In Wichita return, Matt Braeuer savors family moments during Texas Tech’s Sweet 16 run
In a crowd of more than 14,000 people, Matt Braeuer locked eyes with one.
As almost everyone’s attention was on the court in the final seconds of Texas Tech’s 77-64 victory over Drake this past Saturday, Braeuer had his back turned to the party and was scanning the Red Raiders’ cheering section at Intrust Bank Arena until he found his wife, Katie, who was wrangling their 3-year-old twin boys.
When the two made eye contact, Braeuer couldn’t contain a smile and raised his left fist in celebration.
For the first time since he was a player at Wichita State in 2006, he was headed back to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Texas Tech. But in typical Braeuer fashion, he didn’t want the moment to be about himself.
“My wife is the rock,” Braeuer told The Eagle after the celebration. “She is the one who is raising two twin boys who are 3 years old. I mean, she’s the rock. There’s no way that I could do what I do professionally without her complete support. So that was just kind of my way to show my appreciation. For as much time and energy and effort and support that she puts in to my profession, I wanted to make sure she gets to enjoy and reap the rewards of the success that we’ve had.”
What made the moment even more special was that it played out in Wichita, where the two met when Braeuer was a Wichita State basketball player from 2004-08. His wife’s parents still live in Wichita and the couple still return to the city during the basketball offseason.
It was a homecoming of sorts for Braeuer with plenty of people still around WSU that were ecstatic to see him find success at the highest level.
“I still remember him when he was a shaggy hair, little freshman who gave me a lot of trouble,” said WSU academic advisor Gretchen Torline, who served as Texas Tech’s host while in Wichita. “It’s so heartwarming to see him do this and get to this level. I started working at WSU in 1990 and men’s basketball hadn’t been to the NCAA Tournament. I remember how much excitement there was (in 2006), so it’s so special to see him get the chance to go back to the Sweet 16 and do it here in Wichita.”
There has been plenty to celebrate for Braeuer since he departed WSU after a 6-year stint that began playing for coach Mark Turgeon and ended as a graduate assistant on coach Gregg Marshall’s staff.
Winning has followed him at every stop along the way, as he has steadily climbed the coaching ranks. After serving the last seven seasons as an assistant coach under Grant McCasland, Braeuer, who turns 39 next month, will officially become a Division I head coach at Stephen F. Austin following Texas Tech’s NCAA run.
Through his work ethic, humble demeanor and competitiveness, Braeuer has become a favorite of Texas Tech players.
“I love Matty B, that’s my guy,” said Texas Tech point guard Elijah Hawkins, who scored 16 points with seven assists in the win over Drake. “I like that he doesn’t ever take anything for granted. He doesn’t sugar coat anything. If he feels some type of way about something and you’re not going hard, he’s going to let you know. He doesn’t let anybody take off reps or slack off. I appreciate that about him.”
It’s not often that Braeuer will talk about himself, but he made an exception earlier this season when he hosted Hawkins at his house in Lubbock. As a fellow point guard, Braeuer showed him his Wichita State memorabilia and of course he dug out the old footage of his 2006 buzzer-beater against Creighton on Valentine’s Day.
“I definitely did not expect the hair,” Hawkins said with a laugh. “When he told me that was him, I didn’t believe him at first. That was crazy.”
Braeuer didn’t want to compare his 2006 Sweet 16 run as a player to the one he experienced in Wichita as a coach. For starters, the Red Raiders have bigger goals with their next game scheduled against Arkansas in San Francisco on Thursday.
“Every time you are able to do something special, it’s always special,” Braeuer said. “There’s nothing that necessarily adds to it or anything that’s any different. You just try to celebrate it in the moment and you try to live in the moment and just enjoy where your feet are at.”
Even though Texas Tech enjoyed a week-long stay in Wichita, Braeuer was so busy preparing for the games that he hardly ever saw his family, which not only included his wife and twin boys, but also his wife’s family in Wichita and his brother.
After the victory, Braeuer slipped out of the team celebration in the locker room to return to the court and climb the stairs to enjoy the moment with his family.
“That’s a testament to coach (McCasland). He’s a family man and he lets us all be family men,” Braeuer said. “Right now, my boys don’t care if I win or lose. They just love basketball and coming to the games. So to be with them in that moment, it was just awesome.”
On a night where his team advanced to the Sweet 16, Braeuer’s favorite moment came when he climbed the stairs into the stands and had his twin sons run toward him for a hug. With a twin in each hand, Braeuer finally reached his wife and shared an embrace that is sure to become a core memory for the family.
“When you’re a coach, the highs are so high and the lows are really low,” he said. “So when you have those highs, you have to enjoy them. There’s people who coach for 25 years and never even make it to the NCAA Tournament, let alone the Sweet 16. So I’m blessed. You can never take this for granted. We’re going to wake up tomorrow and go back to work, but I wanted to enjoy this tonight and especially with the ones who support you and love you even when the times are the hardest.”
This story was originally published March 24, 2025 at 6:02 AM.
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