If the pressure on Texas women’s basketball seems heavy on the surface, it’s nothing compared to the pressure coming from within. Head coach Vic Schaefer has made no secret of what he wants this team’s ultimate goal to be.
“We’re trying to play in the last game of the year,” Schaefer said back in mid-September. “We’re trying to win the last game of the year.”
Schaefer is a championship-caliber head coach. Back at Mississippi State, his coaching home for eight years, Schaefer reached two NCAA championship games, losing both.
But in his four full seasons at Texas, Schaefer has taken the Longhorns to three Elite Eights, unable to advance any further. Last year, he made it without his star guard, Rori Harmon, who went down with a knee injury in late December.
Nobody expects the Longhorns to bring home a championship more than Schaefer. But is his team ready to beat championship-level programs?
Based on past wins this season, it might be. Texas has won against top ranked teams, including No. 12 West Virginia, winning by five, No. 9 Oklahoma by seven, and No. 8 Maryland by 38.
Although the team lost two games against No. 10 Notre Dame and No. 2 South Carolina, Texas has bounced back from these losses. After falling to the Mountaineers, the Longhorns won nine straight games, two being against Oklahoma and Alabama. And after the 17-point loss to South Carolina, Texas rebounded, winning its last four games.
The toughest battles are still to come for the now No. 5 Longhorns. No. 2 South Carolina and No. 7 LSU, who have won a combined three championships in the past three years, will play in the Moody Center on Feb. 9 and Feb. 16, respectively. In between those two games, the Longhorns will take a trip to Lexington to take on No. 12 Kentucky.
With tough challenges ahead, the next stretch of games will show whether this team has what it takes to reach the Final Four and compete for a national title. With Schaefer’s leadership and a roster full of talent, they’ve shown flashes of championship DNA.
Schaefer has made it clear: the goal is to win the last game of the season. While his squad has shown promise, its biggest tests still lie ahead. Schaefer has set the bar high, and it’s up to Texas to try and clear it.
