Kentucky vs. Texas: Women’s Basketball Showdown in NCAA Sweet 16

Mo. Basuony

Published: March 28, 2026 3:04 PM ET

Kentucky vs. Texas: Women’s Basketball Showdown in NCAA Sweet 16

The fifth-seeded Kentucky Wildcats travel to Fort Worth to face top-seeded Texas. The NCAA Sweet 16 matchup takes place Saturday, March 28 at 3 p.m. ET. Dickies Arena will host the game, and ABC will televise the contest.

Game and broadcast details

Radio coverage for the Wildcats will be on the UK Sports Network. Darren Headrick will call the game on 630 AM WLAP in Lexington and 790 AM WKRD in Louisville.

SiriusXM will carry the broadcast on channels 210 and 203, with Danny Reed and Ice Young on the headset. ABC’s commentary team includes Ryan Ruocco, Rebecca Lobo and Holly Rowe.

Bracket context and timing

Kentucky advanced with wins over 12th-seeded James Madison and fourth-seeded West Virginia. The Wildcats seek a spot in the Elite Eight on Monday if they win.

The other Sweet 16 game in the region pits second-seeded Michigan against third-seeded Louisville. That game airs Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Kentucky program and coaching notes

Kentucky enters with a 25-10 overall record and an 8-8 mark in the SEC. This is the program’s 19th appearance in the NCAA Championship field.

Head coach Kenny Brooks is making his sixth straight and 12th overall NCAA appearance. Brooks has taken James Madison six times, Virginia Tech four times, and Kentucky twice.

Brooks’ tournament pedigree

This is Brooks’ second Sweet 16 showing. His previous Sweet 16 run with Virginia Tech reached the Final Four in 2023.
Four current Kentucky assistant coaches were on that 2023 Final Four staff. They are Lindsey Hicks, Radvile Autukaite, Will Sims and Kendall Dillard.
One former Virginia Tech player, Taylor Soule, is currently on the Kentucky staff.

Series history and season rematch

Saturday marks the fifth all-time meeting between the Wildcats and the Longhorns. Kentucky trails the all-time series, 4-0, and is 0-2 versus Texas on neutral courts.

The teams have not met previously in the NCAA Tournament. Their only prior postseason matchup came in the 1978 WNIT.

The teams met earlier this season in Austin on Feb. 9. Texas won that game, 64-53, at the Moody Center.

Kentucky closed to within one possession late in the fourth quarter during that game. The Wildcats narrowly outrebounded Texas, 30-29, in the meeting.

Texas shot 61.5 percent in the first half that night. Kentucky then held the Longhorns to 27.3 percent in the second half, a 6-of-22 performance.

The 64 points were unusually low for Texas. It was 23.8 points below their season scoring average at the time, which was 87.8 points per game.

Key players and statistical leaders

Kentucky brings a strong backcourt and inside presence. Tonie Morgan and Clara Strack are central figures for the Wildcats.

Tonie Morgan is a Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Top Five finalist. She leads the nation with 279 total assists. She ranks second nationally in assists per game at 7.97.
Clara Strack is a Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Top Five finalist. She ranks among the nation’s top 25 in blocks (2.6), rebounds (10.3) and double-doubles (16).
Kentucky also features two prolific three-point shooters. Amelia Hassett has 98 threes this season. Aisa Boone has 94. They mark the first pair of SEC teammates to each reach at least 94 threes in one season.