Jordan Pope Chose Violence
With 2:31 left and the game hanging in the balance, Texas guard Jordan Pope pulled up from the top of the key and buried a three-pointer that effectively ended Gonzaga's season. No. 11 Texas 74, No. 3 Gonzaga 68. The Longhorns are Sweet 16 bound.
This is the same Texas team that entered the tournament as one of the last teams selected. An 11-seed that most analysts thought was a first-round exit waiting to happen. Instead, they've knocked off BYU (and freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa) in the first round and now Gonzaga — a perennial powerhouse — in the second.
Gonzaga's March Ends Early Again
Mark Few's program has been one of the most consistent in college basketball for two decades. But the Bulldogs have now been eliminated before the Sweet 16 in back-to-back tournaments. For a program that reached the national championship game in 2021 and the Elite Eight in multiple recent years, early exits are becoming an uncomfortable pattern.
Gonzaga's weakness was exposed — they couldn't handle Texas's length and athleticism on the defensive end. The Longhorns forced 14 turnovers and held the Bulldogs to 38% shooting in the second half.
The Tournament So Far
Three days in and March Madness 2026 has already delivered more chaos than most full tournaments:
Round 1 upsets: No. 12 High Point over No. 5 Wisconsin (83-82). No. 11 VCU over No. 6 North Carolina in OT (82-78) — largest first-round comeback in tournament history. No. 11 Texas over No. 6 BYU.
Round 2 upsets: No. 11 Texas over No. 3 Gonzaga (74-68).
Dominant performances: No. 1 Duke crushed No. 9 TCU 81-58. No. 2 Houston destroyed No. 10 Texas A&M 88-57. No. 3 Illinois ended VCU's Cinderella run 76-55.
Sweet 16 Watch
Texas as an 11-seed in the Sweet 16 is a nightmare matchup for whoever draws them. They play physical, aggressive defense and have a go-to closer in Pope. The Longhorns haven't been to the Final Four since 2003. This team has the defensive identity to make a deep run if the shots keep falling.
Duke looks like the class of the field so far. Houston is rolling. But in a tournament this chaotic, seed lines mean nothing. The bracket is dead. Long live the bracket.
