Texas women's basketball fans cheer on team in Final Four

AUSTIN, Texas - The UT women's basketball team faces UCLA at the Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix on Friday night.

Tipoff was scheduled for 8:30 p.m., but before the teams took the court, Katie Pratt of FOX 7 Austin spoke with fans at a pub on the Drag.

Local perspective:

Excitement is high as Texas women’s sports teams have excelled this season, and the basketball team is no exception.

Cheers echoed from Austin to Arizona as fans gathered to watch the game.

"The whole state’s going to be cheering for them," said Adele Langlois, a fan.

Fans in Burnt Orange crowded around televisions, eager to catch every moment as the Texas women’s basketball team faced off against UCLA.

"As we get closer and closer, we get a little more crowded and it gets a little bit crazier. Monday night was just incredible here—all the yelling and cheering," Debra Hallum, co-owner of 1972 Pub, said.

The Final Four matchup features all No. 1 seeds. Texas has won 12 straight games, dominating opponents by an average of 36 points in the tournament.

"They have great chemistry. They are playing as a really good team. They’re supporting each other, and there’s no ‘I’ in team," Langlois said.

​The Longhorns have already defeated two of the teams in this Final Four earlier in the season: South Carolina and Friday night’s opponent, UCLA, who they beat by double digits previously.

"They’re playing UCLA. They’ve already beaten them. Do you think they can do it again?" Pratt asked.

"Absolutely. We have a team that is gelled so well—their personalities, their work ethic. They have just come together, and you see it every time on the court," Hallum said.

Why you should care:

The Longhorns hope to punch their ticket to the national championship game. 

If they can secure a win on Friday, it would put them on track to bring home the program’s first national championship in 40 years.