Texas basketball rode Matas Vokietaitis and Tramon Mark past BYU, surviving AJ Dybantsa’s 35-point explosion to punch through to the next round.
Texas basketball didn’t just survive BYU in the NCAA Tournament. The Longhorns punched back, controlled the glass, and proved they’re not done yet.
After clawing through the First Four, Texas kept its March Madness run alive with a 79-71 win over BYU, and the story started with Matas Vokietaitis turning the paint into his personal workspace.
The sophomore big man was a wrecking ball, piling up 23 points and 16 rebounds while setting a brutal tone that BYU never truly solved. Even with AJ Dybantsa dropping 35 points, Texas kept control because its frontcourt edge was real and relentless.
Texas coach Sean Miller summed up.
“One word I would use to describe our group is resilient.” That fit perfectly. These Longhorns have looked shaky at times this season, but in the tournament, they’ve found a harder edge.
Miller added, “As we entered this tournament in Dayton, I think all of us up here really came to grips with, you know, let’s really go out playing at the highest level we can, sticking together.”
That mindset showed up all night. Texas never had a clean answer for Dybantsa, but it did have a plan.
“We understood that he has the ability to score like nobody else," he said. "But what we talked about was a jump shot by him was a victory for us.”
Miller also made it clear what couldn’t happen.
“What we couldn’t afford was that he puts Dailyn (Swain) in great foul trouble or he fouls our entire team out,” Miller continued.
Meanwhile, Tramon Mark brought the late-game calm again with 19 points, including another huge shot before halftime.
And even after some ugly misses at the line from Vokietaitis, Texas made the final winning plays. BYU coach Kevin Young didn’t dodge the truth.
“We did a much better job in the second half, but it was super disappointing that he basically manhandled our team in the first half,” he said.
Dybantsa reflected afterward, saying, “I love this place. I’m happy I chose here, I definitely made the right decision.” He added, “As far as the season, it’s tough dealing with adversity, but I’d rather do it with nobody else.”
For Texas basketball, though, this night belonged to toughness, rebounding, and a March run that suddenly feels very real.
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