Sarah Graves has become an unexpected storyline in No. 1 seed Texas’s 2026 NCAA tournament run, with the senior guard emerging as a fan favorite during the Longhorns’ Final Four push.
Graves, a former walk-on, delivered one of the tournament’s most memorable moments late in Texas’s 77-41 Elite Eight win over Michigan. With the game all but decided, Graves knocked down a long-range 2-pointer in the final seconds, adding an exclamation point as the Longhorns secured a second straight Final Four berth.
The reaction reflected Graves’s growing connection with the Texas fanbase. Throughout the game, the Fort Worth crowd chanted “Put in Sarah,” later erupting after she scored.
“I’m almost at a loss for words,” said the Keller, Texas native. “I almost started crying on the court again because looking around me and just being in the present moment and hearing everybody chant your name is a surreal feeling that I’ll never forget.”
Graves began her college career as a walk-on, logging just one minute as a freshman before gradually earning more opportunities in later seasons. But after sinking a pair of free throws in the Longhorns’ Sweet 16 win over Kentucky, the reserve player wasn’t sure she’d return to the court.
“I told my teammates that I would owe them dinner if they went up 30, and they did the job,” Graves said. “That’s why I was going so crazy on the bench because I knew I’d get another shot at it.”
How to Watch Sarah Graves and Texas Women’s Basketball in the 2026 Final Four
Texas women’s basketball now advances to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four in Phoenix, chasing its first national title since 1986.
The Longhorns tip off against fellow No. 1 seed UCLA on Friday at 9:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.
