It was supposed to be a rough stretch. Eleven days. Four games. Four ranked teams, three in the top 10.
But for some reason, with three games down, it’s been smooth sailing for No. 3 Texas. It’s easy to forget, but one must remember that rough weather can be beaten with tough skin.
“This is part of a four-game murderer’s row for us,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said. “And this was No. 3. I’m really proud of my kids. They’re just stinkin’ tough.”
After a 67–49 win against No. 8 Kentucky in Lexington, the Longhorns have won their past three games by a combined 43 points.
“The standard is the standard,” senior guard Rori Harmon said. “It’s just something we live by.”
A highly ranked Kentucky team averaged over 77 points a game in the Southeastern Conference before the Longhorns came to town, with senior guard and projected first-round 2025 WNBA draft pick Georgia Amoore averaging 22.2 of those points. The Texas defense, allowing just 49 points and 14 from Amoore, proved as tough as ever.
“That’s how good this team is,” Schaefer said. “They keep surprising me a little bit.”
Senior forward Taylor Jones and junior forward Kyla Oldacre are an underground cognition to the team’s success. The “two-headed monster,” as Schaefer puts it, combined for 34 points and 15 of the team’s 45 rebounds.
“With Taylor starting and tiring them out, I go in and add fuel to the fire that she already created,” Oldacre said. “I go in, dominate, bully … I know nobody can stop me except me, and I’m just gonna do my job that coach wants me to do.”
It was a close first half as Texas led by just eight after the first half, but a big third quarter had the Longhorns up by 22. Oldacre and sophomore forward Madison Booker led the game with 19 points each. Booker also had eight boards and four assists on 9-18 shooting.
Now, Texas finishes off murderer’s row with No. 5 LSU coming to the Moody Center. Heading into the last stretch of conference play in a close battle for the top spot, the game’s result can be decisive for the regular season championship. The Tigers are the last ranked opponents on Texas’ schedule before the SEC tournament on March 5.
“I’m in it to win it,” Schaefer said. “I’m trying to win the last one.”
