With the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament underway, Texas (31-3), Oregon (22-12), Virginia Tech (23-9) and Missouri State (23-12) all will be at Moody Center this weekend for first-round games.
As the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds in the “Fort Worth 3” quadrant, Oregon and Virginia Tech will play at 12:30 p.m. Friday in a game that precedes a 1 vs. 16 matchup between Texas and Missouri State. The winners of those two games will meet in Sunday’s second round for a berth in next week’s Sweet 16.
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Every team in Austin has qualified for a Final Four in the past 25 years. Missouri State reached the Final Four in 2001, Texas went in 2003 and 2025, Oregon reached that stage in 2019 and Virginia Tech made it in 2023.
Want to know more about this weekend in Austin? That’s as easy as A-B-C.
Texas Longhorns forward Amina Muhammad (14) pushes past BYU forward Lauren Gustin (12) during the basketball game against BYU at the Moody Center on Saturday, Mar. 2, 2024 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman
A is for Amina
1ST-, 2ND-ROUND GAMES
When/where: Friday’s 1st round at Moody Center — Virginia Tech vs. Oregon, 12:30 p.m., ESPN2; Texas vs. Missouri State, 3 p.m., ESPN, 1300 AM. Sunday’s 2nd round — TBA.
Oregon forward Amina Muhammad spent the first two years of her college career at Texas. This season, the senior has appeared in all of the Ducks’ games in a reserve role. She’s averaging 3.5 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.3 minutes per game.
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B is for Baker
Virginia Tech forward Carys Baker is averaging 14.1 points and 6.7 rebounds while also leading the Hokies in minutes. Baker’s father, Vin, played 13 years in the NBA for five different teams and is currently an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks.
C is for conference
Texas is one of 10 SEC teams that’s in the NCAA Tournament. Oregon is one of 12 Big Ten teams that qualified. Virginia Tech is one of nine ACC teams that qualified. Missouri State is the Conference USA’s lone representative in the NCAA Tournament. This is either the first or second years in their current conferences for Missouri State, Oregon and Texas.
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D is for depth
Texas has 10 players averaging more than 10 minutes per game. Oregon, Virginia Tech and Missouri State have nine.
E is for Eugene
Oregon is 10-7 in games played outside of Eugene, Ore. Virginia Tech and Missouri State respectively have 9-5 and 13-7 records in their road and neutral-site games.
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F is for Fiso
Oregon guard Katie Fiso ranks sixth nationally in assists with 215. Texas’ Rori Harmon ranks seventh (212) and Virginia Tech’s Mackenzie Nelson is 24th (176).
Texas Longhorns guard Sarah Graves (6) reacts to the student section chanting her name during the game against Georgia at the Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
G is for Graves
Texas reserve guard Sarah Graves has appeared in 16 games. Her younger sister, Rebekah, has also appeared in 16 games for Louisville this season. Texas and Louisville are the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in the Fort Worth region.
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H is for Home
Texas has won its last 42 games at home. That winning streak at Moody Center dates back to the 2023-24 season and includes four NCAA Tournament games.
I is for individual
How about some individual honors? Texas’ Madison Booker and Rori Harmon, Oregon’s Katie Fiso, Virginia Tech’s Carleigh Wenzel and Carys Baker and Missouri State’s Kaemyn Bekemeier and Lainie Douglas were all-conference picks this season, and Booker was named a first-team All-American on Wednesday.
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J is for Jimmy
The broadcasters assigned to Austin’s games are ESPN announcers Jimmy Dykes and Dave O’Brien. Friday’s Texas-Missouri State game will air on ESPN while the Oregon-Virginia Tech game has found a home on ESPN2.
Oregon head coach Kelly Graves watches during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Stanford Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Stanford, Calif.
John Hefti/Associated Press
K is for Kelly
With 645 wins over 29 seasons at Oregon, Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, Kelly Graves is the winningest coach in Austin this weekend. Vic Schaefer (476 wins over 21 seasons), Missouri State’s Beth Cunningham (259 wins over 13 seasons) and Virginia Tech’s Megan Duffy (196 wins over nine seasons) have also found success on the court.
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L is for Luxembourg
At 8.9 per game, Luxembourg native Ehis Etute leads Oregon in rebounding. Etute’s younger sister, Joyce, is a member of Texas’ 2026 recruiting class.
M is for Missouri State
Missouri State beat Stephen F. Austin in Wednesday’s “First Four” game, so the Lady Bears have now won at least one game during each of the last four trips to the NCAA Tournament. Missouri State reached the Sweet 16 in both 2019 and 2021.
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Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer and his team celebrate after the Longhorns’ 58-47 win over the TCU Horned Frogs in the NCAA Playoff Regional final game against at Legacy Arena in Birmingham Alabama, March 31, 2025. The Longhorns will face South Carolina in the Final Four.
Sara Diggins/American-Statesman
N is for NCAA Tournament
This is Texas’ 38th NCAA Tournament appearance while Oregon, Virginia Tech and Missouri State are respectively making their 19th, 14th and 18th appearances. The Longhorns won the only championship among this quartet, in 1986.
O is for Oregon
Opposing teams have attempted 711 3-pointers against Oregon. The Ducks, though, boast the second-best 3-point percentage defense in the Big Ten at 28.4%.
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P is for points
Texas forward Madison Booker ranks sixth on the Longhorns’ all-time scoring list at 1,873 points. With a strong showing in the postseason, she could pass both fifth-place Tiffany Jackson (1,917) and fourth-place Cinietra Henderson (1,983) before her junior year is over.
Q is for quartet
Texas, Oregon, Virginia Tech and Missouri State have combined for 99 wins this season.
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Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) looks for an open team mate during the game against Georgia at the Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
R is for Rori
Fifth-year point guard Rori Harmon is UT’s all-time leader in assists and steals. She enters the NCAA Tournament with 943 career assists and 370 career steals and was named an honorable mention All-American this week.
S is for short
At 5-foot-9, Missouri State guard Kaemyn Bekemeier is the third-shortest player in the country who’s averaging at least eight rebounds per game. Bekemeier leads the Lady Bears with her 17.5 points and 8.3 rebounds averages, and she recorded her 10th double-double of the season in Wednesday’s First Four win over Stephen F. Austin.
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T is for Texas
Texas is forcing an SEC-best 22.71 turnovers per game while losing an SEC-low 12.1 turnovers per game. The Longhorns have won the turnover battle in all but three of their games.
U is for UConn
Aside from Texas, UConn is the only other Division I team in the country that can currently claim a top-20 scoring defense and top-20 scoring offense. UConn (34-0) is the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament while Texas is the overall No. 3 seed.
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V is for Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech has played only three ranked teams this season, and the Hokies have lost each one. Virginia Tech’s closest call against a ranked team was last month’s overtime loss against then-No. 22 North Carolina.
W is for Wenzel
Junior guard Carleigh Wenzel recently became the 32nd member of Virginia Tech’s 1,000-point club. A San Antonio native, she’s averaging 15.3 points per game.
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X is for X-factors
• Texas is 30-0 when it’s leading at halftime.
• Oregon is 14-4 when it either outscores or ties its opponent in paint points.
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• Virginia Tech is 17-2 when it makes more free throws than its opponent.
• Missouri State is 19-9 when it wins the opening tip.
Texas Longhorns forward Justice Carlton (11) is guarded by Georgia forward Miyah Verse (4) during the game at the Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Y is for youth
Some younger players to keep an eye? Texas starts two sophomores in Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton while sophomore Bryanna Preston and freshman Aaliyah Crump are parts of the rotation. Oregon stars Katie Fiso and Ehis Etute are both sophomores. Mackenzie Nelson, a redshirt sophomore, leads Virginia Tech in assists. Sophomore Lainie Douglas and freshman Maiesha Washington are Missouri State’s second- and third-leading scorers.
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Z is for zero
The No. 0 and No. 00 jerseys are worn by seniors at Texas (Kyla Oldacre), Oregon (Astera Tuhina), Virginia Tech (Kilah Freelon) and Missouri State (Victoria Dixon). Freelon is Virginia Tech’s leading rebounder while Oldacre ranks second in that statistical category at Texas.