Schaefer’s sweet season
Horns coach gets emotional following upset of UCLA in NCAA Tournament second round
AUSTIN — Heavy with emotion after what just transpired, Texas coach Vic Schaefer descended to both knees, turned palms and teary eyes skyward, and tried to breathe in the moment.
In the foreground, emerging star Celeste Taylor and Joanne Allen-taylor hugged and laughed in their own little Longhorns world on the Alamodome’s north court. In the background, a few blurry burnt-orange figures caroused while others in UCLA blue slouched.
While No. 6 Texas (20-9) believed it could beat the third-seeded Bruins (17-6) Wednesday night in an NCAA Tournament secondround game, few could’ve predicted that Schaefer’s group would lead 35-14 at halftime or that Penn State grad transfer Lauren Ebo and Duke grad transfer and former Steele and Clemens standout Kyra Lambert would shine so bright or that a rare off night by junior superstar Charli Collier could be weathered in such striking fashion.
The Longhorns’ 71-62 victory
was as impressive as Schaefer’s ever had, and the former Naismith college coach of the year has had quite a few big ones in his day.
“I’ve been a part of some really special wins in 36 years of coaching,” Schaefer said Wednesday night, voice wobbling. “And today’s win, seeing how hard those kids played today, the humility that they played with. To know that, ‘Just let me do whatever I got to do to help us win, Coach.’ It’s just why you do what you do as a coach. It’s why you don’t win or lose on paper.”
The underdog card can’t be played at a place like Texas. No matter the matchup or the situation, the Longhorns are like the New York Yankees, the Evil Empire in amateur packaging.
Still, there’s something about Schaefer’s scrappy group. Collier might be a national star and future No. 1 overall pick, but the Longhorns play like they’ve been overlooked and underappreciated.
With all the excitement surrounding a 2021 signing class featuring Cypress Creek backcourt tandem Rori Harmon and Kyndall Hunter, Taylor’s development almost had gone overlooked. But she was a stick of dynamite against UCLA, pouring in a season-high 24 points while hitting shots from all over the floor and playing her typical brand of lively defense.
And Lambert, back in her hometown, was a versatile whiz with 17 points, 10 rebounds and four assists across 40 minutes. Meanwhile, Ebo’s physicality and spirited post presence helped offset bumpy games by Collier and junior Audrey Warren, who combined for seven points on 2-for-7 shooting with six rebounds and eight fouls.
UCLA was able to score more effectively in the second half with Collier and
Warren stuck on the bench in foul trouble. With Texas’ shot-blocking sentry and charge-taking warrior out, the Bruins kept attacking, creating 26 points in the paint and going 17-for-23 at the free-throw line over the final 20 minutes.
But Texas didn’t collapse thanks to step-up performances by Ebo, who played the final 30 minutes, Allentaylor, Taylor and Lambert.
“We’re not one person,” Schaefer said. “Charli has carried us a lot this year. There’s been nights where we couldn’t throw it in the ocean if we were standing on the beach at high tide, and she’s bailed us out a lot. So, to see us play tonight, and to see us be able to go out and do, what we did, is a sign of the development of a team.
“I think we’re getting better. Our chemistry is so much better and different now than it’s been. And man, those guards are really starting to play well for us.”
Sweet 16 opponent Maryland (26-2) will stress Schaefer’s team like never before.
The second-seeded Terrapins have won their two tournament games by a combined 89 points. They haven’t lost since Jan. 25, an 88-86 loss at No. 14 Ohio State. Six Terps average between 10.7 and 18.1 points per game for the nation’s No. 1 scoring offense (91.8 points per game).
Even a month ago, it might have felt like this Texas team was walking to its doom. But the Longhorns have started embracing Schaefer’s ideology for the better of late. Play unrelenting full-court defense. Don’t get outworked on the glass. Limit turnovers. Trust one another.
This isn’t the same group that lost West Virginia by 34 or to Baylor by 25. It’s a team growing in confidence, one that’s held opponents to 36 percent shooting in two NCAA Tournament wins, one that’s ready to pull one more stunner Sunday at the Alamodome.
“You can’t measure what’s inside somebody’s breastplate,” Schaefer said. “Those kids have grown. They have come so far. Again, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve had some really special victories in my career. And that one right there, it’s hard to get past that one, just knowing where we started.”