University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Women’s Basketball Looks Ahead to Final Four Matchup Versus Texas
April 02, 2026 | Women's Basketball
PHOENIX – The No. 1-seed UCLA women's basketball team spent Thursday afternoon practicing at Mortgage Matchup Center prior to various media activities in advance of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four.
UCLA (35-1, 18-0 Big Ten) arrived in Phoenix late Tuesday afternoon, marking the Bruins' second consecutive trip to the Final Four. Last season, the Bruins played in the national semifinals in Tampa. Seeded No. 1 for the second-straight season in the national tournament, UCLA is scheduled to face No. 1-seed Texas (35-3, 13-3 Big 12) on Friday. Game time is approximately 6:30 p.m. PT at Mortgage Matchup Center.
This week's trip to Phoenix marks the Bruins' second appearance in the NCAA Final Four. Previously, UCLA won the 1978 AIAW Championship and returned to the national tournament's Final Four in 1979 (under the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women). The NCAA began overseeing the national women's tournament in 1981-82.
UCLA fans will be able to attend a Final Four watch party on Friday inside Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. The event begins at 6 p.m. (PT), and admission is free for all fans (tickets can be requested by clicking here). UCLA's game against Texas will be shown on the arena's videoboard. Food, beer and wine will be available for purchase inside the arena. Please note, that Pauley Pavilion's clear bag policy will be in effect.
The Bruins have won four NCAA Tournament games over the past two weeks, extending their season-long winning streak to 29 games. UCLA registered a perfect 18-0 record in Big Ten play and won three games in as many days at the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis to win the conference tournament title for the second straight year.
Last weekend, UCLA defeated Minnesota in the Sweet 16, and Duke in the Elite Eight, to move into this week's Final Four in Phoenix. The Bruins overcame a 39-31 halftime deficit against Duke on Sunday afternoon in Sacramento, outscoring the Blue Devils by a 39-19 margin in the final two quarters to win, 70-58.
This Friday's semifinal contest between UCLA and Texas will take place after the semifinal meeting between South Carolina (35-3, 15-1 SEC) and UConn (38-0, 20-0 Big East). The matchup between South Carolina and UConn begins at 4 p.m. (PT), with UCLA's game against Texas scheduled for approximately 6:30 p.m. (PT).
"We're excited for the opportunity to play Texas," said Cori Close, The Michael Price Family UCLA Women's Head Basketball Coach. "I'm really confident in our team and how we're going to be ready to compete. But the bottom line is you have to show up and be the best versions of yourselves under the things that are under your control and take care of business. But we're really excited to be here."
Following UCLA's 90-minute-long workout in the arena on Thursday, UCLA took part at Mortgage Matchup Center in a press conference and various sessions with members of the news media. Seniors Lauren Betts and Gabriela Jaquez, along with Coach Close, answered questions during the afternoon press conference.
"One of my biggest regrets of last spring is I didn't celebrate them enough," Coach Close said during the press conference. "This team was the most, at that point, successful team since 1978, '79. I let myself get wrapped up in everything that was transpiring in the portal. I don't think I did a good enough job in that way. Good news is they're very mature, and they have a really good sense of what our culture is – what we expect. When the dust settled and we got back together, we were able to self-reflect and we were able to realize that we were building off of something really good – that there was a lot to celebrate but also a lot to build from. I do think then, at that point, we were able to do a really good job of saying, 'Look at what position we're in now.' We can actually use that as such a great teacher for where we want to go this year. I really did think it ended up serving us really well."
All four teams competing this Friday participated in last season's Final Four in Tampa – UCLA, Texas, South Carolina and UConn. The Bruins faced Texas earlier this season, absorbing a 76-65 loss in the first match of the Players Era Women's Championship, hosted at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 26. Since that game in late November, UCLA has won 29 consecutive games – 27 of those contests by at least 10 points.
Friday's semifinal contest in Phoenix will be nationally televised on ESPN, with Ryan Ruocco and Rebecca Lobo on the call and Holly Rowe serving as the sideline reporter. Fans can also tune to UCLA's digital radio broadcast at uclabruins.com/watch. The national radio broadcast from Westwood One (SiriusXM 84) will include broadcasters Ryan Radtke, Debbie Antonelli and Ros Gold-Onwude.
The winners of this Friday's two semifinal contests will advance to Sunday afternoon's national title contest at Mortgage Matchup Center (Sunday at 12:30 p.m. PT). The championship game on Sunday will be nationally televised on ABC.
