24 turnovers and 24 made shots doomed Kentucky’s upset bid against Texas

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 28: Justice Carlton #11 of the Texas Longhorns drives to the basket against Clara Strack #13 of the Kentucky Wildcats during the first quarter in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Dickies Arena on March 28, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images I had high hopes for this Kentucky women’s team today, but they were dashed almost immediately. After the first quarter, Kenny Brooks said Texas was “on another planet,” and they were great.

But more worrying, he said, “we are not competing. ” That was the theme all day long as Texas just wanted it more. And that is the part that you can’t have in a win-or-go-home showdown.

1st quarter was emblematic of the rest of the game Amelia Hassett buried a 3 to give Kentucky a 3-point lead, and then Texas would go on a 15-0 run that essentially ended the game. The Cats had multiple bad turnovers and allowed the Longhorns to get going with easy layup after layup. Tonie Morgan had maybe the worst game of her career Tonie Morgan has been wonderful for Kentucky this year.

She broke the single-season assist record and helped lead the team to its first Sweet 16 in a decade. But today she was terrible. The senior finished the game with 8 points and 8 turnovers.