Texas Longhorns beat Alabama to book trip to Portland, Sweet 16 round of NCAA Tournament

After a sour ending to the last basketball season, things are sweet once again for the Texas Longhorns.

Aaliyah Moore had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Madison Booker contributed a 21-point effort as Texas recorded a 65-54 win over Alabama at Moody Center on Sunday evening. With the victory, Texas advances to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time in school history and the third time in the last four years.

Texas will play either Utah or Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament. That game will take place at Portland's Moda Center this upcoming Friday.

Beaten at home by Louisville in the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, Texas got off to a quick start in this year's Round of 32 game. Texas never trailed in the first half, and Booker's 12-point effort led UT into halftime with a 31-24 lead.

In front of a loud Moody Center crowd that included NBA star Kevin Durant, Texas volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott and UT men's basketball coach Rodney Terry, the Longhorns expanded their lead to as many as 15 points in the second half. Alabama never got closer than eight points in the fourth quarter.

Texas went 17-2 at its home arena this season. The Longhorns did not trail once during its first- and second-round games against Drexel and Alabama.