Texas Tops Tennessee and Returns to Austin on a Positive Note

The Texas Longhorns bounced back from a recent loss to best the Tennessee Volunteers on the road.

Texas guard Rori Harmon (3) moves the ball while guarded by Tennessee guard Nya Robertson (1) during an NCAA college basketball game on Feb. 15, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Knoxville, Tennessee, is no easy place for a road game.

However, the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team secured their 24th victory of the season against the Tennessee Volunteers on Sunday, closing out a tough five game stretch against ranked conference opponents on a high note. 

While head coach Vic Schaefer still doesn’t think his group is at their best, he noticed a clear improvement from them between the Tennessee game and their previous matchup. 

Texas leaves Tennessee 1-1

Texas guard/forward Madison Booker (35) moves the ball past Vanderbilt guard Aga Makurat (24) during the first quarter at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. | ANDREW NELLES / THE TENNESSEAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Facing the Vanderbilt Commodores and Tennessee on the road in back-to-back matchups is a battle, and the Longhorns fell 86-70 to open the weekend in Nashville. However, after openly sharing his dissatisfaction with the media, Schaefer spoke more positively of his group following their winning effort against the Volunteers. 

“When we’re playing good, they are hard to handle,” he said. “I thought our defense today was way better than the other day, but it started with Friday and Saturday and how intentional these kids were in our practice.”

Forward Madison Booker, he said, led the charge in terms of this practice reset. The junior recorded 14 points and four assists on Sunday, leading her team in scoring. Even in the loss against Vanderbilt, Booker stood out with 20 points, which accounted for over a quarter of the team’s points. 

Schaefer was also impressed with the leadership and defensive prowess of his most experienced player: point guard Rori Harmon. 

“We’ll play as hard as Rori Harmon plays defensively,” he said. “She takes charges, [and] she steals so well.”

Harmon, nearing the end of her final conference season as a Longhorn, looks to help Texas finish SEC play strong and set themselves up for a successful postseason run. Despite what Schaefer may have said on Thursday, he said on Sunday that he believes his team has the heart to do it. 

“This team has a ton of heart,” he said. “I want to make sure y’all know that. We just didn’t play with any on Thursday in my opinion.”

What’s next for Texas?

Texas basketball coach Vic Schaefer shows his frustration after a call during an NCAA college basketball game against Tennessee on Feb. 15, 2026, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Now, they have four regular season matchups left to demonstrate how much heart they have. Their final opponents are as follows: Arkansas Razorbacks, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Georgia Bulldogs and Alabama Crimson Tide. 

They’ll take on Mississippi State and Georgia at the Moody Center, but the other two opponents will be off their home turf. 

Fans can next watch them in Fayetteville on Feb. 19 at 6:30 p.m.