Texas and Missouri State play in first round of NCAA Tournament

Published Mar. 19, 2026 4:42 a.m. ET
Associated Press

Missouri State Bears (23-12, 14-7 CUSA) at Texas Longhorns (31-3, 17-3 SEC)

Austin, Texas; Friday, 4 p.m. EDT

BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Longhorns -45.5; over/under is 133.5

BOTTOM LINE: No. 3 Texas and Missouri State square off in the NCAA Tournament first round.

The Longhorns have gone 17-3 against SEC teams, with a 14-0 record in non-conference play. Texas is 26-3 against opponents with a winning record.

The Bears' record in CUSA action is 14-7. Missouri State ranks sixth in the CUSA with 9.9 offensive rebounds per game led by Lainie Douglas averaging 2.1.

Texas makes 50.0% of its shots from the field this season, which is 12.3 percentage points higher than Missouri State has allowed to its opponents (37.7%). Missouri State averages 4.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 0.3 fewer makes per game than Texas gives up.

TOP PERFORMERS: Madison Booker is shooting 51.7% and averaging 18.9 points for the Longhorns. Jordan Lee is averaging 2.1 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

Kaemyn Bekemeier is averaging 17.5 points and 8.3 rebounds for the Bears. Douglas is averaging 15.8 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Longhorns: 9-1, averaging 78.1 points, 33.3 rebounds, 17.4 assists, 9.6 steals and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 48.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 61.0 points per game.

Bears: 8-2, averaging 66.6 points, 38.1 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 7.3 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 42.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 57.7 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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