Texas pulled off a stunning upset, defeating third-seeded Gonzaga 74-68 to become the first team in five years to advance from the NCAA tournament's First Four to the Sweet 16. Jordan Pope and Matas Vokietaitis each scored 17 points, while Camden Heide hit the game-sealing 3-pointer with 14.7 seconds remaining.

First-year coach Sean Miller's 11th-seeded Longhorns, who entered the tournament with a 21-14 record after losing five of six games, will face either No. 2 seed Purdue or No. 7 seed Miami in the West Region semifinals in San Jose, California. The last First Four team to reach the Sweet 16 was UCLA, which advanced to the Final Four in 2021.

Gonzaga's Graham Ike led all scorers with 25 points, but the Bulldogs struggled to generate consistent offense beyond their star center. Texas led 35-33 at halftime and made crucial plays down the stretch, including Pope's 3-pointer with 5:28 remaining that gave them a 62-56 lead. This marks Texas's 15th Sweet 16 appearance and first since 2022-23, while Gonzaga's season ends in the second round for the second consecutive year after nine straight Sweet 16 appearances.