AUSTIN, TX — There aren't many people in women's basketball who don't know Madison Booker, the leading scorer on the No. 1 seedTexas Longhornswho was named the SEC Tournament MVP and an Associated Press All-American.
The head coach of Texas' first-round NCAA Tournament opponent, Missouri State's Beth Cunningham, might be more familiar with Booker than most.
When Cunningham was an assistant coach at Duke, she recruited Booker, who was then a five-star recruit in the class of 2023 at Germantown High in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Cunningham and Duke head coach Kara Lawson made a home visit to Booker and attempted to persuade her to go to Durham.
Booker ultimately chose the Longhorns instead, but she was left with a positive impression of Cunningham.
"She was a good coach," Booker said on Thursday. "I'm pretty sure throughout my (recruitment) process, that's when she did get the head coaching job at Missouri State. But I mean, we kind of vibed, honestly. Like I talked to her on the phone, talked to her in person too on my visit. But yeah, we vibed and I'm happy that she got a head coaching job here at Missouri State."
A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
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A Texas Christian University Horned Frogs cheerleader practices before the game during a first round game of the men's2026 NCAATournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 19, 2026 in Greenville, SC.
Cunningham also previously recruitedTexas sophomore guard Jordan Lee,who along with Booker helped take the Longhorns to the 2025 Final Four. Cunningham said it's been fun for her to watch them excel in college, even if it's not on her team.
"I could kind of go down through their list of All-Americans and players that they have and had some sort of relationship with several of them on the team," Cunningham said. "Always thought that Maddie had a ton of potential and would be an unbelievable college player and certainly, she's found a great place to do that and develop. Just her versatility and her confidence, she's as good as they come."
On Friday, they'll meet again on opposite sidelines when Booker, Lee and the top-seeded Longhorns host Cunningham and the 16-seed Lady Bears at Moody Center.
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It's Missouri State's first NCAA Tournament appearance under Cunningham, who in her fourth season led the Lady Bears (23-12) to the Conference USA Tournament title. Missouri State beat Stephen F. Austin, 85-75, in the NCAA Tournament play-in game to book a date with Texas.
Cunningham's previous March Madness matchup against Texas coach Vic Schaefer was a memorable one. Prior to Cunningham's stint at Duke, she was an associate head coach at Notre Dame under Muffet McGraw from 2012 to 2020.
In the 2018 national championship game, Arike Ogunbowale's buzzer-beater gave Notre Dame a 61-58 win over Schaefer's Mississippi State team.
"Certainly it's something that often jogs your memory, but we're two very different teams. It's not me against him," Cunningham said. "It's just interesting, though, that if you're in coaching long enough, sooner or later, your paths somehow usually cross again through your careers."
Missouri State's identity this season is predicated on defense and crashing the boards. Missouri State is 22-4 this season when grabbing more rebounds than its opponents, and outrebounded SFA 50-30.
The Lady Bears know they aren't favorites to win against Texas, but they've been in that position before. Missouri State was a No. 6 seed in its conference tournament and knocked off the top three seeds, becoming the lowest seed to win the CUSA Tournament.
"Underdogs for sure, but that's the way we like it," said Missouri State junior guard Kaemyn Bekemeier.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Texas' Vic Schaefer goes against coach who beat him in NCAA title game