Austin, TX
March Madness: What did TCU say about Texas women’s basketball on Sunday?
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — On Monday night, the Texas women’s basketball team and TCU will meet at Legacy Arena during the fourth round of the NCAA Tournament.
Texas and TCU didn’t play this season, but the two teams are quite familiar with each other. Texas was TCU’s conference rival in the Big 12 from 2012-24, and TCU center Sedona Prince is a Liberty Hill native who played at UT during the 2018-19 season.
The game will tip off just after 6 p.m. at Legacy Arena in Birmingham on ESPN. Those in the Austin area can listen on the radio, via 103.1 FM.
The winner moves on to play either South Carolina or Duke in the Final Four.
Here is everything that TCU said Sunday about Texas during pregame news conferences for Prince, head coach Mark Campbell and senior guards Madison Conner and Hailey Van Lith:
TCU vs Texas: Frogs’ first impressions about the Longhorns
Campbell: “There’s not many holes. They’re incredible. They have size and great post play. They have depth, really athletic, have one of the best point guards in college basketball. And they’re a 1 seed for a reason. So we’re going to have to play a heck of a game and Coach Vic and his staff obviously do a tremendous job with their system, style of play.”
Elite Eight matchups: TCU thoughts on Texas post players Taylor Jones and Kyla Oldacre
Campbell: “Oh, incredible. Taylor Jones is an athletic, strong, versatile post player and the depth they have at the post position, they got a lot of big bodies that they can throw at you. They’re a load. They’re a load down there. They wear on you.”
TCU vs Texas: Horned Frogs’ familiarity with Longhorns
Campbell: “Yeah, Coach Schaefer, his system and what they do, he doesn’t really change it. He’s really good at it. It helps to be familiar with his system but we have a whole new team and obviously they have new players. So you can look at some film a little bit from last year, but really you’re just scrubbing this year’s team and trying to figure out what we gotta do to have a chance to beat these guys.”
Texas vs TCU: Sedona Prince’s much-publicized departure from Texas
Prince: “I don’t think it I really realized how much it affected me until probably this year, to be honest. But, yeah, I mean, I’m from Austin, raised in Austin, committed in eighth grade. Texas was my dream school, 40 minutes from where I grew up, and my family. I won’t go into details, because it’s a long time ago, and there are things if you want to go research it but — yeah, I mean, it was a very, very difficult year for me as a young woman, as a young player to be thinking I was a part of a family and to be treated in the way that I was.
“So I held a lot in my heart and my soul that I didn’t know I was carrying around for a long time, and you don’t really realize how much trauma can affect you until all of the sudden you’re hit with a wall and then it’s like, oh man, this has been, you know — this has been weighing me down for a very long time.
“So the staff isn’t there, but I have so much respect for Vic and what he’s done with the program. I think he’s an amazing coach. I have no hard feelings. I’ve healed from it. It’s shaped me into a better person. I’m grateful for that and where it led me to go to Oregon, to leave college and come here. There is nothing else that could have led me here and taught me so many valuable lessons and shaped me into the person I am today without going through those atrocities that I went through.”
NCAA Tournament: TCU’s Hailey Van Lith beating Texas in 2023 while playing at Louisville
Van Lith: “What I remember — mostly we didn’t get to host that year, we had to go into Texas. They were supposed to beat us by a lot. And, you know, it was kind of like Louisville DNA came out there where we scrapped out on defense, and I think we ended up winning by double digits at least.
“But it was a great game. We played really well. I think, you know, Rori (Harmon) might have got hurt at some point in that game, she didn’t play the whole game. But I mean, all I remember — it was a great win for us. We pulled off an upset on their home court, which was huge.”
TCU vs Texas: What about the Longhorns’ current backcourt?
Van Lith: “I think, again, they’re elite defensively, their backcourt, they have a lot of athletic, strong guards who can do different things. They’re versatile, they have a lot of different personnel. So scout — like personnel and knowing the scout will be huge, and at the end of the day the theme of the NCAA Tournament is toughness. So they’re going to be tough. We know they’re going to be tough. They have that DNA in them, so we’re going to have to match that.”
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Following controversial comments from head coach Steve Sarkisian and recruiting battles with other contending teams, the Texas Longhorns have once again found themselves in the national spotlight ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Just like this time 365 days ago, the Longhorns are the favorites to win the SEC Championship by the time the postseason rolls around, as well as be contenders for the national championship — despite failing to gain a playoff berth in 2025.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Texas’ preseason hype centered around quarterback Arch Manning and his first year at the helm of the Longhorns’ offense. Despite predictions that Manning would win the Heisman and be the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Longhorns went on to a nine-win regular season with steady, ongoing improvements in Manning’s performance.
Now, the attention from national media seems due to the “all-in” season that the Longhorns are looking toward, with a huge roster turnover through the transfer portal suggesting that this is the make-or-break year for Texas — and Manning — to achieve any national championship hopes.
However, a “make-or-break” season isn’t necessarily what’s ahead for Texas in 2026.
Texas’ Championship Hopes Aren’t Necessarily Over After 2026
It’s fair to assume that the Longhorns are going all in for a national championship in 2026, given the emphasis on experienced transfer portal talent, coaching staff changes and even talk from some players about what the team’s goals are over the offseason.
But considering 2026 as the Longhorns’ last chance for a trophy in the immediate future isn’t as easily justifiable, especially when Texas may not be considering much of a rebuild after this season ends. Sarkisian himself didn’t deny that Manning may come back for another year with Texas in 2027, and many key playmakers on both offense and defense have several more years of eligibility left.
Especially looking at Texas’ incoming class of freshmen and history with the transfer portal, it’s likely that the Longhorns are setting themselves up for longevity more than immediate success. If Manning does decide to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft, incoming freshman quarterback Dia Bell will be an exciting prospect for Texas to bank on when looking for its next offensive leader.
It’s natural that the Longhorns should continue to generate national excitement, especially with the newest five-star commit to the 2027 class. Even so, Texas has a habit of bucking the trends and national predictions. The pressure was on in 2025 to win a national championship in Manning’s first year as a starter, and as more mock drafts continue to slate him as a first-rounder, that pressure has only heightened in what most onlookers see as his last year playing college football.
Whether the Longhorns will buckle under that pressure this go-around will be seen, starting with their home opener against Texas State on Sept. 5.
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AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city leaders gathered on East 11th Street on Juneteenth to celebrate the “Black Artists Matter” mural before it must be removed under an order from the Texas Department of Transportation. The mural and the city’s rainbow crosswalk are slated for removal in compliance with a Texas Department of Transportation directive requiring cities to remove political ideologies from roadways. Last October, Gov. Greg Abbott directed TxDOT to enforce the policy.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson stood on the blocked-off street where the yellow letters spelling “Black Artists Matter” are painted on the roadway’s surface. “We will never forget that when the state decided to target our murals, the community stood together to celebrate our city’s diversity, spirit, and creativity,” Watson said.
Watson criticized the state’s actions, saying, “The state government engages in negative rhetoric and threats, it targets communities that it disagrees with and seeks retribution.”
In response to the order, Watson formed the Public Spaces Task Force to identify other ways to celebrate diversity in Austin.
ALSO| Screwworm medications straining animal shelter budgets across Texas
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Daphne McDole, chief executive officer of the African American Cultural Heritage District and a member of the task force, said she wanted the event held on Juneteenth because of its significance. “I wanted to do it on Juneteenth, it was significant to me because I knew that that was the day my community would be in the district. We will be celebrating over here all day, so it was appropriate,” McDole said.
Task force members said they are exploring alternatives to honor East Austin’s history and diversity. They noted that city leaders in San Antonio created rainbow sidewalks after removing rainbow crosswalks, but said Austin will pursue its own approach.
Task force chair Steven Rivas said the community is focused on preserving the meaning behind the markings. “We chose to come together as a community and find a way to respect what these markings mean and build upon them. If we can’t have them in the street, we’re going to put them off the street,” Rivas said.
AUSTIN, Texas — The screwworm outbreak is having a major impact on animal shelter budgets across Texas. Instant kill and preventative medications for dogs and cats are an unprecedented expense.
Paul is a rescue dog from South Texas, where he was living on the streets and starving. He is now at Austin Pets Alive! getting Screwworm prevention medication and the treatment he needs to get healthy.
“Any dog that enters our shelter period, but especially if they look like this, we are going over them with a fine-tooth comb and looking for anything that might be a wound where a screwworm might have been able to gain access,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, CEO and President of Austin Pets Alive!
RELATED| FDA authorizes generic over-the-counter drug to treat New World screwworm in pets
Dr. Jefferson says dogs and cats need regular checks of their eyes, noses, ears, and underneath their fur. But Austin Pets Alive! says the best protection is a combination of Capstar, which is an instant-kill medication for existing active screwworm larvae, and prescription preventatives that provide ongoing protection when administered every 30 days.
“Just to buy the initial Capstar for our program, it was close to $10,000,” said Rebecca Giamona, Asst. Medical Care Director at Austin Pets Alive!
Giamona says preventative meds are also putting a heavy financial strain on the nonprofit’s budget at a cost of around $70,000.
“We need about 5,000 doses of the monthly preventative, and they are roughly $14 to $15 per dose,” said Giamona.
Products with the active ingredients ending in l, a, n, e, r are highly effective at preventing and treating infestations. But keeping Paul and every shelter animal up to date will take help from the public.
“Donations, and hopefully some more donations,” said Giamona.
An infestation of New World Screwworm can be painful, disfiguring, and potentially deadly for animals. Most cases involve livestock, especially cattle, but dogs and cats can also get infestations.
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