The top-seeded Texas Longhorns host the Missouri State Lady Bears inside Moody Center on Friday March 20 at 3 p.m. CST on ESPN.
The Texas Longhorns now know who they'll face on their home floor in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Missouri State Lady Bears took care of the Nacogdoches-based Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 85-75 on Wednesday. Missouri State now officially becomes a 16-seed in the bracket and will face the top-seeded Longhorns on Friday.
The Lady Bears used a 10-point scoring advantage (28-18) in the third quarter to take control over Stephen F. Austin and make it out of the First Four round at the Moody Center in Austin.
Kaemyn Bekemeir led the way for the Lady Bears with a 22-point, 13-rebound double-double - her 10th of the season. Maiesha Washington pitched in a solid 18 points, six boards and four assists to go with Lainie Douglas' 10th double-double of the year (14 points, 10 rebounds) for Mo State.
It was the 20th all-time win in the NCAA Tournament for the Lady Bears, who now move to 23-12 on the season after winning the Conference USA title a week ago.
For Texas and coach Vic Schaefer, the lead-up to this game is less about the opponent and more about building on what has already been done in this historic season.
"When I think about this team and see what they've been able to accomplish this season with the schedule that we’ve played, it’s just really impressive to watch them navigate the toughest schedule I've ever had as a coach," he said during this week's media availability.
"I've got great kids, y'all. The leadership piece has come on later in the year for us."
The Longhorns are also coming off a conference tournament championship after crushing South Carolina in the SEC title game. That win marks eight in a row for Texas after a disappointing loss to Vanderbilt on Feb. 12 in Nashville.
Since that point, the Horns are rebounded with tenacity, winning each of the SEC Tournament games by an average of 19 points.
That run is enough to get Texas back onto the trajectory Schaefer wants going into the big dance.
"I trust them, you know, wholeheartedly," the coach said. "I feel like we're a veteran team in the right places. I feel like our youth is mature now. You’ve got no choice but to grow up going through what we’ve gone through. My juniors are seasoned, and my seniors, you know, they've all been to the wars a time or two. This is a unique group."
They'll put their experience to the test Friday at home in Round 1 of the bracket against Missouri State at 3 p.m. CST, with the game airing live on ESPN.
