Ahead of Sweet 16 rematch, Texas, Kentucky not putting much stock in February results

FORT WORTH – As it began its 2026 NCAA Tournament run last week, Texas women's basketball battled a Missouri State team that it hadn't seen in over 18 years. Then came Oregon, which UT had last played in 2000. But in the Sweet 16 round, Texas will face a foe that is more familiar.

With an Elite Eight trip on the line, Texas will meet Kentucky at Fort Worth's Dickies Arena on Saturday afternoon. This Sweet 16 showdown comes nearly seven weeks after the Longhorns recorded a 64-53 win over the Wildcats in Austin on Feb. 9 .

Texas Longhorns guard Ashton Judd (21) and Kentucky Wildcats forward Amelia Hassett (32) dive for the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman) In that victory, Texas got a combined 30 points from sophomore Justice Carlton and Jordan Lee while stars Madison Booker and Rori Harmon were held to 13 points.

Texas led by as many as 14 points but had to hold off a Kentucky rally that made it a 49-48 game with 6:23 left. More: Madison Booker is Texas' star, but here's why Breya Cunningham could be key vs Kentucky With all that being said, does what happened during the second week of February matter during the final days of March? "I think some of that gets washed a little bit," Carlton said.