Schaefer faces Staley again

In a career of major milestones and championship achievements, Texas coach Vic Schaefer just can't seem to get past South Carolina when it counts the most.

The veteran coach in his first year with the Longhorns gets another chance Tuesday night as his sixth-seeded team plays the No. 1 seed Gamecocks (25-4) in the Hemisfair Region for a berth in the Final Four.

Schaefer built a powerhouse over eight seasons at Mississippi State with two Final Four appearances, two regular-season Southeastern Conference crowns and a league tournament title. Yet, he's come up short in several big moments against South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley.

Schaefer's Bulldogs were 0-4 in SEC Tournament title games to the Gamecocks. And following perhaps his team's biggest accomplishment — ending UConn's 111-game win streak at the national semifinals in 2017 — it was Staley who cut down the nets two nights later after taking the women's NCAA Tournament crown over Mississippi State.

“We've had some knock-down, drag-outs over the years,” Schaefer said.

Texas (21-9) already has had a season's worth of surprises in the tournament, toppling third-seed UCLA in the second round and holding offensive juggernaut Maryland, the second-seed and a popular pick to advance out of the region, to its lowest point total of the year in a 64-61 victory Sunday night.

Now, the next challenge is knocking off Staley's team, which ousted Georgia Tech 76-65 on Sunday.

“The good news is I don't have to play her one-on-one because I'm sure I wouldn't do very well,” he said Monday.

Schaefer is 3-12 all time against Staley and the Gamecocks.

“There is some familiarity there over the years,” he said. “We had some very big games and some very big moments.”

Staley believes the history between the coaches will play a role as the Gamecocks attempt to reach their third Final Four since 2015.