![\"Nicole](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_4711.jpg\" "\\"Nicole")
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Nicole Graves (left) and John Graves wear shirts representing their daughters Rebekah Graves, who plays for Louisville, and Sarah Graves, who plays for Texas, at Sweet 16 games in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth.<\/p>\n
Lawrence Dow<\/p>\n
ldow@star-telegram.com<\/p>\n
FORT WORTH<\/p>\n
Nicole Graves is having a weekend most parents dream of.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s watching her daughters, Sarah and Rebekah<\/a>, live out their athletic dreams, playing for Texas and Louisville in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at Dickies Arena<\/a>, right near where they grew up in Keller.<\/p>\n Graves and her family traveled back and forth from Austin to Kentucky in the first two rounds to attend each daughter\u2019s games, but she said she was a little nervous to have them end up in the same bracket.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first I was really like, no, I don\u2019t want them to play each other,\u201d Nicole Graves said. \u201cAs a mom, like, how do you both win when they play each other? But now, after the last week, I\u2019m like, thank God they\u2019re both together.\u201d<\/p>\n The Graves family won\u2019t have to have divided loyalty in Monday\u2019s Elite Eight game. Redshirt freshman guard Rebekah Graves and No. 3-seeded Louisville lost to No. 2 Michigan<\/a> 71-52 in Saturday\u2019s first Sweet 16 game. Senior guard Sarah Graves and No. 1 Texas defeated No. 5 Kentucky<\/a> 76-54.<\/p>\n The Longhorns (34-3) will play the Wolverines (28-6) for a berth in the Final Four at 6 p.m. Monday at Dickies.<\/p>\n Sarah Graves was the first of the sisters to get into basketball, and her mother remembers initially wondering if this new hobby would stick around.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Sarah decided she fell in love with the game of basketball, she realized she was really far behind,\u201d Nicole Graves said. \u201cMy husband [John] and I did not play basketball at all, and so she didn\u2019t grow up playing basketball, [but] she fell in love with it.<\/p>\n \u201cShe started calculating, OK, I need to spend this many hours in the gym. I need to start learning these drills, and she, like, wrote her own little playbook. I think when she started, it kind of inspired her younger sister and so they just both got really into it, and from that moment on, she never, never once looked back.\u201d<\/p>\n John and Nicole Graves wore shirts with each daughter\u2019s number and team on it Saturday. Nicole talked about what it was like to see her daughters have this moment.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s surreal,\u201d she said. \u201cFirst of all, for both my girls to be at two incredible schools. I mean, University of Texas, University of Louisville, incredible schools, incredible coaches, incredible teams, and fans have supported and loved them so well. So right there, I\u2019m just so thankful for that.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd then you see all the behind work, right? They don\u2019t get to play a lot. There\u2019s not a lot of events for that, so to get to see them do this together is something. I mean, I keep saying, literally only God can write this kind of story. I can\u2019t give any other credit. Yes, they\u2019ve worked hard, but only God could do this.\u201d<\/p>\n Rebekah averaged 1.7 points in 17 games this season. She got onto the court in the final minute of Saturday\u2019s loss.<\/p>\n Sarah averaged 1.4 points in 18 games this season. She also got in her game in the final minute to a roar of applause from fans, which got even louder when she was chosen to take a pair of technical free throws and made both.<\/p>\n Texas head coach Vic Schaefer talked about giving Graves that moment in front of family and friends.<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s just a special kid,\u201d Schaefer said. \u201cAnd you know, our team, I actually asked another player to shoot the free throws, and she pointed to Sarah. She said, \u2018Coach, let her shoot,\u2019 and you know, that\u2019s the kind of team I have. I just, I got a great group of kids.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicole Graves knows the hard work behind the scenes and the trials and tribulations that went into both of her daughters getting to this moment with two of the best college basketball programs in the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThey both had to press through really hard hardships,\u201d she said. \u201cRebekah tore her Achilles, and Sarah had a stress fracture her sophomore year. So they both had to really work through those, like not getting minutes, having injuries, and still showing up with joy, with thanksgiving, pride in what they\u2019re doing, helping their teammates in the middle of their setbacks. Watching them press through it\u2019s been hard, and so I\u2019m so incredibly proud of both of them sticking with it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Graves sisters are close. Sarah, when asked if she was ever annoyed by her little sister tagging along, said they were basically twins. Nicole Graves agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s been so fun,\u201d she said. \u201cOne of my favorite pictures is them. It was one of their last games they played together in a playoff game [in high school], and they\u2019re both guarding someone. They weren\u2019t going against each other. They were together, going for these girls, and so there were so many times watching them play, where they feed each other, and it was just beautiful to watch as a parent. And so also a lot easier when you\u2019re on the same team, like they win together. This is gonna be a little different. But I love that. I love their relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 28, 2026 at 3:13 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram<\/p>\n![\"FORT](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2268826272-GI.JPG\" "\\"2268826272-GI.JPG\\"")
Texas guard Sarah Graves reacts during the fourth quarter against Kentucky in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Elsa Getty Images Not a basketball family \u2014 at first<\/p>\n![\"FORT](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2268824771-GI.JPG\" "\\"2268824771-GI.JPG\\"")
Texas guard Sarah Graves celebrates after making a technical free throw against Kentucky during the final minute of the fourth quarter in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. Elsa Getty Images Sarah Graves gets moment at free-throw line<\/p>\n