In the leadup to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Oregon coach Kelly Graves had a simple observation about Texas women’s basketball star Madison Booker.
“She’s fun to watch,” Graves said last week. “When you’re preparing to play against her, she’s not that much fun.”
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So, it’s safe to say that Graves and the Ducks didn’t have much fun Sunday evening. The 8,981 fans watching from the Moody Center stands? Good times.
MORE: Madison Booker debuts new KD19 shoes, helps Texas to NCAA Tournament win
Booker scored a career-high 40 points as Texas advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a 100-58 win over Oregon. With the second-round shellacking, Texas is in the Sweet 16 round for the fifth time in head coach Vic Schaefer’s six-year tenure. A No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, Texas (33-3) must wait until Monday afternoon to find out if it will meet No. 4 West Virginia or No. 5 Kentucky at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena next Saturday.
“I’m just really proud of these kids,” Schaefer said. “They just played their hearts out today. I know everybody in Longhorn Nation’s awfully proud of ’em too. So on to the next one. But what a day, really.”
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Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) celebrates a score during the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament against Oregon at the Moody Center on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Madison Booker powered Texas into Sweet 16
In the 42-point victory, Texas got 17 points from sophomore guard Jordan Lee while Teya Sidberry contributed 11 points off the bench. In her final game at Moody Center, fifth-year point guard Rori Harmon had nine points, six assists and five steals. Senior reserve and fan favorite Sarah Graves even got in on the action with two late baskets that gave Texas a 100-point game in the NCAA Tournament for just the third time in school history.
MORE: See photos of March Madness game against Oregon
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The star of the show, though, was undeniably Booker. Texas’ junior forward and three-time Associated Press All-American scored 14 points in the first quarter to help the Longhorns grab an early 28-21 lead, and she didn’t slow down offensively. She had 19 points by halftime and 32 points by the end of the third quarter. Booker added eight points in the final frame before calling it a night with 3 minutes, 10 seconds left in the game.
Booker did her damage by shooting 14-for-21 from the field and 10-for-11 from the free throw line. She also grabbed eight rebounds and distributed five assists.
“She’s a first-team All-American for a reason. And she played like it tonight,” Kelly Graves said.
Observed Harmon: “I saw something coming today. I knew something special was going to happen. Whether she was going to get a quadruple-double or a 40-point game, I saw something in her eye. “
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Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) shoots the ball during the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament against Oregon at the Moody Center on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Madison Booker enters Longhorns lore with historic game
The 40 points Booker scored were a tournament record for the Longhorns. Previously, the Longhorns’ highest-scoring game in the tournament was 32 points. Clarissa Davis originally established that mark against Western Kentucky in the semifinals of the 1986 NCAA Tournament. Heather Schreiber later had another 32-point against LSU in the 2003 Elite Eight.
Booker additionally recorded the seventh 40-point game in UT’s history. Of the six 40-point games that preceded hers, only Davis’ 45-point performance in a 1987 nonconference game at then-No. 1 Tennessee may have arguably come on a bigger stage.
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MORE: Madison Booker is Longhorns’ first 3-time AP All-American
After Sunday’s game, Schaefer wondered aloud if he had ever had a player score 40 points for him over his 21 years as the head coach at Sam Houston State, Mississippi State and Texas. It turns out that he”s now been on the sidelines for four 40-point performances, but just Booker and Morgan William’s happened in the postseason:
Texas C Charli Collier: 44 points vs. North Texas on Nov. 29, 2020
Mississippi State G Morgan William: 41 points vs. Baylor on March 26, 2017
Mississippi State CÂ Teaira McCowan: 41 points vs. Mississippi Valley on Dec. 28, 2017
Texas F Madison Booker: 40 points vs. Oregon on March 22, 2020
“She’s a generational talent,” Schaefer said of Booker. “They just don’t come around that often.”
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Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) reacgts after a score during the second round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament against Oregon at the Moody Center on Sunday, March 22, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Madison Booker credits aggressive approach, teammates for big game
During her 40-point game, Booker passed Tiffany Jackson for fifth place on the Longhorns’ all-time scoring list. With 1,927 career points, she’s next eyeing Cinietra Henderson’s fourth-place total of 1,983. She remains on pace to challenge Annette Smith’s school record of 2,523 points during her senior year.
As for what was working Sunday against Oregon (23-13), Booker said she remained aggressive against the Ducks. Much like the postgame podium at Moody Center that also featured Schaefer, Harmon, Lee and Graves, Booker was quick to share the stage with other members of the basketball program.
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“I think coach Schaefer has really just pushed me into taking just a bigger role, just being aggressive on the offensive end, finding my shot, hunting my shot. That’s all he says in practice, is hunting my shot,” Booker said. “I think my coach did a great job just drawing up plays and putting me in the right position just to score the ball easily, kind of. Plus my teammates did a great job too.
“I can’t do it by myself. It’s not one-on-five. It’s five-on-five out there, and they did a good job just giving me the ball at the right spot, cutting, the details on the plays. So all credit to them, for sure.”