3 Ways Texas Longhorns Can Beat Gonzaga in March Madness

In March, the goal is to survive and advance, and the Texas Longhorns have done just that so far as they head into the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 11-seeded Longhorns head into the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament after pulling off an upset over the No. 6-seeded BYU Cougars in round one on Thursday, as the Longhorns came away with the 79-71 victory.

The Longhorns now stay out west for a little while longer as they get ready for another challenge with a ticket to the Sweet Sixteen on the line, with Texas taking on perennial basketball power in the No. 3-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday. If the Longhorns wish to pull off another upset, here are three ways in which they can secure an extension on their season.

Contain a High-Powered Gonzaga Offense

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike reacts during the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Kennesaw State Owls. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Longhorns have done a much better job on the defensive side of the court in their last two games, holding their opponents to 68.5 points over the course of those games, and they will have to continue with their defensive efforts against Gonzaga, which features one of the best offenses in the nation.

The Bulldogs head into the matchup averaging 84.8 points per game, making them one of the Top-20 scoring offenses in the country while shooting 51 percent from the field as a team as well as 34 percent from three-point range.

Leading the way for Gonzaga has been forward Graham Ike, who heads into the game on Saturday as the Bulldogs' leading scorer, averaging 19.7 points per game while shooting 56.9 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Tramon Mark Has to Stay Hot

Texas Longhorns guard Tramon Mark celebrates after making a basket in the first half against the BYU Cougars during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Tramon Mark is obviously the veteran leader on the Longhorns, with the guard in his sixth year of college basketball and having plenty of NCAA Tournament experience under his belt, and that's been reflected in Texas's first two games.

Mark scored a game-high 17 points and made the game-winning shot with under two seconds left to play in the Longhorns' First Four win over the NC State Wolfpack and followed that up with a 19-point, four-rebound, two assists, two steals, and career-high four-block performance in the win against BYU.

For the Longhorns to stay dancing, their veteran leader has to continue the momentum he has built through the first two games of the tournament.

Limit the Turnovers

Texas Longhorns forward Dailyn Swain drives against BYU Cougars forward Khadim Mboup in the second half. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Gonzaga is one of the top teams in the country in forcing turnovers off of its opponents, sitting inside the Top-25 in the country in turnovers forced per game, averaging 14.35. Not only are the Bulldogs good at forcing turnovers, but they can cash them in for easy points, averaging 18.1 points off turnovers.

Texas has done an alright job at limiting turnovers throughout its first two games of the NCAA Tournament, turning the ball over 12 times against NC State, giving the Wolfpack 10 points off of those turnovers. And against BYU, the Longhorns turned the ball over nine times, giving the Cougars 12 easy points.

The Bulldogs are a much better team at forcing turnovers and converting them into points, something the Longhorns will have to be well aware of on their offensive possessions.

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