The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Forty Acres Insider: March 24
03.24.2026 | Forty Acres Insider
Important news happening in and around Texas Athletics compiled by Vice President and Athletics Director Chris Del Conte
Longhorn Nation,
OUR HORNS ARE MARCHING ON! It's been a full-on STAMPEDE as both our Men's and Women's Basketball programs powered through the bracket and into the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. Two different journeys — same spectacular result. Coach Miller's squad took the hard road, knocking off three opponents — including two higher seeds — to punch their ticket. Meanwhile, Coach Schaefer and our No. 1-seeded women handled business at home, rolling past two opponents with Longhorn Nation rocking Moody Center. We're one of just FOUR programs with both its Men's and Women's teams in this year's Sweet 16 — joining UConn, Duke and Michigan. And this marks the FIFTH time in school history (1990, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2026) — and first time since 2004 — that both squads have reached the Sweet 16 in the same season. Next up: the men head to San Jose (yes, we know the way to San Jose!) to face the Big Ten's Purdue in the West Regional semifinal on Thursday (6:10 p.m. CT on CBS) with a spot in the Elite Eight on the line. The women, who reached the Final Four for the first time since 2003 last year and have advanced to the Elite Eight in five of the last six years, make the short trip up I-35 to Fort Worth, where they'll take on Kentucky in the Regional Semifinal at Dickies Arena on Saturday (2 p.m. CT on ABC). Let's turn that into Moody North, Longhorn Nation!
sure is sweet to be a Longhorn 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/53MJgUozfF
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) March 23, 2026
THE SUCCESS DIDN'T STOP THERE. Behind a wave of All-America performances and two individual national champions, Coach Capitani and Women's Swimming and Diving powered to a third-place team finish at the NCAA Championships. That marks the sixth-straight top-six NCAA finishes for our Longhorns. Now it's Coach Bowman and Men's Swimming and Diving stepping up, taking dead aim at defending their National Championship this week. On the diamond, Baseball picked up two wins in Alabama to secure a top-five series victory over No. 5 Auburn. Softball stayed scorching hot, earning wins at home and on the road against Baylor to extend its program-record winning streak to 26 games. Beach Volleyball added three more ranked wins, and Men's Tennis swept a pair of SEC road matches, while Women's Tennis also picked up one. How sweet it is to be a Longhorn!
On the heels of all that success, we're ALL GAS, NO BRAKES folks! It's a massive week for our Longhorns. Men's Swimming and Diving heads to Atlanta to defend their National Title. Men's and Women's Basketball keep the final four push rolling in the Sweet 16 (San Jose + Fort Worth). The Red River Rivalry hits the diamond at UFCU Disch-Falk Field Thursday-Saturday. Softball hosts the Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown at Red & Charline McCombs Field Friday-Sunday. Beach Volleyball brings an elite field of top-11 clashes to the Texas Invitational at Wright-Whitaker Sports Complex, with our fourth-ranked Horns facing the nation's top two teams Stanford (1 p.m. CT) and UCLA (6:30 p.m. CT) on Friday and No. 11 Long Beach State (10:30 a.m. CT) and No. 4 USC (2:30 p.m. CT) on Saturday. Men's and Women's Tennis are in action with the men hosting a pair of home matches on Friday and Sunday, while the women are on the road, and Rowing is competing, as well. It's the Burnt Orange and White competing all the livelong day!
Before we move ahead, I've got to take a victory lap for the phenomenal week that was. TALK ABOUT MARCH MADNESS, TEXAS FIGHT and fighting the good fight?! Our ride certainly wasn't easy, but Coach Miller and Men's Basketball survived and advanced with a trio of wins in five days that started in Dayton on Tuesday and was followed by a pair of victories in Portland on Thursday and Saturday to advance to the Sweet 16. It was quite the trip — covering about 5,600 miles roundtrip — 1,200 to Dayton, another 2,400 to Portland and more than 2,000 back home — for 120 minutes of glorious basketball and three magnificent wins. It started with a thrilling First Four victory over NC State on Tuesday night in Dayton — that one came down to an incredible fadeaway from Tramon Mark to secure the victory. Despite travel and limited prep time, two days later our Horns took down 6 seed BYU, 79-71, on the heels of a clutch three-pointer from Jordan Pope and four free throws from the Marks-man. Then, in another total team effort, our Horns dug deep, delivered that Texas Fight, and rallied to a 74-68 win over No. 3 seed Gonzaga (a team that spent most of the season ranked in the top-10!) to march on. I've got to give a shoutout to the big guy Matas Vokietaitis, who had 40 points and 25 rebounds in two games in Portland, asserting his will and becoming the first Longhorn to ever register at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in an NCAA Tourney game in the BYU win. And that dagger of a three-pointer from Cam Heide against the Zags (his first hoop of the game, no less!) truly epitomized the depth, culture and connectedness of this team. Coach Miller has said all along, when a team believes in each other, they can do great things — and they're doing exactly that. It's been a historical run as we're the first squad to advance from the First Four to the Sweet 16 since 2021 (UCLA) and just the sixth team to do that since the First Four began in 2011. That's a ninth career Sweet 16 for Coach Miller — and his ninth-straight win in Round of 32 games — and we're not done yet. Next up: 2 seed Purdue on Thursday (6:10 p.m. CT on CBS) for a spot in the Elite Eight. Horns Up y'all — and remember you can follow along all tournament with our Longhorns here!
song isn't over yet 🤘#AlwaysCompete | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/6z8zeLMezj
— Texas Men's Basketball (@TexasMBB) March 23, 2026
What a scene it was at Moody Center, as in Coach Schaefer's words, y'all "blew the lid off the place," screaming your lungs out and powering WOMEN'S BASKETBALL IN THEIR ABSOLUTE STAMPEDE TO THE SWEET 16. It's the third-straight Sweet 16 and fifth in six years under Coach Vic — and somehow, that makes this one even sweeter. But Longhorn Nation, this is on you, too. Y'all deserve your flowers — a huge shoutout, thank you and high fives all around. There's no way any NCAA Tournament environment in the country matched what you brought. From pregame to tipoff, through the final buzzer — and long after — you raised the roof and never let up. En fuego all weekend long. And our Horns fed right off it. Two emphatic wins with a combined score of 187-103. That's how you thrive and advance! The Texas Fight was on full display — on the court and in the stands — led by our sensational floor general Rori Harmon, whose relentless play lit the spark, and whose final game at The Mood was filled with heart, emotion, and love. The homecourt advantage you're creating is very real. A program record 44-straight wins at home — including 20-0 this season! Horns Up for that! It all started with an 87-45 opening round statement win over Missouri State — powered by Jordan Lee's team-high 19 points and a Madison Booker double-double (14 points and 12 rebounds). And yes, we saw y'all sneaking out of work to pack the house for that Friday afternoon tip — much appreciation, my friends. Then came round two … and even more fireworks. In the 100-58 win over Oregon, it was the Madi "the Cooker" show to the tune of a UT NCAA tourney game record 40 points (to go with eight rebounds, five assists, two steals and NO TURNOVERS — as her coach quickly pointed out on the stat sheet during the postgame press conference). Pure dominance. And moments like Sarah Graves' story, how wonderful and heartwarming was that?! That's what makes college athletics special. The way y'all embraced it — unforgettable. But we all know … JOB'S NOT DONE. Next stop: Fort Worth with a return trip to the Elite Eight — which we've reached in four of the previous five seasons — on the line Saturday versus Kentucky (2 p.m. CT on ABC). So load 'em up — family, friends, and every Longhorn you know — and head north on I-35. Let's paint Fort Worth Burnt Orange and turn it into another Longhorn home game! Texas Fight! Always! And don't forget, you can keep up on all the news, notes and info through our March Madness run right here.
regionals 🔜🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/O1uYnUwA8P
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 24, 2026
Coach Capitani and our Women's Swimming and Diving program delivered — again — with a performance that embodied Texas Fight from start to finish. Our Longhorns stacked up elite finishes, record-breaking swims, and more hardware on the way to a THIRD-PLACE FINISH AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS — marking an incredible sixth-straight top-three finish. That's the program's longest podium streak since 1990-95, that's consistent excellence right there. And it was this close to even more. We finished just four points shy of runner-up (Stanford 380.5, Texas 376.5). Margins that tight are always fuel for the future. Leading the chart was a pair of individual national champion swims from Jillian Cox (1,650-freestyle/15:32.26) and Campbell Stoll (200 butterfly/1:50.26). Seventeen Longhorns earned All-American honors, showcasing the depth and dominance across the board from the SEC Champions. Then came the program records, and there were five of those. Two in individual events from Eva Okaro, who broke her own program mark in the 50-free (21.05), and Nikolett Padar with a new program standard in the 200-free (1:40.30) to go with three relay records falling — 800-free (6:46.91), 400-medley (3:24.64), 400-free (3:07.02). And on the boards, Bayleigh Cranford delivered in all three events — 1-meter, 3-meter, and Platform — earning All-America honors and crucial team points. That was a complete team performance! Now all eyes shift to Coach Bowman and our defending National Champions men's squad as they take dead aim at another title this week.
Texas Women's Swimming and Diving finishes third-overall at the 2026 NCAA Championships 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/Q4cxl9JcPv
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) March 22, 2026
Coach White and No. 1 Softball are absolutely on a heater — and the nation is taking notice as our Horns climb back to No. 1 in the polls! And they're not just winning … they're dominating. With a pair of run-rule victories over longtime SWC and Big 12 foe Baylor — 21-2 combined — we've now ripped off a PROGRAM RECORD 26-GAME WINNING STREAK. That's rolling! The formula has been consistent — lights-out pitching, steady fielding and explosive offense. In Friday's 10-2 win in Austin, the bats erupted in a seven-run fourth inning, capped by back-to-back-to-back bombs from Reese Atwood, Katie Stewart, and Hannah Wells. There were more fireworks in Waco on Saturday — a nine-run second inning, five different players driving in runs, and Kayden Henry stealing home to headline an 11-0 shutout. Complete. Dominance. Now sitting at 28-1, our Horns hit the road to face Texas State in San Marcos tonight (6 p.m. CT on ESPN+), setting the stage for something special this weekend … a Cotton Holdings Lone Star Showdown at Red & Chaline McCombs Field with Texas A&M. And you already know, there's no place like home, and lots of history and tradition in this one. Let's pack the stands, keep the energy rolling, and make it a special weekend. See y'all at McCombs!
It was all Texas Fight and ANOTHER SEC SERIES WIN last week for Coach Schloss and No. 2 Baseball. This time, our Horns went into a charged-up road environment and took down No. 5 Auburn. All eyes are on Texas when they roll into town — Auburn drew a Plainsman Park record 22,295 fans for the three-game set. After a tough 4-3 loss in Friday's opener, our Horns showed their resilience. Back in the saddle Saturday, they jumped out to a 6-0 lead — fueled by homers from Aiden Robbins (who went yard three times on the weekend!) and Jayden Duplantier — and held off a late Tigers push for a 7-6 win in front of a single-game record crowd 8,037. Sunday, we left no doubt. Five pitchers combined for a four-hit shutout, and Casey Borba's second-inning two-run blast set the tone in a 5-0 Sunday victory to lock up the series. The road swing continues tonight with a quick trip east on I-10 to take on Houston (6:30 p.m. CT on ESPN+) before it's Red River Rivalry time. Longhorns versus Sooners at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, Thursday through Saturday. Games with OU just hit different — be there or be square.
There was PLENTY MORE SUCCESS ACROSS THE BOARD as No. 5 Women's Golf won the Betsy Rawls Invitational title at the UT Golf Club to start last week with Farah O'Keefe claiming the individual crown. No. 4 Beach Volleyball travelled west and got three more ranked wins, No. 3 Men's Tennis got notched a pair of SEC road wins, No. 7 Women's Tennis added a league victory, and Track and Field got the outdoor season off and running at UTSA with the 98th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on the horizon (April 1-4). Now it's on to another exciting week, as in addition to Men's Swimming and Diving going for the Natty, Men's and Women's Basketball in the Sweet 16 and rivalry games on the Forty Acres for Baseball and Softball, there's a whole lot of action going on. Men's and Women's Golf are starting off the week; No. 4 Beach Volleyball hosts a loaded field in the Texas Invitational at Wright-Whitaker Sports Complex with four matches against top-11 opponents. Men's Tennis hosts Tennessee Friday (6 p.m.) and Arkansas on Sunday (1 p.m. CT) at the Texas Tennis Center with Women's Tennis taking to the court on the road at No. 11 LSU Friday (5 p.m. CT) and Ole Miss Sunday (1 p.m. CT). Rowing heads to the San Diego Crew Classic Saturday and Sunday, Track and Field is at the Clyde Hart Classic in Waco on Saturday.
Longhorns stay busy in the spring 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/buFkLSi8Wx
— Texas Longhorns (@TexasLonghorns) March 24, 2026
If you need some watercooler bragging rights this week, here's another example of our Longhorns' excellence as an athletics department and another shining example of ACROSS-THE-BOARD SUCCESS. With both our men's and women's basketball squads winning at least 20 games plus an NCAA Tourney game, as well as football winning 10 games and its bowl game — we're one of only three programs nationally that can make that claim. The others are Alabama and Virginia – rarified air for sure!
Round I of NCAA Hoops Tourneys ✔️ and our Horns are standing out — again 🤘🏻@TexasMBB + @TexasWBB + @TexasFootball are one of just TWO FBS programs to check all these boxes (with Virginia):
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) March 21, 2026
🏀🏀 20 wins + NCAA Tourney W
🏈 10 wins + Bowl W
(Alabama can join with WBB win today) pic.twitter.com/hQfWd538Fx
Hook 'Em Horns,
P.S. — What a weekend we had and the best part — there's more to come!
What. A. Weekend.🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) March 23, 2026
🏀 @TexasMBB AND @TexasWBB: advance to Sweet 16
🏆 @TexasWSD: NCAA 3rd-Place finish
🥎 @TexasSoftball: Extends program record to 26-straight wins
⚾️ @TexasBaseball: Wins SEC series at # 5 Auburn@TexasMTN, @TexasBeachVB & @TexasWTN got weekend wins, too. pic.twitter.com/idlRmkYn8b
P.S. — Tuesday's Pro Day fit looked great on all our guys working out for a full house of NFL teams!
Gearing up for Pro Day 🤘 pic.twitter.com/GhWm0iD4rh
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) March 24, 2026
P.S. — That's our Point Guard!
"It's a legacy she has here. I wish she could stay another year." - @MaddiewitdaB_ talks about @roriiiharmonnn's impact on her college career. 🧡🥹#MarchMadness x @TexasWBB pic.twitter.com/EGZuig08Gf
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 23, 2026
P.S. — We see ya, KD — passing Michael Jordan on the NBA's all-time scoring list! What Starts Here!!
Making history, and STILL writing more ⭐️
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) March 22, 2026
Kevin Durant just became 5th overall, passing Michael Jordan, on the @NBA All-Time Scoring List! pic.twitter.com/m2jsKLP8hK
P.S. — THE BEST!
Sean Miller improved to 9-1 in the Round of 32 and has won his past 9 games with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line 🤘🏻
— John Bianco (@UT_Bianco) March 22, 2026
That's the best winning % of any coach (minimum 10g) since NCAA Tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1975 — ahead of Mike Krzyzewski (26-6) & Bobby Knight (14-4). https://t.co/Y2qnOA5PeX
P.S. — Madison Booker + KD + Nike!
cool shoes, Book 🤘😉#HookEm | #KD19 pic.twitter.com/SbwK2zvbFO
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 20, 2026
P.S. — Thanks for the support my friend!
a pair of Longhorn Legends in the building to watch @TexasMBB 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/DkPlZrRkci
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) March 20, 2026
P.S. — Kudos to our USTFCCCA South Central Field Athlete of the Year
the one and only 🤘 pic.twitter.com/hPOu4L9kZC
— Texas T&F/XC (@TexasTFXC) March 19, 2026
P.S. — We have ELITE SCHOLAR ATHLETES, congrats to Erin Gemmell:
Erin Gemmell is the recipient of the Elite Scholar Athlete award for the 2026 @NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championship 🤘#EliteScholar | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/BIBjvwpeFx
— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) March 21, 2026
