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Texas vs. Gonzaga: Scouting report, prediction for 2024 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round

Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman
·3 min read
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Texas forward Aaliyah Moore pushes past Alabama guards Sarah Barker and Aaliyah Nye during the Longhorns' NCAA second-round win Sunday. Texas will play Gonzaga on Friday night for a berth in the Elite Eight.
Texas forward Aaliyah Moore pushes past Alabama guards Sarah Barker and Aaliyah Nye during the Longhorns' NCAA second-round win Sunday. Texas will play Gonzaga on Friday night for a berth in the Elite Eight.

Two of the 16 teams left in the NCAA Women's Tournament, Texas and Gonzaga, will attempt to eliminate each other at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., on Friday night (9 p.m., ESPN, 103.1). Texas and Gonzaga have never played each other.

The top seed in the Portland 4 region, Texas (32-4) is playing for its 12th appearance in the Elite Eight. The Longhorns last reached the fourth round in 2022. No. 4 Gonzaga (32-3) is playing for its second appearance in the Elite Eight. The Zags last reached the fourth round in 2011.

Here's what you need to know about this matchup:

More of Moore in the NCAA Tournament

After missing the 2023 NCAA Tournament with a knee injury, Texas forward Aaliyah Moore made up for lost time last weekend. In UT's first-round rout of Drexel, Moore played only 13 minutes but still scored 10 points. She followed that up with a 21-point, 10-rebound effort against Alabama in the second round.

But then, Moore performing well in the NCAA Tournament is nothing new. In 2022, she had 18- and 21-point games against Fairfield and Utah. She also had two key blocks in the final seconds of a Sweet 16 win over Ohio State.

Over six NCAA Tournament games, Moore is averaging 14.3 points and 5.8 rebounds. Those 21-point games are tied for her career-best scoring performances. Two of her six career double-doubles have come in the tournament.

"I do need to work on me playing like this all season," Moore said. "Something about March, the madness. I love it."

Award-winning talent to be on display

Friday's game will feature the last four winners of the West Coast Conference's player of the year award. Texas guard Shaylee Gonzales shared that honor while playing at BYU in 2021 and earned the outright award in 2022. Gonzaga's Kaylynne Truong and Yvonne Ejim are the past two recipients.

What kind of stats did Gonzales, Truong and Ejim produce during their award-winning seasons?

  • Gonzales (2020-21): 17.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.6 apg

  • Gonzales (2021-22): 18.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.5 apg

  • Truong (2022-23): 15.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 5.0 apg

  • Ejim (2023-24): 19.9 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.3 apg

Ejim was also named the WCC's defensive player of the year this season.

Can Texas stop Gonzaga's 3-point shooting?

The Zags rank seventh among 349 Division I teams with 9.5 3-pointers made each game. Three players — Brynna Maxwell (94), Truong (92) and Kayleigh Truong (76) — would lead Texas in 3-pointers since Gonzales has knocked down a team-best 57 shots from deep.

UT has played three of the top 40 3-point shooting teams this season. In six games against TCU (eighth), Iowa State (17th) and Oklahoma (37th), Texas allowed an average of eight 3-pointers.

Texas vs. Gonzaga preview and prediction

Texas. The Longhorns looked like a No. 1 seed over the first two rounds of the tournament, and that won't change Friday. But expect Gonzaga, which has beaten Stanford this season, to keep this one close.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Longhorns vs. Gonzaga prediction: March Madness, NCAA women