Why the Texas Longhorns Should Not Overlook Missouri State

The NCAA tournament is finally here, and the Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team looks to use its first SEC Tournament championship win in program history to create momentum in this next phase.

The first battle for this No. 1-seeded team will take place against the No. 16-seeded Missouri State Bears at the Moody Center, a program that Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer is quite familiar with.

Ahead of this first-round matchup between Texas and Missouri State, here’s what Longhorns fans need to know about the Bears:

Schaefer has seen this program at its best

Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer yells down court Saturday, March 7, 2026, during the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament semifinals game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Schaefer faced Missouri State several times during his time coaching the Arkansas Razorbacks from 1997 to 2003, and he said that their fanbase and toughness always stood out to him.

“When I was at the University of Arkansas, we would play them every year,” he said. “Every other year we would go up there, and they’d be hanging from the rafters. It’d be packed, and they would beat us by 20.”

Schaefer responded with a simple “no” when asked if this team looks like a No. 16 seed team to him, and it will be interesting to see if they can put up a fight in front of a crowd of burnt orange instead of a sea of maroon fans “hanging from the rafters.”

How has Missouri State looked during the 2025-26 season?

Missouri State head coach Beth Cunningham — Missouri State Lady Bears Head Coach Beth Cunningham argues a call as the Lady Bears took on the Belmont Bruins at Great Southern Bank Arena on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024. | Nathan Papes/Springfield News-Leader / USA TODAY NETWORK

Of course, this program looks much different than it would’ve looked over 20 years ago when Schaefer faced them, but he noted that they have had a strong run this season under head coach Beth Cunningham.

“Coach has done a great job with them– a sixth seed winning their tournament championship speaks to kids getting better and peaking at the right time,” Schaefer said of the Bears.

They defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs to claim the Conference USA Tournament title, going on to defeat the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks by 10 points in the First Four to earn an opportunity to face Texas in the first official round of the NCAA tournament.

Proving their worth against a Longhorns team on an evident roll will be no small feat, but they will get their fair shot at the Moody Center on Friday following the matchup between the Oregon Ducks and Virginia Tech Hokies at 12:30 p.m.

The winners of each of these matchups will meet each other on Sunday in Austin, playing for a chance to earn a spot in the Sweet 16.