UCLA, Texas square off in high stakes Women’s Final Four game at Mortgage Matchup Center
PHOENIX – In late November, Texas handed UCLA its lone loss of the season at the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas.
Since that game, both teams have taken arduous paths to reach the 2026 Women’s Final Four at Mortgage Matchup Center. That rough road has left both teams looking vastly different from when they met more than four months ago.
UCLA (35-1) is battle-tested, having beaten 14 ranked teams while winning a program-record 28 straight games since that loss to the Longhorns.
Texas (35-3) has won 12 straight games heading into this semifinal matchup and boasts a 16-3 record against ranked teams – the most wins against ranked opponents of any team in the country.
Only one goliath can punch its ticket to the national championship game in this Final Four of all No. 1 seeds. The stakes are enormous for this rematch between the Big Ten and SEC champions.
“It’s like to be the best, you have to play against the best,” Texas senior guard Rori Harmon said. “We’re all here in the Final Four competing for a national championship. I think it definitely gives some fuel for this run.”
Texas had its fair share of setbacks earlier this season. The Longhorns dropped games at No. 12 LSU, at No. 2 South Carolina and, most notably at No. 5 Vanderbilt on Feb. 12. After that lopsided 86-70 loss, Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer challenged his team to develop toughness and improve physically.
Texas has not lost a game since.
On Thursday, Schaefer revisited the statements he made after the loss to emphasize how much his team has grown since.
“At the end of the day, they responded exactly like I thought they would,” he said. “The character in my locker room … I have an incredible group of young ladies. From (the loss to Vanderbilt) ‘til the next day in practice … the leadership that was in that room.”
UCLA has done much to learn from its earlier shortcomings against the Longhorns when Texas held Bruins star player Lauren Betts to eight points and seven rebounds.
Betts knows that stopping her is a focal point of the Longhorns’ defensive strategy, but Betts said relying on her teammates is key to combatting what happened the last time the two teams met.
“Trying to help out my teammates as much as I can,” Betts said. “It’s not one person versus Texas, it’s a full team. We, as a team, are trying to beat them.”
On Thursday at Mortgage Matchup Center each team set a tone during its pregame practice and routines, while also enjoying the high pedestal on which their programs stand.
As the Bruins left the tunnel and entered the floor for practice, UCLA coach Cori Close and staff were jovial, taking pictures and enjoying the moment. Within moments, the tone shifted as Close began analyzing the court and the basket with a focused gaze.
As practice time began for the Bruins, Close made clear what her emphasis was for her team before they took on the Longhorns, repeating these words: “Better timing. Initiate physicality.”
With cameras abundant and a swarm of media members present, Bruins forward Amanda Muse started off the UCLA practice with an exclamation point, slamming a two-handed jam over the rim.
Muse made clear that physicality is in good shape for the Bruins.
Schaefer said that Texas will continue to balance off-the-court fun with locking in despite the massive importance of the game.
“I want them to enjoy this; this is special,” Schaefer said. “Just like we’ve been doing here for the last two months, we get ice cream at night … then we get to the practice floor, we’re locked
in and have great laser focus.”
At practice, Schaefer took a hands-on approach to demonstrate the determination he wants from his team. Schaefer, who is 65, took mid-range jump shots and raced at his players to steal the ball as they took rebounds up the floor.
UCLA and Texas have looked dominant throughout the season, but especially in the back half of the season as both teams combined have a 40-game winning streak.
This is nothing new for Schaefer. He is the only coach in the history of the sport to lead two different programs to four Final Fours, having done it with Mississippi State in 2017 and 2018, and Texas in 2025 and 2026. Whether it was in Starkville or Austin, Schaefer’s teams are known for hitting their second gear come March.
“(What) I’m most proud of is that my teams in March always get better,” Schaefer said. “We get better in February. We get better in March … We keep working. We keep developing kids. We don’t accept it if we think we can get better, we don’t accept that, we want to get better.”
The Bruins are fueled by last season’s setback in the 2025 Women’s Final Four where they lost 85-51 to UConn. Close believes that loss has guided her team this year.
“I do think then at that point we were able to do a really good job of saying, ‘Hey look at what position we’re in now,’” Close said. “We can actually use that as such a great teacher for where we want to go this year.”
Texas also fell in last year’s semifinals to South Carolina, 74-57, but the Longhorns know this team is different and has a great shot to surpass where its season ended last year.
“(In the offseason) we realized this team is completely different than last year and the standard was definitely going to elevate,” Harmon said. “I’ve been feeling like this team has been locked in from the get-go. We had some adversity … losing a few games. Other than that, we’ve been able to respond really well.”
With a win UCLA could achieve history. The Bruins have never been to the national championship game since the NCAA adopted women’s basketball as a sport.
For Texas, a win would punch its ticket to its first national championship game since the 1985-86 season under legendary coach Jody Conradt.
With the winner of UConn and South Carolina waiting, one of these teams will move on and potentially make history.
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