On Friday afternoon, Texas women’s basketball will open its 38th NCAA Tournament appearance at Moody Center against Missouri State.
Texas and Missouri State last played in 2007. Texas coach Vic Schaefer, though, is plenty familiar with his upcoming opponent. He recalled this week that Missouri State fans would be “hanging from the rafters” whenever the Arkansas team he was once an assistant coach for visited the Lady Bears. Schaefer also said Missouri State and Stephen F. Austin, which played each other in Wednesday’s First Four game, both “turned me down for head coaching jobs. I applied there a minimum of six times total between those two schools trying to get jobs there when it was available.”
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Texas Longhorns guard Ashton Judd (21) looks for an open team mate for a pass during the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Texas forward Ashton Judd also knows a thing or two about Missouri State. The senior is a Missouri native who played against Missouri State star Kaemyn Bekemeier in high school. Judd’s father, Eric, also was on the Missouri State men’s basketball team from 1998-2000.
Texas Longhorns forward Breya Cunningham (25) jumps for a rebound during the game against Auburn at the Moody Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Those are all subplots for Judd, though. On Friday, she’ll also be making her NCAA Tournament debut.
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“I think we just treat it like any other game,” Judd said Thursday. “We’ve been on this type of stage before in the SEC tournament … and when we played in Vegas and stuff like that. So it’s no different, it’s just another game for us.”
TEXAS VS. MISSOURI STATE
When/where:Â 3 p.m. Friday at Moody Center.
TV/radio:Â ESPN; 1300 AM.
MORE: Madison Booker is Longhorns’ first three-time AP All-American
Judd spent her first three years at Missouri. The Tigers reached the WNIT during her freshman year, but posted losing records in 2024 and 2025, seasons that ended once Missouri was eliminated from the SEC Tournament.
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That losing was admittedly frustrating for Judd, who won a state championship as a high school senior. A chance to win with Texas, which was coming off a Final Four appearance and had reached the NCAA Tournament in each of Schaefer’s first five years, factored into Judd’s decision to transfer to Austin.
“I think (everybody) wants to compete and wants to win, especially me, so it definitely went into my decision getting a transfer portal,” Judd said.
Texas Longhorns guard Ashton Judd (21) is walked onto the court for a senior day celebration after the game against Mississippi State at the Moody Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Texas announced April 28 that they had signed both Judd and Boston College forward Teya Sidberry. Schaefer has often praised both seniors for deciding to come to Texas even though they’d be competing for minutes alongside rising sophomore Justice Carlton.
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“I wanted to be a part of a team that was a national championship contender,” Judd said. “I got into the sport because I like to compete, so it’s definitely not something that I was going to stray away from in the first place. Coming to a place like this, you’re going to have to compete for a spot regardless. I was happy to challenge myself.”
Said Sidberry: “It’s definitely a healthy competition. We want to win.”
This season, Judd is averaging 5.0 points and 2.8 rebounds. After missing the first 12 games with a fractured kneecap, her playing time has fluctuated. Schaefer did lean on Judd during the SEC Tournament semifinals March 7, and she played 28 minutes in an 85-68 win over Ole Miss.Â
Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) at practice March 19, 2026 as the Texas Longhorns host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Moody Center in Austin. Texas will play Missouri State on Friday.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Some of the Texas newcomers have NCAA Tournament experience
Texas brought back two starters in Rori Harmon and Madison Booker from last year’s Final Four run, and the Longhorns may not have beaten Tennessee in last year’s Sweet 16 round or TCU in the Elite 8 had returnees Jordan Lee, Bryanna Preston and Kyla Oldacre not played as well as they did off the bench. Carlton played a total of 14 minutes in last year’s tournament, but she has developed into a formidable starter this season.
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But a half-dozen players on UT’s roster weren’t around last year. And those six newcomers have varying experiences with the NCAA Tournament.
MORE: What Vic Schaefer’s suit jackets told us about Texas basketball’s SEC Tournament dominance
Like Judd, freshman guard Aaliyah Crump is set to make her NCAA Tournament debut. Freshman guard Grace Prenter and redshirting center Lovisa Asbrink Hose, who spent last season at Florida Atlantic, also have never appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Junior forward Breya Cunningham started during Arizona’s two tournament games in 2024. Sidberry missed out on the NCAA Tournament during her last two years at Boston College, though she did see some playing time during Utah’s Sweet 16 run in 2023.
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“I’m just happy to be here, especially with this team,” Cunningham said. “I think we’ve worked really hard, and I think if we just keep playing (like) we finished the SEC tournament, if we play like that, I think we’ll make a good run.”
Texas enters the NCAA Tournament with a 31-3 record and the bracket’s overall No. 3 seed. Earlier this month, the Longhorns beat Alabama, Ole Miss and South Carolina to win the SEC Tournament’s championship.