Texas women’s basketball meets Oregon with a Sweet 16 berth on the line as Rori Harmon prepares for one last NCAA Tournament game at Moody Center.
Texas women’s basketball heads into Sunday’s NCAA Tournament matchup with Oregon carrying more than just Sweet 16 stakes.
For longtime point guard Rori Harmon, this could be the final March Madness game of her career at Moody Center, giving one of the most important players in program history one more chance to command the floor in front of the home crowd.
That alone makes this Texas vs. Oregon showdown feel bigger. Harmon has been the engine behind the Longhorns’ rise under Vic Schaefer, and her resume is ridiculous.
She’s the only player in Division I women’s basketball history with more than 1,500 points, 900 assists, 600 rebounds and 350 steals.
Her 946 assists rank 10th all-time in NCAA history, and her impact goes far beyond the stat sheet. Texas has won 43 straight games at Moody Center, reached the Final Four last season for the first time since 2003, and earned a No. 1 seed for the third straight year.
“I want to play with passion and play smart for my teammates,” Harmon said. “I don’t want to get outside myself just because it’s the last game. But I want to play with Texas fight and honor the university.”
Schaefer knows exactly what Harmon has meant to the program.
“She’s been a part of me for almost as long as I’ve been here,” he said. “Incredible competitor ... She’s just really been everything to our program.”
Texas also has plenty of star power around her, especially Madison Booker, who has already become one of the faces of the program.
But even Booker points back to Harmon as the tone-setter. “Rori is a leader, you can’t take that away from her,” Booker said. “Everybody loves her. Everybody wants to play with her.”
Oregon understands the challenge ahead. Ducks coach Kelly Graves didn’t hide his admiration. “I am a fan,” he said. “She’s the one who makes them go.”
That’s what makes Sunday so compelling. Texas is chasing another deep run, but this night is also about honoring the point guard who helped make these moments routine.
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