Two undefeated teams, the No. 4 Texas Longhorns and No. 3 UCLA Bruins, will face off in the Players Era Women’s Championship in Las Vegas.
The tournament will take place at Michelob Ultra Arena, featuring matchups between the Longhorns and Bruins, as well as the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks and Duke Blue Devils.
Three of the four teams participating in the tournament also advanced to the Women’s Final Four in Tampa Bay this past season.
Bruins vs. Longhorns: First Meeting Since 2021!
The last time these two teams faced off was in the second round of the 2021 NCAA Women’s Tournament, with the sixth-seeded Longhorns advancing over the third-seeded Bruins, 71-62.
They’ve gone head-to-head 14 times, including three times at NCAA Tournament sites (2016, 2018, and 2021), and the series is tied 7-7.
Both the Bruins and Longhorns are coming off Final Four appearances, where they lost to the UConn Huskies and South Carolina Gamecocks, respectively, last season.
This season, both UCLA and Texas have loaded rosters as they look to return to the Final Four and possibly reach the National Championship.
Players Era Championship Info
Who:Β No. 4 Texas Longhorns (5-0) vs. No. 3 UCLA Bruins (6-0)
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena. Las Vegas, NV
When:Β Wednesday, 2 p.m. ET (truTV / HBO Max)
Longhorn to Watch: Jordan Lee
Honorable mentions: Graduate guard Rori Harmon and junior forward Madison Booker
Sophomore guard Jordan Lee leads the Texas Longhorns in points per game with 14.6 while shooting 53.6 percent from the field through six games this season.
During the team’s season opener, she scored 21 points and went 9-of-14 from the field in a blowout win over the Incarnate Word Cardinals.
The Longhorns have a backcourt duo of Lee and Rori Harmon, who were named to the SEC All-Defensive First Team last season, making them a tough pair to guard.Β
Jordan Lee tonight π₯
β Womenβs Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) November 4, 2025
β’ 21 points
β’ 5 rebounds
β’ 4 assists
β’ 2 steals
β’ 9/14 FG
β’ 25 minutes playedpic.twitter.com/1ucLJWIe3U
Bruin to Watch: Lauren Betts
Honorable mentions: Fifth-year guard Charlisse Leger-Walker, fifth-year forward Angela DugaliΔ.
Projected to be selected second overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx, center Lauren Betts is known for her rim protection and dominance in the paint.
Last season, she received the National Player of the Year award after recording a single-season record in blocks with a total of 100.
Betts is one of the players to watch in this season of Big 10 women’s basketball and is one of the top prospects in the 2026 WNBA Draft class.
Over six games this season, she is averaging 15.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 61.7 percent from the field. At 6 feet 7 inches, Betts should have a decent matchup against Longhorns center, Kyla Oldacre.
Lauren Betts on Dallas Wings getting the 1st pick βThatβs amazingβ¦Iβm just loving being a Bruin as of right nowβ π pic.twitter.com/8P6a97BCYN
β WNBA Got Game (@wnbagotgame) November 25, 2025
They Said It
βIt will be a great test, and weβre excited about the opportunity,β Texas Longhorns women’s basketball head coach Vic Schaefer said on the team participating in the Players Era Women’s Championship Tournament. (Doug Feinberg, Associated Press)
“I love this team. I believe in this team. They have prepared exceptionally well and have worked as hard as any team I’ve ever coached in the offseason. That being said, we did not carry that over to the game tonight. We did not carry that over with the level of excellence and focus and effort… was not there. We need to have a sense of humility coming back on Wednesday… that is not the standard in which we have set for ourselves.”βUCLA women’s basketball head coach Cori CloseΒ (Jack Haslett of The Sporting Tribune)
“It’s the little things that we talk about everyday; the communication, the hustle plays; we have statistics that we track outside of the normal stats, and we call them ‘passion plays.’ We didn’t hit those goals that we set for ourselves, and when we don’t do that, you can really tell that it transfers over into the game and what we’re seeing.”-UCLA graduate guard Charlisse Leger-Walker.Β (Jack Haslett of The Sporting Tribune)
Prediction
This game will come down to talent, size, and which team can take control in Wednesday afternoon’s opening matchup of the Players Era Women’s Championship.Β
I see the Bruins taking this matchup over the Longhorns, 67-64, based on the defense led by Lauren Betts and a fully healthy Charlisse Leger-Walker. UCLA has the defensive advantage, while Texas has different offensive weapons.
After this matchup concludes, Texas will face a more challenging non-conference schedule before starting its SEC conference schedule, and will have a lot to build on.
