PORTLAND, OR — Do you know that feeling when trying on clothes and physically, it fits, but really it doesn't?
There's just something off. Maybe it doesn't look good. Maybe it's not the right style. Maybe there really isn't a reason, other than it just isn't right.
That's exactly what's going on in theNCAA Tournament.
A spectacle that is built on chaos hasn't had much of it, with the 2026 edition producing just four double-digit first round winners. Only one of them ismoving onto the Sweet 16, meaning we'll get a single Cinderella.
And who will be the lucky one riding the carriage?Texas?
Oh, that's no Cinderella.
In March Madness, one size does not in fact fit all.
"I don't think we ever really want to sign up to be the Cinderella story," said Texas coach Sean Miller. "Because we are the University of Texas."
Texas stuns Gonzaga to clinch Sweet 16 berth in NCAA Tournament
It's a puzzling juxtaposition: the tournament always calls for an underdog to root for, but you can't be much of one when you – checks notes –recorded $331.9 million in operating revenues and $325 millionin operating expenses in the 2024 fiscal year.
Even though this was its 11th NCAA Tournament win as a double-digit seed, Texas is so far from a Cinderella, one could argue it's the evil stepsister.
To their credit, theLonghornstried to not be one. They just weren't really successful at it. Sure it had some notable wins but it also: lost to Duke in the season opener, finished sixth in a not-so-loaded Maui Invitational, had a 8-9 Quad 1 record to go along with 1-4 Quad 2 mark and a Quad 3 loss.
"In some ways, the first couple of months of our season were very much a work in progress," Miller said.
Texas limped into the tournament with a three-game losing streak that pushed them into having to play in the First Four. Not ideal, but it did something that you never want to give teams with potential: an opportunity.
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"We had a players-only meeting, and we just talked about that we just needed a chance," said Texas guard Dailyn Swain.
A chance Texas has taken full advantage of. The Longhorns edged NC State in the First Four,completely outperformed AJ Dybantsa and BYUin the first round and on Saturday night in Portland, were one step ahead of a veteran Gonzaga squad playing in its own backyard.
It's not so much a Cinderella, but a team playing up to the capabilities and expectations set on them. It just so happens there's a little No. 11 right next to their name.
"We're all adults here in this room," said Gonzaga coach Mark Few. "Some of these monikers we put on everybody from Cinderella to blue bloods and all that, I have a hell of a time understanding it. I mean, they make literally no sense.
"That is not a Cinderella team. That's a really talented basketball team with a really, really, really good coach, that has incredible resources and has a great history of doing great things in the tournament. That's just a 11-seed that had some tough losses during the year," he added.
A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
See best of March Madness 2026, from mascots and fans to celebrities
A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's2026 NCAATournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
The result might say something larger about the state of Cinderellas. This will now be back-to-back years without them.
Yes, Texas ensures that there will be a double-digit seed in the Sweet 16, which has happened in every tournament except 2007 since expanding in 1985. But last year's representative was Arkansas, aprogram that threw $7 million at John Caliparito get him to leave Kentucky. The one before that barely counts because at the end of the day, NC State is an ACC team with a rich history.
While we frantically wonder if the mid-majors are truly toast from making deep runs in the Big Dance, you do have to give Texas credit. The expectation isn't for Texas to lose 14 games in a season, but it is expected to do exactly what it's doing right now. This is not the same team that lost five of its last six games heading into Selection Sunday.
Jordan Pope is playing like the elite guard expected when he transferred from Oregon State in 2024. Matas Vokietaitis is completely commanding the interior, dominating any big man that dares get in his way. Sean Miller is showing why this will be ninth Sweet 16 trip, deciding to put in Camden Heide to hit the 3-point dagger against the Bulldogs. This looks like a real SEC contender.
The road to it wasn't pretty, and that's what makes Texas a great story. It figured it out at the right time when a lot of people counted them out. It makes them easy to root for. The Longhorns should celebrate this and have the mindset of a giant slayer when it arrives at the Sweet 16.
They have all the makings of it, but still, don't try to fit the glass slipper on Bevo.
"Sometimes the lessons you've learned along the way strengthen you. We're a much better team right now than we would have been a month ago. I think we're playing our best, everybody wants to play their best in March, and we just so happen to do it," Miller said. "Hopefully we can keep going."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Texas a Cinderella? Nope, the Longhorns are just hot at the right time
