The No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns are one step closer to bringing another NCAA championship trophy back to Austin after their fourth Elite Eight appearance within the last five years.
During Texas’ Sweet 16 matchup against No. 5 seed Tennessee, the Longhorns found themselves in a back-and-forth battle with the Lady Volunteers well into the fourth quarter. Texas went on an 11-5 run within the final minutes of regulation to advance to the Elite Eight, where they will face No. 2 seed TCU at 7 p.m. ET Monday in Birmingham, Alabama.
Advertisement
“I’m not trading my team for anybody,” head coach Schaefer told USA TODAY Sports in February. “I love my team, I love my kids, and I’ve seen my kids do some really special things this year.
“I’m a Texas boy, and in my industry, I felt like the University of Texas was the best job in the country. I felt like coming here, this was a place where you could win multiple (conference) championships and have a chance to win a national championship.”
If the Longhorns want to add to their trophy case, they have a few things to lean on. Texas has a productive bench as a safety valve (ranked 12th in the nation with 27 bench points per game) and is Top 20 in turnovers forced per game (20.81).
Here’s a look at the full Longhorns women’s basketball roster:
Texas women’s basketball roster
Here’s the Texas roster for the 2024-25 season, including each player’s jersey number, position, year in college, height and hometown:
Advertisement
-
00 – Kyla Oldacre, Center, Junior, 6’6” – Mason, Ohio
-
1 – Bryanna Preston, Guard, Freshman, 5’9″ – Jonesboro, Georgia
-
3 – Rori Harmon, Guard, Senior, 5’6″ – Houston, Texas
-
5 – Laila Phelia*, Guard, Senior, 6’0″ – Cincinnati, Ohio (*Medical redshirt)
-
7 – Jordan Lee, Guard, Freshman, 6’0″ – Stockton, California
-
10 – Shay Holle, Guard, Senior, 6’0″ – Austin, Texas
-
11 – Justice Carlton, Forward, Freshman, 6’1″ – Katy, Texas
-
13 – Jordana Codio, Guard, Junior, 6’1″ – Winter Garden, Florida
-
23 – Aaliyah Moore, Forward, Senior, 6’1″ – Moore, Oklahoma
-
25 – Sarah Graves, Guard, Junior, 5’9″ – Keller, Texas
-
32 – Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, Guard, Junior, 6’2″ – Sioux Falls, South Dakota
-
35 – Madison Booker, Forward, Sophomore, 6’1″ – Ridgeland, Mississippi
-
44 – Taylor Jones, Forward, Senior, 6’4″ – Forney, Texas
-
50 – Abbie Boutilier, Center, Sophomore, 6’9″ – Flower Mound, Texas
No. 3 Rori Harmon stats
Rori Harmon of the Texas Longhorns reacts against the Tennessee Lady Vols in the Sweet Sixteen round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 29, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Longhorns guard Rori Harmon is averaging 9.2 points, six assists and 3.4 rebounds per game during her fourth season for Texas. Harmon, who returned from an ACL injury in 2023, earned SEC All-Defensive Team honors this season. Harmon also has other accolades as a Longhorn, including First-team All-Big 12 and Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.
No. 35 Madison Booker stats
Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) brings the ball down in the second half of the Longhorns’ NCAA Playoff Regional semi-final game against the Tennessee Lady Vols at Legacy Arena in Birmingham Alabama, March 29, 2025.
As the leading Longhorns scorer, forward Madison Booker averages 16.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.6 steals a game. Booker scored a game-high 17 points against 5-seed Tennessee to move Texas into the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament. Booker has several honors on her resumé, including SEC Player of the Year, the Cheryl Miller award for the nation’s best small forward and First-team All-American by the AP.
Why Texas’ Rori Harmon took Tennessee’s press defense personally
Head coach Kim Caldwell and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers play a unique, press-style defense. The strategy requires a full-court press for all 40 minutes of a matchup. To accomplish this, Caldwell uses hockey-style substitutions (five players on; five players off) about every two minutes, keeping endurance up and legs fresh.
Advertisement
Texas guard Rori Harmon isn’t fond of the strategy.
“I’m gonna take that personal,” Harmon said. “You think you can press us? Then we’re gonna get layups and shove it down your throat.”
The senior guard also explained why the press defense didn’t work against the Longhorns, saying, “If I’m able to take the eyes of the defense and bring them with me, and it allows my team to get freed up in the press like they did, it gives me a little break. It’s almost a blessing in disguise.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas women’s basketball roster breakdown: Stats, top players vs. TCU
