Texas Upsets Gonzaga, Miller Rejects 'Cinderella' Label
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- Texas upset third-seeded Gonzaga 74-68 in Portland to advance to the Sweet 16, its 11th NCAA tournament win as a double-digit seed — the most of any program since seeding began in 1979.
- Sean Miller improved to 9-1 in the round of 32 (including vacated games) and has won his past nine such games, the best record of any coach since the tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975 (minimum 10 games).
- Miller became the first Longhorns coach to reach the Sweet 16 in his first season on the job, after previous stints leading Arizona and Xavier.
- Miller rejected the Cinderella label after the win, saying 'we are the University of Texas, and what we represent in the SEC' — and credited regular-season wins over Alabama, Missouri, Georgia, and Texas A&M for the team's postseason readiness.
- Texas became just the sixth team to start in the First Four and reach the Sweet 16 since the First Four began in 2011.
- Jordan Pope scored a team-best 17 points and nailed a clutch 3-pointer with 2:31 remaining to give Texas a 69-64 lead, playing through a late ankle injury; Camden Heide's corner three and Matas Vokietaitis's transition layup in the final 14 seconds sealed the win.
Why it matters: Texas's path — First Four to Sweet 16 as an 11-seed — is historically rare, with only five previous teams making that leap since 2011. Miller's round-of-32 dominance (9-1, best since 1975) suggests the Longhorns' run is less fluke than their seeding implies, and a brutal SEC schedule gives them a template to keep advancing.
