March 20, 2026, 8:44 p.m. ET
AUSTIN, TX — The Texas Longhorns women’s basketball team led by 40 points with 5 minutes remaining in an NCAA Tournament recreation devoid of drama when the chants started in earnest.
“We want Sarah!” chorused repeatedly from the stands dealing with Texas’ bench because the top-seeded Longhorns closed in on a first-round win over Missouri State on Friday at Moody Center.
The followers obtained their want with about two minutes left within the fourth quarter when Longhorns senior guard Sarah Graves checked into the sport.
Graves missed two pictures and Texas level guard Rori Harmon slapped her palms towards her legs in exasperation. But a couple of possessions later, Graves nailed a turnaround jumper with 14 seconds remaining and the sector erupted in celebration.
Graves went down the Texas bench amassing excessive fives and handshakes. Longhorns star ahead Madison Booker pretended to fan cash throughout Graves.
“It’s just so fun because I remember coming here four years ago and no one knew who I was,” Graves informed USA TODAY Sports. “So it’s just cool to see the progression of being a nobody and nobody knowing who you are versus finding a way to make an impact no matter what your role is. So, ‘humbling’ is the word I would use.”
Graves, a former Longhorns walk-on whose relentless work ethic finally earned her an athletic scholarship, has change into a type of superstar in Austin and past. She’s been featured in The Athletic and on ESPN’s College GameDay. She is shamelessly self-promotional on social media and on LinkedIn.
It’s the identical bet-on-herself perspective that impressed Graves, a finance main, to spend $70 to buy Texas coach Vic Schaefer’s teaching guide three years in the past, in order that she might research his performs earlier than she joined the crew.
Graves’ last-second bucket on Friday towards Missouri State was her eighth area purpose this season and first NCAA Tournament area purpose of her profession. In three earlier NCAA Tournament video games that she performed in, she was 0-for-2 from the sector.
“Sarah is probably as comfortable as anybody I got on my team in our offense. She knows how to probably run the five position if I put her there,” Schaefer stated after the sport. “Her teammates were ― they care deeply about her because they know she cares deeply about them. It’s a fun time. It’s great that you can play those kids in that moment and of course the crowd, the crowd’s pretty cool, too.”
Texas’ strain protection and inside scoring helped the Longhorns dominate all recreation lengthy and paved the way in which for Graves’ late entrance. Her teammates have been simply as ecstatic.
“When we score in the game, she’s always first one off the bench and everything. We kind of wanted to give that back to her when she scored,” Booker stated. “When the ball was going through the hoop, we wanted her to see how much we appreciate her on the bench and just give her back energy. But yeah, we love Sarah to death over here.”
Harmon stated, “She’s a great leader. She’s a great culture kid. She does so much for us. When she goes out there and has a great attitude every time she gets in the game and she does something like that. We see it in practice and not a lot of people see that, but that turnaround fade in the paint that she had is a great shot to have.”
Graves stated whereas she hopes the eye helps her land a job after commencement, she’s primarily loved seeing the impact her story has on others.
“It’s awesome because it’s a way for me to deflect onto my teammates and my team,” Graves stated. “It’s not really about me at all, but if I can inspire one player, one kid – which is what I’ve usually heard from these, kids getting inspired – then that makes all the difference in the world.”
Graves had no aspirations of being a school basketball participant. Growing up in Keller, Texas, a part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro space, she ran observe for many of her life. She was 14 when she determined to present basketball a attempt to joined her highschool crew. It didn’t go properly at first.
“Not at all,” Graves stated, laughing. “I was on the ‘C team.’ I had like, three five-second violations in my first game. I was traveling. But I genuinely lived in the gym. My parents would tell you, I was there four hours every single day before, after school. Six a.m. on the weekends.”
She had no intention of continuous her basketball profession past highschool, however the summer season after she graduated, she realized she deeply missed the competitors. When she enrolled at Texas within the fall of 2022, a pal informed her about a possibility to follow with the Longhorns. By October of her freshman 12 months, she was on the crew. She was placed on scholarship previous to the 2023-24 season.
“I’ve seen a lot of late bloomers, a lot of people inspired to work hard and not give up,” Graves stated. “If you’re obsessed with your craft and you work way harder than everybody else, it’s never too late to start.”
Graves’ different suggestions for the lots: “Be authentic and shameless.”
“It might be a little bit cringe to put yourself out there, not just on LinkedIn but anywhere, but seeing the results and seeing the impact that it’s had has made me even more shameless and having the mindset that I don’t care what anyone thinks,” she stated.
On Friday, when 1000’s of followers roared with approval after Graves scored the sport’s closing basket, it was extremely clear what these folks thought.
Standing at her locker afterward, Graves shook her head and puzzled out loud the way it had all occurred.
“Kind of a storybook ending,” Graves stated.
