The first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament may have been a breeze for the Texas Longhorns — winning by 42 points in each of their games against 16-seed Missouri State and 8-seed Oregon.
But head coach Vic Schaefer knew the competition would ramp up quickly.
For the second consecutive year, the 1-seed Longhorns will face an SEC opponent in the Sweet 16, taking on 5-seed Kentucky at 2 p.m. Saturday in Fort Worth. If it was up to Schaefer, he wouldn’t have it this way.
“I would like to beat my head in against somebody else than against somebody in my own league,” he said. “I think that speaks to our league and how good our league is, and you’re going to have this happen.
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“It’s inevitable.”
The SEC may have trailed the Big Ten in terms of teams that punched their ticket to March Madness, but Texas’ conference certainly has more contenders. Of the 10 SEC teams that made it, two were 1-seeds (Texas and South Carolina), two were 2-seeds (LSU and Vanderbilt) and six are still alive in the Sweet 16.
The ACC has five teams still competing. The Big Ten’s 12 has dwindled to just three. The Big 12 and Big East have just one team each remaining.
Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer hugs gaurd Rori Harmon (3) as she exits the second round NCAA Women’s Basketball game against Oregon at the Moody Center on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
“I think for two months of the year — in January and February — we’re going against the best of the best,” Schaefer said. “It’s not like we’re just playing five or six teams in nonconference. We played five or six in nonconference and played 19 in the SEC.”
The competition gets immensely tougher as Texas takes on a Kentucky team with five players averaging in double figures, led by center Clara Strack, who averages a double-double (16.9 points and 10.3 rebounds), in addition to 2.6 blocks and 1.2 steals per game.
“She is a tremendous player,” Texas forward Madison Booker said. “She doesn’t need to score to impact the game for her team. She’s a great rebounder. I think also she has great chemistry with [Kentucky forward] Teonni Key. I think we need to do a better job than last time with trying to deny her the ball, limit her touches a little bit, kind of make her work a little extra for it and block her out.”
But Texas also has a game-changing player of its own in Booker, who averages 19.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game, and is coming off a 40-point performance against Oregon in the second round. In Texas’ 64-53 win over Kentucky during the regular season on Feb. 9, the Wildcats held Booker to just eight points — her lowest point total of the season.
“I think Madison didn’t get too many shots,” Texas guard Jordan Lee said. “It was that type of game where she just didn’t get enough shots up. I think we need to work a little bit harder as a team for that to happen.”
The Longhorns can draw somewhat from their February win in SEC play to help them Saturday, but they’re also trying to be cautious in doing so.
They know Saturday’s game will be their toughest yet of the tournament — and certainly don’t expect another 40-point victory like they’ve grown accustomed to in the last two rounds.
“They have a laundry list of issues for me,” Schaefer said. “It’s seven weeks ago when we played them, so I think they’re a way different team. They’re playing way better. I think we’re different. We’re playing pretty well, too.”
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