NCAA Women’s Elite Eight: Duke, UConn, Texas & Michigan Advance

The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team has secured a place in the 2026 NCAA Division I Final Four following a decisive victory over the Michigan Wolverines. The No. 1 seeded Longhorns defeated the No. 2 seeded Michigan team with a score of 77-41 on Monday, March 30, 2026. The game took place at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, marking the conclusion of the Fort Worth Regional.

This victory extends Texas’ winning streak to 12 games. The team had previously secured the SEC tournament title on March 8, 2026. By advancing past Michigan, the Longhorns have reached the national semifinals for the second consecutive year. This marks a significant period of stability for the program, which had experienced a two-decade drought in Final Four appearances prior to the previous season.

Head coach Vic Schaefer addressed the crowd following the game, emphasizing the resilience of his roster. Schaefer noted that while he had questioned the team’s heart in mid-February, the performance in the regional final demonstrated that his players were Texas tough. The 36-point margin of victory tied the third-largest margin ever recorded in the women’s Elite Eight.

Historic Final Four Field

The 2026 tournament has produced a rare alignment at the semifinal stage. For the fifth time in Division I women’s basketball tournament history, all four No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. The group of top seeds includes Texas, UCLA, UConn and South Carolina. This is the second time the Final Four features the same teams in back-to-back years, a phenomenon previously observed in 1995 and 1996.

Texas is scheduled to face fellow No. 1 seed UCLA in the national semifinals. The other semifinal matchup will feature No. 1 seed UConn against No. 1 seed South Carolina. According to the official tournament schedule, the Final Four games are set to begin on Friday, April 3, 2026. The contest between UConn and South Carolina is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by the Texas versus UCLA game at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Madison Booker played a pivotal role in securing Texas’ spot in Phoenix. She scored 19 points during the regional final victory. In the closing moments of the game, Kyla Oldacre secured a rebound and scored a putback bucket, prompting an eruption from the Longhorns bench. The team will now look to add a national championship to their season accomplishments.

Tournament Schedule and Attendance

The 2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament commenced with the First Four on Wednesday, March 18, 2026. Early rounds saw various matchups, including Nebraska defeating Richmond and Missouri State overcoming SFA. The tournament has progressed through the First Round and Sweet 16 before reaching the Elite Eight stage in late March.

Despite the high stakes of the regional finals, attendance at the Fort Worth venue faced challenges. Reports indicated that crowds were low for the games involving Texas, Michigan, and UConn in the region. This observation was noted alongside the on-court action, with the exception of Notre Dame’s three-point win over Vanderbilt in the Sweet 16 drawing different attention.

The Final Four games will be held in Phoenix. Following the semifinals on April 3, the championship game is scheduled for April 5, 2026. Coach Schaefer expressed pride in his team’s inclusion among the elite group of finalists. He stated that the upcoming games would feature four really elite teams with a bunch of really elite players and some great coaches.

Michigan’s run in the tournament concluded with the loss to Texas. The Wolverines had advanced to the Elite Eight after winning their Sweet 16 game on March 28, 2026, where they defeated Louisville 71-52. Texas had earlier defeated Kentucky 76-54 in the Sweet 16 round on the same day. The path to the Final Four required navigating a competitive bracket that included teams from across the conference spectrum.

As the tournament moves to Phoenix, the focus shifts to the national semifinals. The convergence of all top seeds suggests a culmination of the season’s most consistent performers. Texas enters the matchup with momentum from their dominant regional final performance. The outcome of the semifinal against UCLA will determine whether the Longhorns can progress to the championship game on April 5.