Texas Longhorns Outplay BYU, Eye Gonzaga

0:00On March 20, the Texas Longhorns pulled off a solid win over the BYU Cougars in the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA tournament. They focused on containing AJ Dibanza, the top scorer in Division 1 at 25.3 points per game, and a likely number one pick in next. Years NBA Draft Texas used double teams and helped defense to limit his impact and shut down his teammates. In offense, four Texas starters reached double figures in points. Sophomore Center Mata's Volkieta Idis led the way with 23 points and 16 rebounds, including nine on the offensive end for key. Second chance buckets. Despite some late free throw struggles, their balance to tack overwhelm BYU's thin scoring outside Dibanza. Coming in, everyone knew BYU relied heavily on Dibanza, who dropped 18 of their first 29 points. The Texas coach Sean Miller stressed rebounding and team defense on everyone else, which paid off as no longhorn got into serious foul trouble.

1:02Players like Jr. Ford, Dale and Swain and Senior Guard, Traymon Mark, took turns guarding the 6-foot-9 star, with Mark even blocking him multiple times. This led Texas stick to their rotations, keeping key guys on the floor for over 30 minutes each. Now Texas eyes a tough matchup with the number 3 seed, Gonzaga Bulldogs. Crashing the boards and staying out of foul trouble will be crucial again, especially in the battle between Volkieta Idis and Gonzaga's Graham Ike, as the longhorn's aim to keep their tournament run alive.