Texas defeats TCU in Elite Eight, advances to first Final Four since 2003

It was anybody’s game entering the second half as TCU trailed Texas 23-21. Behind a combined 31-point effort from Madison Booker and Rori Harmon, however, the Longhorns would shut TCU down in the second half, defeating the Horned Frogs 58-47 clinching its first Final Four berth since 2003.

Texas began to push away from the Horned Frogs down the stretch in the third quarter. Outscoring TCU 19-12 in the third, the Longhorns would extend its lead to as many as 14 points in the fourth quarter. By the final official television timeout, they trailed 53-39.

However, TCU would cut the lead by as many as 14 points during the final minutes of regulation. Texas would hold on to earn their spot in the Final Four.

Despite TCU’s best efforts to keep the game close in the first half, their attempts in the second half fell short against the strong defense of the Longhorns. Horned Frogs star Hailey Van Lith scored 17 points and eight rebounds during the contest and was held to 3 of 15 shooting.

At 35-3 overall, the Longhorns now advance to play their new rival in the SEC — the South Carolina Gamecocks. South Carolina advanced to the Final Four after holding off Duke in the final seconds of their Elite Eight battle on Sunday afternoon.

Texas and South Carolina were co-SEC champions during the regular season. The two programs would meet in the SEC Tournament final, where the Gamecocks got the better of the Longhorns 64-45. The two programs split the regular season series.

Overall, this will be Texas’ fourth trip to the Final Four. However, this will be Longhorns’ head coach Vic Schaefer’s third trip to the final stage of March Madness. After losing in the Elite Eight in three of the last four seasons as Longhorns head coach, it’s an emotional victory for Schaefer and his Longhorns. The will now eye next week’s trip to Tampa to face the Gamecocks for a fourth time this season.

As Texas moves on to the Final Four, TCU’s season ends in heartbreak. It was a historic season for the Horned Frogs, as 2025 marked the first time in program history they made it all the way through to the Elite Eight. Falling just short, TCU and company will look toward the offseason to rebuild its roster in preparation to make it back to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and beyond.