Texas Women’s Basketball Earns a No. 1 Seed in the NCAA Tournament
By Andrés Calixto
Reporting Texas TV
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas women’s basketball team and fans gathered Sunday at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium to watch the women’s NCAA March Madness bracket selection show.
Fans went wild when Texas was revealed as a No. 1 seed. Cheers and claps flooded the Carpenter-Winkel Centennial Room. The last time the Longhorns were a No. 1 seed was in 2004.
“I’m really proud of this team, they deserve it, they’ve earned it and now we got to go live it,” head coach Vic Schaefer said.
The Longhorns finished the regular season 27-4 and clinched the Big 12 conference championship by defeating Iowa State by 70-53. This played a major role in the committee’s selection for Texas as a No. 1 seed.
“You want to be one of those four teams up on the board that has the one next to you, it’s a great accomplishment,” Schaefer said.
Longhorns women’s basketball players and fans watch the March Madness selection show in the Carpenter-Winkel Centennial Room at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, on March 17, 2024. (Andrés Calixto/Reporting Texas TV)
After losing star Rori Harmon back in December due to a torn ACL, players such as Madison Booker, Shaylee Gonzales, and Shay Holle stepped up.
Fans expect the team to go deep in the tournament and possibly win it all.
“I go to the practices sometimes and I see all the work they put in individually, just as a team coming together and building that relationship. I expect an NCAA trophy,” fan Sydney Hylton said.
As a result of earning a top four seed Texas gets to host two home games, giving home court advantage. The Longhorns face Drexel on Friday. If they win, they will face the winner of Alabama and Florida State.
Power forward Aaliyah Moore said it is special to host first and second-round games at the Moody Center.
“I think it’s great that people are going to have to come to our house and deal with our fan base. We get to play in the comfort of Moody,” Moore said.