Texas Upsets Gonzaga to Reach Sweet 16, Can They Make Cinderella Run in 2026 March Madness?

No. 11 Texas pulled off an upset in the Pacific Northwest, knocking off No. 3 Gonzaga, 74-68, in a down-to-the-wire victory.

The victory has many hailing Texas as a new Cinderella, continuing a run that began in the First Four with a win over NC State.

After taking down No. 6 BYU in the first round and No. 3 Gonzaga in their neck of the woods on Saturday, Texas now awaits the winner of the No. 7 Miami vs. No. 2 Purdue matchup.

Dailyn Swain led the team in all major categories during the regular season and has stayed hot in the postseason, but Texas has shown depth, with at least four players scoring in double figures in each of its three tournament games.

Facing Miami or Purdue will be a challenge, as both teams feature go-to stars in Malik Reneau for Miami and Trey Kaufman-Renn for Purdue. However, if those teams cannot get their key players going against a red-hot Texas squad, the Longhorns could have the edge with an extra game of momentum under their belts.

Longhorns' Matas Vokietaitas and Jordan Pope each finished with 17 points, with Vokietaitas adding nine rebounds in the win.

Swain turned in a strong all-around performance with 11 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Nic Codie added 12 points off the bench.

Tennessee led 35-33 at halftime after closing the first half on a 15-5 run, erasing a 28-20 deficit with just under 4:30 remaining.

Both teams traded blows in the second half with a spot in the Sweet 16 coming down to the wire. 

A key three-pointer from Pope gave Texas a five-point lead with just over 2:30 left, but Tennessee responded with timely free throws and a shot inside from Jalen Warley. 

Camden Heide delivered the dagger with a clutch three off a dish from Tramon Mark and Vokietaitas added the exclamation point to seal the upset victory.

Texas will face the winner of No. 7 Miami and No. 2 Purdue in the Sweet 16.