Texas falls despite McKenzie’s goals

game this season, a short film about the Longhorns began with images of the undefeated Texas team that won the NCAA championship in 1986. Since that historic season, the Longhorns have been to only one Final Four, in 2003.

This season offers another chance to bask in the national attention that comes with a Final Four berth. The first step comes Saturday when second-seeded Texas will play host to 15th-seeded Maine at the Erwin Center. Also joining in the fun this weekend in Austin will be seventh-seeded seed Arizona State and Nebraska, a 10th seed.

The survivor will advance to the Kansas City, Mo., regional next weekend.

Among the notable basketball insiders who like UT’s brand is Debbie Antonelli, who played for legendary North Carolina State coach Kay Yow in 1982-86 before beginning a long career broadcasting women’s games.

“Texas is elite by resources, administrative commitment and history,” Antonelli said. “Baylor has been the elite team in the Big 12 because they have won eight conference titles in a row and continue to challenge for a national championship . ... Texas would be considered elite on the national scene because they are a team that will compete each year for a national championship and is a top-10 program.”

Big 12 coaches were split when asked whether Texas qualifies as an elite in the women’s game. While some said UT already has reached that level, others said the Longhorns needed more milestone victories.

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said UConn is the nation’s best program, but he also considers Notre Dame, Baylor, Louisville, South Carolina and Texas elite.

“I honestly think Baylor and Texas have a legitimate chance” to reach the Final Four, Fennelly said. “I think Baylor had a really good chance (to win the national championship) if Kristy Wallace (who suffered a knee injury last month) were healthy, but I think Texas and Baylor are honestly Final Four-caliber teams. I really believe that.”

To Kansas State coach Jeff Mittie, Texas falls short of elite status.

“There is another layer of teams out there — certainly Texas is in that category of teams — that are on the cusp” of being elite, he said.

Mittie said UConn, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Stan- ford and Baylor — teams that have been to the Final Four multiple times in recent years — are on his elite list.

“Right now Mississippi State has gone on an incredi- ble run,” he added, speaking about a Bulldogs team that reached the NCAA champi- onship game last season and earned a No. 1 seed for the 2018 tournament.

UT’s path to the Final Four might include the Bulldogs, who also could be headed to Kansas City.

Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said she was fueled by frus- tration after Louisiana Tech did not offer her a five-year contract as the school’s head women’s coach in 2000. Mulkey was an All-America point guard for the Lady Techsters and spent 15 years as an assistant coach and associate head coach under Leon Barmore before departing for Waco.

Hired by Baylor in 2000, Mulkey won the first of her two NCAA championships with the Lady Bears in 2005.

“It wasn’t like I was beat- ing the door down to get the job” at Baylor, she said.

Mulkey also offered some candid comments about the challenge of becoming an elite team in women’s basketball.

“My alma mater struggles to get it back, and I can name a few teams in this league that are struggling to get it back that have won cham- pionships,” she said, perhaps taking a subtle shot at Texas, a Big 12 peer. “As long as I’m at the helm, I’m going to demand, I’m going to challenge the media, I’m going to challenge the players. Because once we lose it, you won’t get it back like you think you can in women’s basketball.”

The Texas Stars had two power-play goals, but it wasn’t enough as the Manitoba Moose came away with a 6-3 American Hockey League win Wednesdaynight at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.

Curtis McKenzie scored both power-play goals for Texas (32-22-6-3) in the first period. His first goal was assisted by Justin Dowling and Travis Morin to give Texas the lead less than three minutes into the game.

The Moose (37-17-4-4) then scored three straight goals to take a 3-1 lead. Jan Kotalek tied it five minutes after McKenzie’s first goal. Kirill Gotovets put Manitoba up 2-1 before Peter Stoykewych scored another.

McKenzie scored his second goal 16:21 into the period to make it 3-2. He now leads Texas with 23 goals.

JC Lipon put Manitoba up 4-2 with a power-play goal in the second. Lipon assisted on two other goals.

Manitoba’s Patrice Cormier scored his 20th of the season, and Brett Welychka capped the Moose’s scoring later in the period.

Samuel Laberge got the Stars’ last goal with less than five minutes to play.