The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
21-14,9-9SEC
Gonzaga
31-4,16-2WCC
Men’s Basketball tops No. 12/10 Gonzaga, 74-68, in NCAA Second Round
03.21.2026 | Men's Basketball
Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis each record 17 points to help Texas advance to the Sweet 16.
Order your Men's Basketball Sweet 16 apparel TODAY!
PORTLAND, Ore. — Sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis and senior guard Jordan Pope each tallied 17 points to lead Texas (21-14) to a 74-68 victory over No. 3 seed and No. 12/10 Gonzaga (31-4) in a NCAA Tournament Second Round contest on Saturday evening in Moda Center. With the win, the Longhorns advance to the NCAA West Regional Semifinals and will face either No. 2 seed Purdue or No. 7 seed Miami (Fla.) on Thursday, March 26 (tip time and TV to be announced later).
Texas will make its 15th appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 and first since 2023. This marks the first time that UT has advanced to the Sweet 16 as a No. 8 seed or lower since 1997 (Texas is a No. 11 seed this year), when the Longhorns reached the Sweet 16 by defeating No. 7 seed Wisconsin and No. 15 seed Coppin State.
Head Coach Sean Miller will make his ninth career trip to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach. Miller improved to 25-13 in 14 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 9-1 mark in NCAA Round of 32 contests. He is tied for eighth (with Purdue's Matt Painter) for most career NCAA Tournament wins by active Division I coaches (25).
Vokietaitis converted 7-of-11 field goals and 3-of-5 free throws while grabbing nine rebounds and adding two assists in 31 minutes. Pope hit 3-of-8 from three-point range and posted three assists without a turnover in 32 minutes. Junior Dailyn Swain recorded 11 points (5-7 FG, 1-1 threes), six rebounds and six assists without a turnover in 38 minutes, and sophomore Nic Codie added a season-high 12 points (5-6 FG, 2-2 FT), tied a career high with three assists and posted four rebounds, one steal and one block in 26 minutes.
A back-and-forth first half featured four ties and four lead changes. Texas took a 15-14 lead following a deep three-pointer from Swain at the 11:16 mark, but the Bulldogs used a 7-2 spurt over the next two-plus minutes to grab a 21-17 advantage after a Graham Ike three-pointer with 8:52 remaining.
The Longhorns pulled to within 23-20 following a Vokietaitis free throw at the 7:08 mark, but Gonzaga scored five-straight points to build a 28-20 cushion after a Davis Fogle jumper with 4:29 left. The Bulldogs took a 33-28 advantage following an Emmanuel Innocenti three-pointer at the 1:38 mark, before Texas closed the half with a Pope jumper, a Chendall Weaver layup in transition and a Pope three-pointer with six seconds left to grab a 35-33 lead heading into the break.
The Longhorns built a 39-35 cushion following a Pope jumper at the 18:32 mark, but Gonzaga scored five-straight points to take a 39-38 lead after a Jalen Warley free throw with 17:42 left. Texas responded with a Weaver jumper and Swain layup to grab a 43-40 advantage at the 15:39 mark. The Bulldogs took a 54-53 lead following a Tyon Grant-Foster three-pointer with 8:36 remaining, before the Longhorns used a 9-2 run over the next three minutes to build a 62-56 advantage after a Pope three-pointer at the 5:30 mark.
Gonzaga pulled to within 66-64 following an Ike layup with 3:01 left, before Pope hit another three-pointer to give Texas a 69-64 lead at the 2:36 mark. The Bulldogs scored four-straight points to trim the margin to 69-68 after an Ike dunk with 40 seconds left, before Camden Heide knocked down a three-pointer from the right corner to give the Longhorns a 72-68 cushion with 14 seconds remaining. Texas forced a defensive stop and Vokietaitis added a breakaway layup with two seconds left to seal the victory.
Texas Basketball Postgame Notes
NCAA Tournament Second Round
No. 11 seed Texas 74, No. 3 seed Gonzaga 68
March 21, 2026
Moda Center (Portland, Oregon)
Attendance: 14,385
Team Notes
- With the win, Texas advances to the NCAA West Region Round of 16 and will face either No. 2 seed Purdue or No. 7 seed Miami (Fla.) on Thursday, March 26 in San Jose, Calif. Tip time and television network will be announced later.
- Head Coach Sean Miller has now advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 a total of nine times in his 21 seasons as a collegiate head coach.
- Miller improved to 25-13 in 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a 9-1 mark in NCAA Round of 32 contests. He is tied for eighth (with Purdue's Matt Painter) for most career NCAA Tournament wins by active Division I coaches (25).
- The Longhorns have now advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 a total of 15 times in program history. This marks UT's first trip to the Sweet 16 since 2023.
- This marks the first time since 1997 that Texas has advanced to the Round of 16 as a No. 8 seed or lower (Texas is No. 11 seed). The Longhorns advanced to the Sweet 16 as a No. 10 seed in 1997, defeating No. 7 seed Wisconsin and No. 15 seed Coppin State).
- The Longhorns improved to 43-42 all-time in 40 NCAA Tournament appearances.
- Texas converted 51.7-percent (31-60) from the floor and recorded 20 assists against just five turnovers during the victory. The five turnovers tied a team season low (5 vs. Kansas City).
- The Longhorns registered an 11-2 advantage in points off turnovers, a 46-38 margin in points in the paint and a 20-13 advantage in bench scoring.
- The contest featured 10 lead changes and eight ties, and neither team led by more than eight points.
- Texas limited Gonzaga to 38.7-percent (12-31) from the floor, including a 2-of-7 (.286) mark from three-point range, in the second half.
- The Longhorns had 12 assists against just one turnover in the first half.
- Set his season high in scoring (12 points), previous: 11 at Arkansas
- Tied his season high in field goals made (5-6)
- Tied his career high in assists (3)
- Reached double figures in scoring for the second time this season (23 games) and third time in his career (42 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring (17 points) for the 27th time this season (35 games) and 98th time in his career (134 games)
- Reached double figures in scoring (11 points) for the 32nd time this season (35 games) and 57th time in his career (98 games)
- Recorded six assists without a turnover in 38 minutes and totaled 12 assists against just one turnover during the last two NCAA Tournament contests
- Reached double figures in scoring (17 points) for the 31st time this year (35 games) and 49th time in his career (69 games)
- Posted a team-best plus-minus total of plus-9 in 19 minutes
- Recorded eight points (4-5 FG), three rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal
