No. 1 seed Texas faces off with No. 1 seed UCLA in the Final Four
The Horns and the Bruins are both making back-to-back appearances in the final weekend.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - MARCH 30: Head coach Vic Schaefer of the Texas Longhorns and his team pose for a photo after defeating the Michigan Wolverines in an Elite Eight round game of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament held at Dickies Arena on March 30, 2026 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Andy Hancock/NCAA Photos/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images The No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns (35-3) are in Phoenix to face the No.
1 seed UCLA Bruins (35-1) in the Final Four Round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament on Friday in a rematch of the Players Era Championship Tournament, a 76-65 win for the Longhorns to give Texas a narrow 8-7 edge in the all-time series. For UCLA, the back-to-back appearances in the final are the only two appearances in program history after last season ended with a blowout loss to eventual national champion UConn. At the helm, head coach Cori Close in her fifteenth season leads Bruins as they look for redemption in the Final Four for this season’s only defeat.
In that matchup in Las Vegas, Texas took a 23-point lead in the third quarter before point guard Rori Harmon scored all 17 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting. The Longhorns were able to take the big lead over the Bruins by forcing 20 turnovers, limiting UCLA to six points off the bench, and by slowing down star center Lauren Betts, who finished with eight points on 4-of-8 shooting, five field-goal attempts and roughly nine points below her eventual season averages. In three matchups against SEC teams early in the season, Betts was held to single digit points.
“I think the biggest difference looking back at the film is just creating opportunities to get the ball as much as I can,” said the Big Ten Player of the year. “They’re a really amazing defensive team. I think as the guards are getting pressured on the perimeter, just trying to become so open that they just can’t not give me the ball.
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