The Texas Longhorns' Next March Madness Opponent is Officially Set

Sean Miller's first NCAA Tournament game as head coach of the Texas Longhorns was nothing short of a success as they knocked off the No. 6-seeded BYU Cougars 79-71 Thursday night.

Despite 35 points from BYU star AJ Dybantsa, the No. 11 seed Longhorns kept their momentum going forward, now comfortably in the hunt for a national championship after almost not even being one of the 64 teams this time last week.

Now the Horns get an even bigger challenge as they advance further in the tournament in the form of the No. 3-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs, the current champions of the WCC.

Texas vs. Gonzaga, Round of 32

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) reacts after defeating the Kennesaw State Owls during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Moda Center. | Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

The Gonzaga Bulldogs come into the contest with a 31-3 record, including a 16-2 conference record that at one point saw the team embark on a 15-game winning streak.

In a defensive battle, Gonzaga took care of the Kennesaw State Owls in their Round of 64 match, coming out with a 73-64 win after 19 points by Graham Ike and a productive night of free throw shooting, with 20 of their 23 shots finding the bottom of the net, good enough for 87 percent.

A notable basketball program, Gonzaga has been under the direction of head coach Mark Few since 1999, and have secured a ticket to "The Big Dance" in each of his 27 seasons that he's been at the helm, and have advanced past the Round of 64 every year since 2008.

The team has made it to the national championship twice, once in 2017 and another time four years later in 2021, with both times seeing the Bulldogs come up short in the end.

The 2017 national championship had Gonzaga pitted against Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels, and the Tar Heels were able to get redemption from the previous year's championship and defeat Gonzaga 71-65, despite the Bulldogs posting a 37-1 record throughout the year.

After a year's break thanks to the COVID-19 outbreak, March Madness resumed in 2021, and it concluded with the Bulldogs' quest for a perfect season falling short with an 86-70 loss to Scott Drew and the Baylor Bears.

Since then, the Bulldogs resume has read Sweet 16, Elite Eight, Sweet 16, Round of 32, and now another Round of 32 as they await the Longhorns at the Moda Center in Portland.

The two teams square off in the Round of 32 Saturday night at 6:10 PM on truTV.