Though he had a pretty rough start to the 2026 season in terms of being in consistent foul trouble, Longhorns C Matas Vokietaitis has been absolutely dominant as of late. He's been a huge catalyst throughout Texas' five-game winning streak against SEC opponents, and he doesn't show any signs of slowing down.
He's one of the reasons why Sean Miller and Co. are still in the hunt for a spot in the 2026 tournament, and he'll have to continue playing at a high level over the final five games of the regular season.
In last night's win over LSU, he had 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 big blocks. He also shot 54.5% from the field and 83.3% from the free-throw line. Efficient nights like this are what makes him such a special player in the frontcourt for Texas.
Double-doubles from Dailyn Swain, Matas Vokietaitis give Texas a boost over LSU at home 🤘https://t.co/C0Zwrl56Rm
— SportsDayDFW (@SportsDayDFW) February 18, 2026
Very few 7-footers in the league have the ability to be effective on both ends of the court like Vokietaitis consistently is, and thankfully, he's been able to cut down on the fouling recently.
Sean Miller has been harping on it all season long, mentioning it multiple times during postgame pressers, and it finally looks like he's getting through to Matas. Miller also mentioned something along the lines of Vokietaitis' fouling problem being the difference between making it to the postseason or not. Needless to say, it looks like he was right because the fouling has slowed down, and the team is consistently winning.
As long as Vokietaitis continues to play the way he has over the past 10-15 games, the Longhorns have a decent chance to make it to March Madness this year.