Jay Bilas predicts winner of Texas-Gonzaga game in Round of 32
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Jay Bilas had a feeling about Texas, and so far he’s been correct.
The ESPN college basketball analyst predicted before the NCAA Tournament began that the Longhorns would take down NC State in the First Four in Dayton, Ohio, then zoom out to Portland and take apart No. 6 seed BYU in the first round. No. 11 seed Texas has made Bilas look pretty good at each check point, with Bilas picking every game in the 2026 tournament in his piece that published on Monday morning.
No. 3 seed Gonzaga did its part, too, but not without a little scare from No. 14 seed Kennesaw State on Thursday night. The Bulldogs fought their way past the stubborn Owls, 73-64, late Thursday in Portland, setting up the West Region second-round matchup on Saturday that Bilas saw coming before the tournament even began.
Texas needed a late shot by Tramon Mark on Tuesday night in Dayton to outlast NC State, 68-66, and then the Longhorns locked down BYU on Thursday night in a 79-71 victory to head to the Round of 32. With its 11 seed and 20-14 record, the underdog Horns will try to go a little bit deeper on Saturday against the 31-3 Bulldogs, who were once again a force to be reckoned with out of the West Coast Conference.
The underdog from the SEC will try to pull another shocker in the 7:10 p.m. ET tip off in Portland on truTV, and guess what? Bilas believes Texas will do just that.
Here is what he wrote back on Monday morning about the matchup that has in fact happened:
The Zags are playing without Braden Huff — and his 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game — which limits their offense and defense. Gonzaga is the better team, but consider taking a flier here. Texas is a sneaky 11-seed because of its size, Dailyn Swain’s ability to score and Sean Miller’s coaching chops.
So, there you go, Texas basketball fans. Bilas has the Longhorns having an extended stay in the Big Dance, all the way to the Sweet 16.
With Texas finding its way through the First Four in dramatic fashion and the first round in conventional fashion, this is how the Kalshi market sees the Longhorns’ chances to stun Gonzaga and advance to the Sweet 16:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
