since the 2022-23 season, while it is Miller’s ninth appearance in a regional semifinal, previously achieved with Arizona and Xavier.

Gonzaga was making its 27th tournament appearance, supported by a crowd shouting “Let’s Go Zags!” A jump shot from David Fogle helped them to a 28-20 halftime lead.

After eliminating No. 14 seed Kennesaw State earlier, Gonzaga’s future remains uncertain as they prepare to join the revived Pac-12 next season.

On the other hand, Texas gained traction by winning against BYU, which featured NBA prospect AJ Divanza, in the first round. Remarkably, the Longhorns became the first double-digit seed in a mostly predictable tournament to advance beyond the first two rounds.

“I just wanted a shot,” Swain reflected after the game. “Our regular season didn’t end on a high note, but we didn’t give up. Everyone raised their game, which led to a more balanced offensive effort this postseason.”