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What's ahead of Texas in the NCAA Tournament

Joe Cookby: Joe Cook03/18/26josephcook89

Now that the Texas Longhorns are in the first round of the NCAA Tournament after a thrilling 68-66 win over NC State on Tuesday, Sean Miller and company must prepare for one known opponent and two potential opponents as his team heads to Portland, Ore. to compete as the 11-seed in the West regional.

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Texas will face 6-seed BYU on Thursday. If the Longhorns advance, they’ll face the winner of the matchup between 3-seed Gonzaga and 14-seed Kennesaw State.

Here’s a more detailed look at the BYU Cougars plus a glance at Gonzaga and Kennesaw State.

BYU Cougars, 23-11 (9-9 Big 12)

BYU forward AJ Dybantsa
© Aryanna Frank-Imagn Images

Head coach: Kevin Young
Path to the tournament: at-large
KenPom: No. 23
NET Ranking: No. 23
Points per game: 83.9 (No. 24)
Points allowed per game: 75.3 (No. 226)
FG%: 47.7% (No. 42)
3P%: 34.9 (No. 129)
FT%: 74.6% (No. 93)

Best wins

  • vs. Wisconsin – 98-70 – 11/21
  • vs. Clemson – 67-64 – 12/9
  • Iowa State – 79-69 – 2/21
  • Texas Tech – 82-76 – 3/7

BYU was 7-10 in Quadrant 1 games.

Star player: F AJ Dybantsa

  • Dybantsa was the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2025 Rivals Industry Ranking and chose BYU thanks to fervent recruiting from Kevin Young and a sizable NIL deal. The 6-foot-9, 210-pounder has played his way to the top of most mock drafts, and for good reason. Dybantsa is averaging a nation-leading 25.3 points on 51.3% shooting. He’s also pulling down 6.7 boards and dishing 3.8 assists per game. Dybantsa doesn’t take a lot of threes, but he is capable as he hits 34% from distance. The potential No. 1 overall pick, Texas will have its hands full with No. 3 in white.

Other scorers: G Robert Wright

  • Not only does Dybantsa fill it up, but so too does Wright. He averages 18.2 points per contest, giving the Cougars two different 18.0+ points per game scorers. Wright, who transferred from Baylor, is shooting 46.9% from the field and 42.2% from three.

Gonzaga, 30-3 (16-2 WCC)

Dec 7, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few yells during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Dec 7, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs head coach Mark Few yells during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

Head coach: Mark Few
Path to the tournament: WCC automatic bid
KenPom: No. 10
NET ranking: No. 7
Points per game: 85.1 (No. 17)
Points allowed per game: 66.0 (No. 18)
FG%: 51.0% (No. 5)
3P%: 34.0% (No. 189)
FT%: 69.9 (No. 268)

Kennesaw State, 21-13 (10-10 C-USA)

Head coach: Antoine Pettway
Path to the tournament: C-USA automatic bid
KenPom: No. 162
NET ranking: No. 155
Points per game: 83.4 (No. 31)
Points allowed per game: 76.1 (No. 239)
FG%: 44.6% (No. 212)
3P%: 35.0% (No. 122)
FT%: 69.1% (No. 292)

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