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Around 7:25 on Sunday night, the NCAA had an answer to the question of whether Texas has one of the best women’s basketball teams in the country.
Yes.
Now as to if Texas is the best team in the country, the Longhorns themselves will get a chance to answer that question over the next three weeks.
Texas was awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Longhorns will open their tournament run at Moody Center this upcoming Saturday night against either High Point or William & Mary, who will battle in a "First Four" game on Thursday.
"With the season we've had, you have high expectations and I think we're all really happy with where we ended up," Texas senior guard Shay Holle said. "It's awesome to get the one seed, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. Winning games matter."
Texas won its first (and, so far, only) national championship in 1986. Thirty-nine years later, the road to a second title extends past the Austin city limits.
Just one No. 16 seed has ever upset a No. 1 seed in women's basketball, so Texas (31-3) will be a heavy favorite to beat either High Point (21-11) or William & Mary (15-18). If Texas avoids an historic loss, it will play eighth-seeded Illinois (21-9) or ninth-seeded Creighton (26-6) in the second round. That game also would take place at Moody Center on Monday.
Two wins in Austin would secure a trip to Birmingham, Ala., which is hosting Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at its Legacy Arena. Aside from Texas, No. 2 TCU, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Tennessee are among the top-seeded teams in the "Birmingham 3" quadrant.
Surviving a weekend in Birmingham will advance a team to the Final Four. That Final Four and national championship game are at Tampa's Amalie Arena.
Texas last reached the Final Four in 2003. The Longhorns have gotten close in recent years, but three of the program's last four seasons have ended in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
So what's the key to getting over that Elite Eight hump this time?
"I think we just need to focus on the game plan and build game-by-game," senior guard Rori Harmon said. "The Elite Eight is quite some time away from now, so we're just going to focus on what's ahead of us, and we don't even know what's ahead of us (yet)."
Harmon was injured for last year's run to the Elite Eight, but she guided the Longhorns to that round her freshman year. Holle started for UT's Elite Eight teams in 2022 and 2024. Following Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, the veteran guards shared what they had learned during their previous tournament runs.
"I think I learned that you can't take the game and being in that moment for granted," Harmon said. "You can make one wrong step and you're not in the tournament anymore. Now you're in school and going to summer break."
Assessed Holle: "I think it's just about as much as physical toughness, it's about mental toughness. That's not just in the game, but that's how you prep outside of the game too. Just not thinking too far ahead, trying to be where your feet are, like that takes mental toughness, especially in March when you're looking at the bracket and you see what's in front of you. So I think really just taking it one practice at a time, and just not getting too far ahead of yourself. I think it's given our team a lot of experience that we've been in those games before. I have a good feeling about this team and how we've always responded to adversity."
Having just lost in the SEC championship contest, Texas enters the NCAA's postseason competition with a one-game losing streak. But Texas had won 15 straight games before that 64-45 loss to South Carolina, and the Gamecocks are the only team that has beaten UT in its last 26 outings (South Carolina also beat UT in Columbia on Jan. 12).
Texas joins overall top seed UCLA (30-2), South Carolina (30-3) and USC (28-3) as the NCAA tournament's No. 1 seeds. This marks the first time since a four-year run from 1985-88 that Texas has earned a No. 1 seed in consecutive seasons.
"If you're trying to find somebody that doesn't have any confidence in our team, you're looking at the wrong guy," Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. "Because I have a ton of confidence in our team, and I'm excited about the opportunity."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas women's basketball earns No. 1 seed for NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
Yes.
Now as to if Texas is the best team in the country, the Longhorns themselves will get a chance to answer that question over the next three weeks.
Texas was awarded a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday. The Longhorns will open their tournament run at Moody Center this upcoming Saturday night against either High Point or William & Mary, who will battle in a "First Four" game on Thursday.
"With the season we've had, you have high expectations and I think we're all really happy with where we ended up," Texas senior guard Shay Holle said. "It's awesome to get the one seed, but at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter. Winning games matter."
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What is the path for Texas to a national championship?
Texas won its first (and, so far, only) national championship in 1986. Thirty-nine years later, the road to a second title extends past the Austin city limits.
Just one No. 16 seed has ever upset a No. 1 seed in women's basketball, so Texas (31-3) will be a heavy favorite to beat either High Point (21-11) or William & Mary (15-18). If Texas avoids an historic loss, it will play eighth-seeded Illinois (21-9) or ninth-seeded Creighton (26-6) in the second round. That game also would take place at Moody Center on Monday.
Two wins in Austin would secure a trip to Birmingham, Ala., which is hosting Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games at its Legacy Arena. Aside from Texas, No. 2 TCU, No. 3 Notre Dame, No. 4 Ohio State and No. 5 Tennessee are among the top-seeded teams in the "Birmingham 3" quadrant.
Surviving a weekend in Birmingham will advance a team to the Final Four. That Final Four and national championship game are at Tampa's Amalie Arena.
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Can Texas finally get past the Elite Eight round?
Texas last reached the Final Four in 2003. The Longhorns have gotten close in recent years, but three of the program's last four seasons have ended in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Tournament.
So what's the key to getting over that Elite Eight hump this time?
"I think we just need to focus on the game plan and build game-by-game," senior guard Rori Harmon said. "The Elite Eight is quite some time away from now, so we're just going to focus on what's ahead of us, and we don't even know what's ahead of us (yet)."
Harmon was injured for last year's run to the Elite Eight, but she guided the Longhorns to that round her freshman year. Holle started for UT's Elite Eight teams in 2022 and 2024. Following Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, the veteran guards shared what they had learned during their previous tournament runs.
"I think I learned that you can't take the game and being in that moment for granted," Harmon said. "You can make one wrong step and you're not in the tournament anymore. Now you're in school and going to summer break."
Assessed Holle: "I think it's just about as much as physical toughness, it's about mental toughness. That's not just in the game, but that's how you prep outside of the game too. Just not thinking too far ahead, trying to be where your feet are, like that takes mental toughness, especially in March when you're looking at the bracket and you see what's in front of you. So I think really just taking it one practice at a time, and just not getting too far ahead of yourself. I think it's given our team a lot of experience that we've been in those games before. I have a good feeling about this team and how we've always responded to adversity."
You must be registered for see images attach
Texas heads into the tournament on a roll
Having just lost in the SEC championship contest, Texas enters the NCAA's postseason competition with a one-game losing streak. But Texas had won 15 straight games before that 64-45 loss to South Carolina, and the Gamecocks are the only team that has beaten UT in its last 26 outings (South Carolina also beat UT in Columbia on Jan. 12).
Texas joins overall top seed UCLA (30-2), South Carolina (30-3) and USC (28-3) as the NCAA tournament's No. 1 seeds. This marks the first time since a four-year run from 1985-88 that Texas has earned a No. 1 seed in consecutive seasons.
"If you're trying to find somebody that doesn't have any confidence in our team, you're looking at the wrong guy," Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. "Because I have a ton of confidence in our team, and I'm excited about the opportunity."
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas women's basketball earns No. 1 seed for NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
