No. 1 seed Texas punches Final Four ticket by racing away from No. 2 seed Michigan, 77-41
The Longhorns took control early and never let up.
Mar 28, 2026; Fort Worth, TX, USA; The Texas Longhorns bench reacts to a play against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at Dickies Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images | Chris Jones-Imagn Images For the second straight year, the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns are headed to the Final Four after a fourth straight dominant victory in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, hitting their first nine shots against the No.
2 seed Michigan Wolverines and maintaining control throughout in a 77-41 victory at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Monday, holding the Wolverines to a season low in scoring. Junior wing Madison Booker scored a game-high 19 points for the Horns, adding seven points, senior point guard Rori Harmon dished out 13 assists, and senior center Kyla Oldacre recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Texas notched a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint and out-rebounded Michigan by 17 by holding the Wolverines to 22.
8-percent shooting, stifling star sophomore guards Olivia Nelson (2-of-13 shooting, four turnovers) and Syla Swords (3-of-15 shooting). Able to easily break the Michigan press with the ball handling of Harmon and Booker, Texas was 11-of-12 shooting in the first quarter (91. 7 percent), while playing stifling defense as the Wolverines only hit three of 17 attempts.
Harmon dished out four assists as Booker and junior forward Breya Cunningham both hit all three of their shots. The Longhorns offense went cold in the second quarter with sophomore guard Jordan Lee missed all eight of her shots, including five three-point attempts, but the Wolverines turned the ball over four times and shot 25 percent from the floor to go into halftime trailing 34-21. In the third quarter, Michigan continued to struggle on offense with six giveaways and 2-of-9 shooting as Texas extended its lead to 55-29 with the help of six points from junior forward Justice Carlton even though the three-point shooting issues for the Horns never relented.