The Texas Longhorns are advancing to Portland, Oregon for the next stage of the NCAA tournament after defeating Alabama 65-54. However, if the Longhorns aspire to win a national championship, they’ll need a more polished performance than what they showed against the Crimson Tide.
Apart from junior forward Aaliyah Moore and freshman forward Madison Booker, no Longhorn managed to shoot above 50% from the field. What secured Texas its 18th Sweet 16 appearance in school history was the formidable defense they exhibited. With 11 blocks, nine steals, and a rebound margin of plus 10, Texas made the crucial difference against Alabama, holding their offense to 20 points below their regular season average.
Head coach Vic Schaefer praised his team’s defensive efforts, stating, “They’ve averaged 76 points a game in the SEC, and our kids went out today and really played so hard defensively.”
Entering the second half, Texas maintained their momentum, thwarting Alabama’s offense three times in a row and embarking on a 6-0 run, prompting Alabama’s head coach Kristi Curry to call a timeout only 1:25 into the third quarter.
Curry noted the physicality of Texas’s players, emphasizing their formidable size, particularly highlighting senior forward Taylor Jones’ defensive impact.
Despite senior guard Shay Holle and graduate guard Shaylee Gonzales having a limited offensive contribution in the stat sheet, Schaefer commended their defensive prowess. “They went combined today, two for 12,” he said. “But they lock up everybody that we throw at them defensively.”
Despite the absence of key player junior guard Rori Harmon due to injury, Schaefer expressed admiration for the resilience of his team. “When Rori (Harmon) went down, we went from being pretty athletic on the perimeter to not being very athletic, but you better not tell those two because they don’t play that way,” he said.
However, Schaefer expressed dissatisfaction with the numerous missed opportunities the Longhorns had on the court, especially in the third quarter, where offensive mistakes, missed play calls, inefficient offense execution, and botched layups occurred.
“The level of competition only increases in difficulty from here on out,” Schaefer stated. “Despite not knowing our next opponent yet, the objective is clear: Four more wins will put the Longhorns at the top of the women’s basketball mountain.”