{"id":212626,"date":"2026-03-20T07:41:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:41:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/212626\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T07:41:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:41:15","slug":"how-will-the-texas-longhorns-match-up-against-their-next-opponent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/212626\/","title":{"rendered":"How Will The Texas Longhorns Match Up Against Their Next Opponent?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Texas Longhorns<\/a> have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating the BYU Cougars. <\/p>\n

The Longhorns have reached the second round in four of their last five seasons, but have only made it further in one of those seasons.<\/p>\n

If Texas wants to break that trend, it will need to beat either the 14-seed Kennesaw State Owls or the 3-seed Gonzaga Bulldogs. So how do they match up with those squads?<\/p>\n

No. 3 Gonzaga Bulldogs\"Gonzaga<\/p>\n

Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike hoists the most outstanding player trophy after defeating the Santa Clara Broncos | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Longhorns head coach Sean Miller is likely praying that the Owls take care of the Bulldogs, because if Gonzaga advances, they would present an especially difficult challenge for Texas.<\/p>\n

Bulldogs All-American senior forward Graham Ike has been dominating the paint for the better part of the last five years and shows no signs of slowing down. He leads a Gonzaga offense that scores the most points in the paint of anyone in the country.<\/p>\n

The Longhorns are 95th in defensive rating according to KenPom <\/a>and they have been particularly porous in the paint. <\/p>\n

Additionally, the Bulldogs are one of the few teams in college basketball that have been better at rebounding than the Longhorns this season, which removes one of Texas’ usual advantages.<\/p>\n

Still, Texas showed a different defensive energy against the Cougars, which helped them limit the team’s efficiency. If they can bring out a similar fire against the Bulldogs, they could surprise head coach Mark Few’s squad.<\/p>\n

Texas could also surprise Gonzaga with its physicality. While the Bulldogs have been great at defending the paint all season, they have not faced a team with the power or physicality of the Longhorns all season.<\/p>\n

The Bulldogs also have yet to face a player like Dailyn Swain, whose driving prowess and do-it-all ability are hard to prepare for. <\/p>\n

No. 14 Kennesaw State Owls\"Kennesaw<\/p>\n

Kennesaw State Owls guard Terrell Burden dribbles the ball while Indiana Hoosiers guard Gabe Cupps defends in the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Texas’ interior personnel would certainly have an edge on the Owls’, and their ability to rebound the ball could very well overwhelm Kennesaw State early.<\/p>\n

While the Longhorns would be favored in a matchup against the Owls, they cannot count them out. <\/p>\n

Kennesaw State brings in 19.1 points per game at the charity stripe and Texas has been foul-happy all season. Additionally, do-it-all guard RJ Johnson has been heating up since the Owls’ leading scorer, Simeon Cottle, went down halfway through the season.<\/p>\n

The Owls also shoot 27 threes a game, which could provide difficulty for a Longhorn team that allows those shots to go in at a 36% clip. While Kennesaw State has only made 33.7% of its long balls, the tournament is called March Madness for a reason.<\/p>\n

So while Texas holds the hypothetical advantage over Kennesaw State, the last thing any team can afford to do in March is count out their opponent.<\/p>\n

Sign up to our\u00a0free newsletter<\/a>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0for the latest news.<\/p>\n