The Texas Longhorns may be one step closer to clinching a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
On Sunday, the No. 3 Longhorns beat the No. 5 LSU Tigers, 65-58, at home, earning their third straight win against a top-10 opponent. Entering their matchup against LSU, the Longhorns had beaten No. 2 South Carolina and No. 8 Kentucky.
LSU led Texas 43-31 late in the third quarter, but the Longhorns erased a 12-point deficit with stingy fourth-quarter defense. They allowed only nine points in the fourth quarter.
Texas’ excellent free-throw shooting kept it in the game as well. The Longhorns were perfect from the foul line, making all 21 of their attempts.
The win over LSU (25-2, 10-2 SEC) shows why Texas (26-2, 12-1) should be considered one of the top teams in women’s college basketball.
On Sunday morning, the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Committee revealed its top 16 teams, via ESPN’s Kendra Andrews. Texas, UCLA, South Carolina and Notre Dame had the No. 1 seeds. The official NCAA Tournament bracket will be revealed on March 16 at 8 p.m. ET.
Unless the Longhorns are upset early in the SEC Tournament — scheduled for March 5-9 in Greenville, South Carolina — they should hold on to a No. 1 seed.
In the latest NET rankings, the Longhorns were No. 3 behind UConn and South Carolina.
Texas can also continue to count on star sophomore forward Madison Booker, who was recently named to the Wooden Award’s Top 20 watch list. Against LSU, Booker had her second double-double in her past three games, finishing with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Texas hasn’t won a national championship since 1986. Clinching a No. 1 seed could help it snap the 39-year drought. And with momentum on their side, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Longhorns do that.
