How the Texas Longhorns Took Down A Future NBA Superstar in March Madness

The Texas Longhorns matched up with the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday night.

BYU Cougars freshman forward AJ Dybantsa displayed what all the hype is about versus Texas, scoring 35 points. But the Longhorns were able to outlast his standout performance behind a full-team effort on both sides of the court to win 79-71.

Defensively, head coach Sean Miller's team brought double teams through constant help defense, making Dybantsa's life difficult and forcing his teammates to step up. Outside of Dybantsa, who went 11 of 25 from the field, the Cougars only mustered 13 made field goals for 36 points, with a bench player failing to score.

Offensively, Texas got double-digit point showings from four different starters, led by a dominant performance by sophomore center Matas Vokietaitis. Despite second-half free-throw woes, Vokietaitis totaled 23 points and 16 rebounds, proving lethal on second-chance opportunities off of nine offensive rebounds.

What Sean Miller said postgame about matching up against Dybantsa

Texas Longhorns head coach Sean Miller in the second half against the BYU Cougars during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Coming into the matchup, it was no secret that the potential of a one-man show was possible on the BYU side of things. This season, Dybantsa led Division 1 with 25.3 points per game and on impressive efficiency, shooting 51.3% from the field.

And from the start, that possibility became a reality, with Dybantsa scoring 18 of BYU's first 29 points to keep the Cougars within reach.

"We knew he was going to score," Miller said postgame. "We just wanted to make sure we did a great job of rebounding and that we did as good of a job as we can guarding the rest of the group. I think that's why we were able to win."

Dybantsa got to the free-throw line 12 times, converting every attempt, and the Cougars tallied 24 free throws as a group. But the 19 personal fouls Texas collected were not indicative of overwhelming foul trouble individually.

BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa reacts after a play in the first half against the Texas Longhorns during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

No player reached four or more fouls in the contest or got in alarming early trouble, allowing Texas to run its normal and preferred rotations. Each of junior point guard Jordan Pope, senior guard Tramon Mark, junior forward Dailyn Swain and Vokietaitis played over 30 minutes and contributed effectively in turning stops into offensive execution.

"What we talked about is a jump shot by (Dybantsa) is a victory for us," Miller said. "What we couldn't afford is that he puts Dailyn in great foul trouble or he fouls our entire team out. Because among the many things he does, he puts so many fouls on the opponent that he wears out the other team. We were able to play him. I see he had 12 free throws, but these guys were able to play all the way to the end."

As Miller mentioned, it wasn't only Swain who spent time on Dybantsa. Others on the court got their turn through switches and based on the possession-by-possession half-court layout.

Mark was another notable Longhorn who received his fair share of defensive chances on Dybantsa, recording multiple blocks on the 6-foot-9 star.

"When I got my turn on him, I took it personally just like I take any other matchup," Mark said. "I executed some stops on him. Of course, he's a great player, so he's going to score some buckets. The stops I got, I felt good about. It helped our team win."

With this victory, Texas now focuses its attention on another upset opportunity against the No. 3-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, where a matchup between senior center Graham Ike and Vokietaitis will be of utmost importance.

Once again, avoiding foul trouble, crashing the boards and executing on both ends of the court will be a necessity to move on to the second weekend.

"When you connect the defense with the offense that we've played, you have a team that's certainly dangerous. That's what I would call us right now," Miller said.

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