Kevin Durant in attendance for Women's NCAA Tournament matchup between No. 1 Texas, No. 8 Alabama
Interest in the NCAA Tournament on the women’s side has already been incredibly high over the past few days. For No. 1 Texas, that now includes one of their most famous alumni in Kevin Durant.
Durant and the Phoenix Suns are spending the weekend in Texas with a pair of matchups in San Antonio against the Spurs starting a five-game roadtrip. With today being his day in between the two games, he went the hour north to Austin to take in the second-round, Region 4 contest between No. 1 Texas and No. 8 Alabama inside the Moody Center.
Texas earned one of the No. 1 seeds as the top team in one of two Portland Regionals. The Longhorns did so with a record of 30-4 and as winners of the Big 12 Tournament. They then advanced out of their opening game in the bracket with an 82-42 victory over No. 16 Drexel.
Madison Booker, a freshman that has gotten comparisons to Durant, leads the Longhorns this year. She has averaged 16.7 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in just over 30 minutes a game.
Texas currently leads the Crimson Tide by a score of 31-24 at halftime. Booker is up to a dozen points already while shooting 75% against ‘Bama to take her team to their seven-point lead at the break.
Durant spent one season on The 40 Acres back in 2007. In his 35 collegiate games, he posted 25.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 1.9 steals and blocks while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.4% from three. That was good for several single-season records in program history. It also helped to take Texas to a 25-10 record. That got them a No. 4 seed before they lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Durant then went on to be the No. 2 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. That started a professional career that, by the end of it, will be a Hall of Fame one. In his 17th season with Phoenix at 35 years old, he is currently averaging 27.5 ppg. while knocking down 52.6% of his shots and 41.4% of his threes.
The schedule in the association worked out for Durant to make it out to watch the Lady Longhorns on Sunday. They’ll surely appreciate that support too as they try to win and advance to the Sweet 16.