Before Texas and Michigan battled on the floor in the Elite, tensions had already flared.
After their Sweet 16 win, the Longhorns accidentally slapped their nameplate in the regional champion slot in the bracket instead of the semifinal slot, which came off as disrespect to some of the Michigan Wolverines.
Before shootaround this afternoon, a group of Wolverines packed together to stare down the Longhorns as they entered Dickies Arena before their bout, wanting to use that honest mistake by Texas as fuel.
But that “fuel” was no match for the Longhorns’ camaraderie.
Cool, calm and collected, with chemistry to top it off — both off and on the court, dominating the Wolverines, 77-41, to advance to its second-straight Final Four.
“I don’t think you can say too much more about our kids other than they have absolutely played their hearts out,” Schaefer said. “Their chemistry is off the chart right now. They’re playing for each other. They’re having fun.”
While the Longhorns played near-perfect basketball through the first three games of the tournament, they faced their first tiny but real piece of adversity of March Madness against the Wolverines, despite what the final score indicates.
After building a substantial lead in the first quarter, the next 10 minutes were the most offensively stagnant this team has experienced recently, as the Longhorns went 4-17 on the field.
Despite stalling, Texas still led Michigan by 13 points at the half — the Wolverines missed their window to make a comeback. That’s where the chemistry piece proved especially vital.
Texas’ defense is so abrasive, its composure so intact, that no matter how “bad” the offensive woes were, the team won’t falter on the other side of the ball or lose focus. Texas held Michigan to just 20 points in the second half for its season-low total.
“We have a level of intensity and a level of focus on that end — it’s the standard,” Schaefer said. “It’s just who we are. It’s what we do.”
The Longhorns also played with joy, not afraid to celebrate on both the floor and the bench, donning smiles whilst actively playing.
That may be the difference between this year’s Final Four team and last year’s that dropped the game against South Carolina — they’ve formed a sisterhood, a chemistry that is not easily formed nor sustained.
“Honestly, basketball from an off-the-court standpoint, I think in order to have such a great team that we are, (chemistry) is what it takes,” Texas basketball center Kyla Oldacre said. “I feel like this team, the bond that we’ve started to build is even stronger, and it’s just that type of bond that is very much the feeling of a sisterhood.”
Head coach Vic Schaefer wants his players to embrace that bond — to enjoy the winning moments — because in his eyes, those moments are fleeting and rare.
From the first game in Greenville through Monday night, the Longhorns have played like they are on a mission — and they don’t plan on letting up.
A tough rematch with UCLA awaits on the horizon, but until then, the Longhorns will dance in the locker room, take copious amounts of pictures with the regional trophy and stop at Buc-ee’s, spending probably too much time in there.
Oh, and Schaefer plans on killing a Turkey in the woods tomorrow morning and be in the office by 10:00 a.m. to watch hours of film — then off to Phoenix, where it will be business as usual.
