Texas Longhorns Beat BYU Cougars In 1st Round Of NCAA Tournament As AJ Dybantsa’s 35 Points Are Not Enough

March is supposed to be a little crazy. It’s right there in the branding. But nobody told the Texas Longhorns they needed to give their entire fanbase a collective panic attack on Thursday night in Portland.

After building a comfortable 17-point lead and looking like an absolute juggernaut, the 11th-seeded Longhorns suddenly found themselves clinging to dear life. But when the final buzzer sounded, Texas survived the madness, upsetting the 6th-seeded BYU Cougars 79-71 to advance to the Round of 32.

For a program that has seen its fair share of postseason heartbreak, this was a massive exhale. It also marked Head Coach Sean Miller’s first NCAA Tournament victory with Texas. How did they get the job done this evening?

AJ Dybantsa Was Unstoppable, But Texas Brought an Army

If you didn’t know who AJ Dybantsa was before Thursday night, you definitely do now. The BYU freshman and projected NBA lottery pick put on a scoring clinic that had NBA scouts drooling and Texas fans sweating through their shirts.

Dybantsa finished with a staggering 35 points on 25 shots, draining all 12 of his free throws and pulling down 10 rebounds. During a sideline interview late in the first half, Miller was bluntly asked how his squad planned to slow the phenom down. Miller just gave a wry smile and essentially said, “I don’t think we can.”

He wasn’t wrong. But while BYU had Superman, Texas brought the Avengers. The rest of the Cougars’ roster managed a measly 36 points combined. BYU didn’t score a single bench point all night. Meanwhile, Texas relied on a beautifully balanced attack from a starting lineup that clearly understood the assignment. Tramon Mark, Dailyn Swain, and Jordan Pope combined for an ultra-efficient 44 points.

The Big Man Delivered: Matas Vokietaitis Dominates the Paint

You can’t talk about this win without talking about the absolute unit in the middle: Matas Vokietaitis. The 7-foot Lithuanian was a total mismatch for BYU inside, putting up a career-high 23 points and snatching 16 rebounds.

Vokietaitis essentially treated the paint like his own personal driveway. He forced BYU’s starting Center Keba Keita to foul out and gave Texas a massive edge in second-chance points.

But, because it’s March and nothing comes easy, Vokietaitis suddenly caught a severe case of the yips at the free-throw line late in the game. The big man missed his final seven free throws in the last seven minutes, repeatedly leaving the door cracked open for a BYU comeback. You could literally feel the blood pressure rising across the “Lone Star State” with every clanked attempt. Thankfully, his relentless rebounding and interior defense completely made up for the late-game struggles at the charity stripe.

Clutch Shots and Free Throws Save the Day For Texas

When a 17-point lead shrinks down to just four points with a minute left, you need cold-blooded execution. Luckily, Tramon Mark has ice in his veins. Mark, who hit the game-winner against NC State just days earlier, drained a gorgeous three-pointer right at the halftime buzzer that completely shifted the momentum. Then, when the game was on the line and BYU was aggressively fouling in the final 18 seconds, Mark stepped up to the line and calmly sank four straight free throws to ice the game.

Let’s also give a massive shoutout to Jordan Pope. With BYU breathing down their necks, Pope caught a brilliant pass from Swain and drilled a pure, uncontested three-pointer from the corner with 1:21 left. It was the ultimate dagger, turning a nervous four-point lead back into a comfortable seven-point cushion.

What’s Next For Texas

With the first-round monkey officially off their backs, Texas can take a quick breath. They shot 36% from deep, dominated the glass, and proved they can withstand a nuclear performance from an opposing star.

Now, they punch their ticket to the Round of 32, waiting to face the winner of Gonzaga and Kennesaw State. If Texas can keep getting this kind of balanced scoring, paint dominance, and clutch shot-making, they aren’t just a tough out. They are a legitimate problem for anyone left in this bracket.