Texas forward Camden Heide (5) celebrates with teammates after the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against the Gonzaga, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)Texas forward Camden Heide (5) celebrates with forward Nic Codie (10) after the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against the Gonzaga, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)Texas forward Dailyn Swain (3) react during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against the Gonzaga, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)Gonzaga forward Graham Ike (15) passes the ball under pressure from Texas forward Camden Heide (5) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Craig Mitchelldyer)Gonzaga forward Graham Ike (15) looks to pass the ball around Texas guard Chendall Weaver (2) during the first half in the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Texas forward Camden Heide (5) celebrates with teammates after the second round of the NCAA college basketball tournament against the Gonzaga, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
PORTLAND, Ore. – Jordan Pope and Matas Vokieaitis each scored 17 points, Camden Heide hit a game-sealing 3-pointer and Texas became the first team in five years to go from the NCAA Tournament’s First Four to the Sweet 16, beating Gonzaga 74-68 on Saturday.
First-year coach Sean Miller’s 11th-seeded Longhorns (21-14), who lost five of six entering the tournament and looked underwhelming in their First Four win over N.C. State, will face either No. 2 seed Purdue or No. 7 seed Miami on Thursday in the West Region semifinals San Jose, California.
The last First Four team to reach the Sweet 16 was UCLA, which made it all the way to the Final Four in 2021.
Graham Ike led third-seeded Gonzaga (31-4) with 25 points, but the Bulldogs struggled to generate much secondary scoring.
Coach Mark Few’s team bowed out in the second round for the second straight year after reaching the Sweet 16 in nine consecutive tournaments, a run that included two losses in the national title game.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
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