No. 1 seed Texas got the best of its SEC foe with a 67-59 Sweet 16 win over No. 5 seed Tennessee on Saturday.
SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker led the way with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Taylor Jones and Bryanna Preston added 13 and 11 points off the bench, respectively. Texas advanced to the Elite eight for the fourth time in five years. The Longhorns will face No. 2 seed TCU in the Elite Eight after the Horned Frogs beat No. 3 seed Notre Dame earlier Saturday.
Texas and Tennessee entered the fourth quarter tied 50-50, but the Longhorns’ defense forced the Lady Vols into nine turnovers in the fourth quarter, the same amount of points they had, and they were unable to recover. The Longhorns beat the Lady Vols 80-76 in another close matchup earlier this season.
The No. 1-seeded Longhorns bounced back from a rough SEC tournament loss to South Carolina to underline their title credentials at the Big Dance. A 44-point first-round win over William & Mary saw Texas dominate from start to finish, while Madison Booker and Co. held Illinois to a meager six points in the second quarter en route to a 68-45 win to gain a place in the Sweet 16.
The Volunteers, who were given the No. 5 seed in Region 3, lost three of their final four games before joining the 68-team field in this year’s bracket. However, Tennessee regrouped. A 101-66 rout of South Florida was followed by a smothering defensive performance that sparked a confident win over Ohio State in the second round.
Scroll below for a recap and highlights of the game:
Texas vs. Tennessee final score
The No. 1 seeded Texas Longhorns defeated the No. 5 seeded Tennessee Lady Vols 67-59 in an all-SEC Sweet 16 matchup Saturday in Birmingham, Alabama. SEC Player of the Year Madison Booker led the way with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Texas advances to the Elite Eight for an all-Texas matchup against TCU on Monday.
Texas vs. Tennessee highlights
No. 1 seed Texas beat No. 5 seed Tennessee in the Sweet 16 Saturday to send the Longhorns to the Elite Eight. Watch the video for highlights from the game.
Tennessee turnovers adding up vs. Texas
Texas has turned up the defensive pressure, resulting in eight Tennessee turnovers in the fourth quarter alone. Eight of Texas’ 13 points in the fourth quarter were scored off turnovers. Tennessee trails 63-59 with 1:47 remaining.
End 3Q: Texas 50, Tennessee 50
No. 5 Tennessee outscored No. 1 Texas 20-16 in the third quarter to tie it up 50-50 heading into the fourth. The stakes are high for both teams. Texas is looking to advance to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in five years, while Tennessee is looking to return for the first time since 2016.
The Lady Vols were able to capitalize on five Texas turnovers in the third quarter and knocked down three 3-pointers. Tennessee is still only shooting 38.9% from the field and 5-of-22 from three. Ruby Whitehorn leads the Lady Vols with 14 points, while Zee Spearman added 11 points off the bench. Sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper was held scoreless in the third quarter and remains at five points.
Meanwhile, Texas is shooting 51.2% from the field and 3-of-6 from three. Madison Booker and Taylor Jones have a team-high 10 points.
Halftime: Texas 34, Tennessee 30
Despite No. 5 Tennessee shooting 38.2% from the field in the first half, the Lady Vols only found themselves down four points against No. 1 Texas at halftime. Tennessee struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 2-of-14 from three in the first two quarters despite averaging 10.2 threes a game, which is second best in the nation.
Ruby Whitehorn leads the Lady Vols with nine points, while Talaysia Cooper added five points. Tennessee has a slight edge on the boards, with 19 rebounds (eight offensive), compared to Texas’ 17.
Texas has had balanced scoring. Madison Booker, Taylor Jones, Rori Harmon and Bryanna Preston each have six points for the Longhorns. Texas is shooting 55.6% from the field and 1-of-3 from three.
Talaysia Cooper stats
Sophomore guard Talaysia Cooper is averaging 16.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game this season. She had seven steals in the Lady Vols’ 82-67 second-round win over No. 4 Ohio State, moving her to seventh all-time in single-season steals at Tennessee. Cooper started her collegiate career at South Carolina (2022-23), before transferring to Tennessee. She redshirted the 2023-24 season after transferring after the portal closed.
Who is Tennessee’s coach? Meet Kim Caldwell
Kim Caldwell is in her first season at Tennessee. Caldwell previously coached at her alma mater Glenville State (2016–2023) and Marshall (2023–2024), where she led the Thundering Herd to its first March Madness appearance since 1997. She was named the head coach of Tennessee in April 2024, becoming the Lady Vols’ first non-alumni head coach since Pat Summitt.
Caldwell welcomed son Conor Scott Caldwell in January 2025 during Tennessee’s season with husband Justin Caldwell, the player development coordinator for the men’s Tennessee basketball team.
Who is Texas’ head coach? Meet Vic Shaefer
Vic Schaefer had led Texas to the women’s NCAA Tournament in each of his five seasons with the Longhorns. Texas has advanced to the Elite Eight three times, most recently last season.
Texas women’s basketball assistant coaches
In addition to head coach Vic Shaefer, Texas’ coaching staff includes:
Elena Lovato, Associate Head Coach
Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton, Assistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator
Blair Schaefer, Assistant Coach
Sydney Carter, Assistant Coach/Director of Player Personnel
Zack Zillner, Sports Performance Coach
Where to watch Tennessee vs. Texas: TV channel, time, live stream
Game Day: Saturday, March 29, 2025
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Legacy Arena at BJCC (Birmingham, Alabama)
TV Channel: ABC
Live Stream: Fubo
Watch Tennessee vs. Texas live on Fubo