The Texas Longhorns Just Ruined Everyone's March Madness Brackets

The Texas Longhorns have consistently found themselves in the NCAA Tournament over the years, but the program typically isn't seen as an underdog, particularly as a double-digit seed.

That changed this season, as Texas earned its way into the No. 11 slot after a win the First Four against the NC State Wolfpack. This set up a matchup with the No. 6 BYU Cougars in Portland, OR. on Thursday, where Texas led for all but 22 seconds before securing a 79-71 win.

And in the process, Texas crushed a ton of hopes around the country from those wishing to put together a perfect bracket.

Texas' Win vs. BYU Crushed Tons of Brackets

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

According to the official March Madness page, only 0.09 percent of brackets remained perfect after Texas' win over BYU.

The Longhorns could do even more damage in the Round of 32 against Gonzaga. A win over the Bulldogs would put Texas in the Sweet 16, and it's hard to imagine that many college basketball fans had that penciled into their predictions when they were making their bracket.

Will the perfect brackets survive the night? 😳#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/5yikdyBElr
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026

Considering how the Longhorns ended the season, it's not too much of a surprise that so much of the country had them losing in the first round.

After a five-game winning streak in February, Texas lost five of its last six games, which included a first-round exit in the SEC Tournament.

The Longhorns then had to sweat it out on Selection Sunday as one of the final teams to receive an at-large bid.

The Longhorns certainly didn't play like an 11-seeded team that barely snuck its way into the bracket. Texas out-rebounded BYU 40-31, as Vokietaitis had as many rebounds (11) halftime as the Cougars had as a team.

Texas also led by as many as 17 before BYU rallied to make things interesting. But the fact the Longhorns had such a grip on the game at any point came as a surprise to some.

According to Texas guard Jordan Pope, the Longhorns can certainly keep advancing just as long as the defense continues to hold its own, something that had been an issue for the team all season long heading into the NCAA Tournament.

"Definitely playing with a chip. We finished the season, but like we've been saying all year, we're at our best in our garden, and our offense is always clear, but when we're guarding one of the best teams in America, teams in America, we can beat anybody on any given day. I'm not sure, as long as we bring that defense. You know, I'm happy with our chances

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