2021 NCAA tournament

Great interview with Coach Vic. He is correct that most of the players on this team did not have many minutes their first year and the others rarely played over 17 min a game. And the team managed to learn a completely new system during a pandemic. Great point on why it may have taken them some time to play cohesively.
 
I’m with Mooo on how media and recruits and fans view previous coaching regimes. If you can look at a fired coaching staff in any sport, the coaching was terrible and the new staff is great. Lots of examples. Sometimes that is true and sometimes it’s not. The messaging that Schaefer has the program on the rise is a welcome one. Let’s celebrate that.
 
Moooooo said:
Yet, we were a first-round exit in 2019. It's all about what-have-you-done-for-me lately. Recruits pay attention to programs who are making the Sweet 16 and living up to their seed, or surpassing their seed.

Every time TV announcers or media talk about how good a job Vic is doing in season one, it's free advertising for recruiting. Sometimes the compliments they give him do come at the expense of the prior coaching staff and players; it is what it is.
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She was not my first or even my top 5 pick, but I will forever be thankful for Karen getting us back to pretty regular Sweet 16 appearances and even an Elite 8. She restored faith in the program for many of us. However, based on her recruits, she had Final Four potential teams and never could get them there. That plus no conference championships and losing an entire #2 overall recruiting class suggested she might never get there. I wish her all the best, but I am happy with the change. I believe it was warranted based on her record and her contract expiring.

On the men’s side, his contract might mean one more year of under-performing but I would imagine a new coach will happen there as well.
 
Moooooo said:
Yet, we were a first-round exit in 2019. It's all about what-have-you-done-for-me lately. Recruits pay attention to programs who are making the Sweet 16 and living up to their seed, or surpassing their seed.

Every time TV announcers or media talk about how good a job Vic is doing in season one, it's free advertising for recruiting. Sometimes the compliments they give him do come at the expense of the prior coaching staff and players; it is what it is.
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Bingo. Without Vic there is no way this team would be in the Sweet 16. When is the last time Texas Women’s Basketball seemed to be peaking before and during the NCAA tournament? Maybe the early 2000’s?
 
texexted said:
Bingo. Without Vic there is no way this team would be in the Sweet 16. When is the last time Texas Women’s Basketball seemed to be peaking before and during the NCAA tournament? Maybe the early 2000’s?
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There's a saying that Bum Phillips has been quoted as saying, although it may have been taken from others. When talking about how good an opposing coach is, he said, "He can take his and beat yours. Then, he can take yours and beat his."

I was a KA fan from day one. But I also had no confidence this year's team would do better under her. In the Craig Way interview, Vic stresses that only two players on this team were recruits from him. [Although I'm counting: Lauren, Kyra, and Deyona?] He said that he was playing with most players from the last coaching staff and that it was a testament that those players were willing to buy into a new staff.

But still, it was THIS coaching staff that has this team pointing upward. They may not make it to the Elite Eight, but then again I didn't think they would make it to the Sweet 16 to be honest.
 
texexted said:
Bingo. Without Vic there is no way this team would be in the Sweet 16. When is the last time Texas Women’s Basketball seemed to be peaking before and during the NCAA tournament? Maybe the early 2000’s?
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Come on now. When we made the Elite 8 before losing to UConn in 2016, we were playing some of the best basketball we had played since the 2003 Final Four season.
 
DFW_Horn said:
Completely agree - that team was peaking at the right time but poor bracketing had them run up against the Top 3 picks in the WNBA draft.
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And we went blow for blow with them except for a couple of brief spells. Lashaan, Ariel, and Brooke gave them fits.
 
I am still on a high from last night's win. Going in to the season, I felt our ceiling was a Sweet 16 berth if we managed to stay healthy. We've had our fair share of injuries, concussions, and COVID issues (just like a lot of other teams have); but, we made it!

Teams that finished ahead of us in the Big 12 standings (WVU, OSU, and ISU) are going home; but, we get to keep dancing for at least one more game!
:hammertime::mj:
 
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Moooooo said:
I am still on a high from last night's win. Going in to the season, I felt our ceiling was a Sweet 16 berth if we managed to stay healthy. We've had our fair share of injuries, concussions, and COVID issues (just like a lot of other teams have); but, we made it!

Teams that finished ahead of us in the Big 12 standings (WVU, OSU, and ISU) are going home; but, we get to keep dancing for at least one more game! :hammertime::mj:
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I thought the same to begin the season... Sweet 16. A few bumps, bruises, and growing pains later here we are. Like the players some of our fans here didn't seem to want to buy in, but most of us never doubted the process. That's exactly what it has been and will continue to be as we'll have new players (and probably new fans as well) next year that will go through the same process, but we'll have some players returning to lead them. The foundation for the upward trajectory of our program has been firmly laid. The rest of this season is gravy whether it's one more game or four.
 
The vibe and excitement (for us fans) after last night's win is drastically different than the one after our home loss to OU just a few weeks ago; that might have been the low point of the season (unless you consider the road losses at OU, WVU, or Baylor).
 
Moooooo said:
The vibe and excitement (for us fans) after last night's win is drastically different than the one after our home loss to OU just a few weeks ago; that might have been the low point of the season (unless you consider the road losses at OU, WVU, or Baylor).
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I think that OU debacle in Austin may have been the best thing to happen to us. It seemed to really have gotten the players' attention. We've been markedly improved since then.
 
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Moooooo said:
Come on now. When we made the Elite 8 before losing to UConn in 2016, we were playing some of the best basketball we had played since the 2003 Final Four season.
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Okay. So once in almost two decades? I like our odds better moving forward under this coaching staff.
 
texexted said:
Okay. So once in almost two decades? I like our odds better moving forward under this coaching staff.
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Exactly. An Elite 8 appearance in 2016 and a Final Four in 2003 are our best post-season runs since an Elite 8 appearance back in 1990. The "tradition" we have is few and far between since 1990.
 
Creme "re-seeds" the remaining 16 teams:

Reseeding the women's NCAA tournament Sweet 16 field


14. Texas Longhorns (Original seed: No. 6. Reseed: No. 4)

Vic Schaefer knows the formula, having been to the Sweet 16 four times as a head coach at Mississippi State. He just had to teach all its elements to his Longhorns. Consider the lesson learned. Texas guards came up big, as Celeste Taylor scored 24 points, Kyra Lambert had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Joanne Allen-Taylor added 16 points. In the final game of the second round, Texas beat No. 3 seed UCLA 71-62 to become the sixth No. 5 seed or higher to reach the Sweet 16. The Longhorns got out quickly and held the Bruins to 14 first-half points. Maryland is up next, and the formula for beating the Terps will demand more from star center Charli Collier, who had five points and five rebounds Wednesday.
 
Jacob Johnson said:
That will change very soon
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It actually takes season by season results to form consistency. So, while I have faith in Vic, we will have to let each season play out to see the results in the post-season that we haven't seen since 1990. Hopefully, he can match or surpass Karen's post-season run from 2015 to 2018. So far, he's ahead of the pace with a Sweet 16 in season one.
 
For those who posted about the TV cameras showing Onyewere in tears at as the game ended, it has been happening for decades.

I still remember the cameras showing Chamique Holdsclaw in tears when Coach G's Duke team ended her quest for a 4-peat in the Elite 8 game in Greensboro. I remember the cameras showing Alana Beard in tears when Rutgers upset Coach G's #1 seed Duke in the Sweet 16. It's nothing new.
 
I still say we are a scary matchup for the Terps and Freese knows it. The 2 games they lost they played against defense 1st type teams in Missouri State and Northwestern. I could be wrong but I hope I’m right when I say I don’t think they are going to score over 80 and if we hold them to less than 80 we have a good chance to be in the elite 8 because they defense is poor and they rely on out scoring opponent’s. From my coaching we not in a deep hole like everybody but us is going to say
 
The only thing that worries me is that we'll need at least 75 points to win this game and we've only done that 3 times this year vs power 5 teams (KU, WVU & ISU). If we get a total team effort it can be done, but we're going to have to stay out of foul trouble and we'll need at least a combined 45 from Charli and Celeste.

Excited to see if/how we rise to the occasion
 
racerx5908 said:
I thought about tweeting them and pointing out they could have talked about other issues:
1. Charli originally committed to UConn and why she switched to Texas
2. Joanne being a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering major
3. This might be revenge game against UCLA except none of the players and coaches played against them 3 years ago

I know you have to fill the time in a 21 point first half rout, but it was obvious they didn't prepare at all from the UT perspective. I wonder if it's because they're broadcasting from home and they don't have assistants to set them up with facts or talking points. Or maybe they assumed Texas was going to get trucked and just didn't bother.
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I think the Producer/Program Director in their ear has alot to do with what topics they speak on. Not sure how that works for them being at home.
 
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