Gonzaga harping on ‘toughness’ entering NCAA Round of 32 game against streaking Texas squad
PORTLAND – It’s true, there are certain Cinderella components to the unlikely run Gonzaga’s next opponent has made over the last four to five days at the NCAA Tournament.
Tension going into Selection Sunday? Texas dealt with it for the better part of four days after many suspected a 76-66 loss to Ole Miss at the SEC Tournament would bump Sean Miller’s team off the NCAA bubble.
Multiple victories in games they weren’t favored to win? The 11th-seeded Longhorns check that box, too, beating North Carolina State 68-66 in Tuesday’s First Four matchup in Dayton before traveling across the country to beat fifth-seeded BYU and freshman phenom AJ Dybantsa 79-71 two days later.
Texas is soaking up every bit of its unexpected run this week but as Mark Few pointed out Friday, the Cinderella comparisons only go so far when you wear burnt orange and have an SEC patch stitched to the front of your jersey.
“This is one of the beauties of the tournament,” Few said Friday. “Ordinarily when you play Texas, I mean, it’s Texas man. Texas has everything usually: the resources, the student population. I wouldn’t exactly classify this as some sort of Cinderella or anything here.
“This is a team that has some great players. They played in a tough league, so they took some losses. The SEC’s got some really, really good teams in it.”
The Longhorns (20-14) may not be your traditional Cinderella team but they’ve already had a number of Cinderella experiences since hearing their name called as the 67th of 68 teams to qualify for this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Thursday’s victory extended Texas’ stay in Portland and set up a Round of 32 matchup with third-seeded Gonzaga (31-3). The Zags and Longhorns will tip off at 4:10 p.m. at the Moda Center and TBS will carry the live broadcast.
Gonzaga hasn’t seen this iteration of Texas, but Few’s teams have matched up with Miller’s teams on nine occasions since 2009 and the 2025-26 Zags have played three previous games against SEC members, beating Oklahoma (83-68), Alabama (91-81) and Kentucky (94-59).
Graham Ike identified multiple keys to victory for Gonzaga against a big, athletic Texas team that’s looking for its third straight win after dropping five of six games to close the regular season and SEC Tournament.
“We’ve got to play clean and try to play without fouling, honestly,” Gonzaga’s Graham Ike said. “Just rebound, secure the ball and ultimately stop their iso ball. It’s not going to be 1-on-1, it’s going to be 1-on-5. We’re going to have to show bodies and have each other’s backs.”
The final stretch of a 73-64 win over Kennesaw State left a salty taste for players and coaches, but the Zags couldn’t spend much time thinking about late foul calls and their inefficient shooting night when they returned to the team hotel sometime around 10:30 p.m.
It was straight to Texas film and building a game plan for a team that leans on four double-digit scorers and averages just under 84 points per game.
“For sure they’re a super talented team,” Gonzaga point guard Mario Saint-Supery said. “They have great players and they’re a great team playing in isos. We just have to execute and as I’ve said before, we just have to be the toughest team on the court.”
The Zags will have to demonstrate toughness, ideally without fouling – something that became an issue toward the end of Thursday’s game against Kennesaw State. Saint-Supery fouled out late and two other GU players were saddled with four fouls apiece. Kennesaw State made 26 trips to the foul line, converting 19 times.
If previous games are any indication, Texas will try to do much of the same. The Longhorns rank sixth nationally in free throws per game (19.5) and seventh in attempts (26.2).
Junior wing Dailyn Swain is a jack of all trades for Miller’s team, leading Texas in points (17.6), rebounds (7.5 rpg), assists (3.5 apg) and steals (1.7 spg). Seven-foot center Matas Vokietaitis averages 15.7 ppg and 7.1 rpg while guards Tramon Mark and Jordan Pope add 13.8 and 13.0 ppg, respectively.
“Great athletes with great size, which is what Texas has,” Few said. “I mean, they have a huge 7-foot guy in the middle. They have some big-time wings that have size and athleticism. That’s kind of what the SEC is known for. Usually some lightning quick guards, guys that can really hurt you from the 3 line. They’ve really stepped it up on that front as of late.”
Both teams get a good percentage of their offensive production inside the paint. The Zags scored 36 points there against Kennesaw State while the Longhorns piled up 38 against BYU in Thursday’s early game.
“Recently we played much better defense,” Miller said. “My hope, fingers crossed, I hope to God that we can play the same version of that defense tomorrow against Gonzaga. That will give us our best chance.”