Vic Schaefer Values Tough, And It's Gotten the Texas Longhorns To The Final Four

TAMPA -- Leading up to his team's fourth matchup with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Texas Longhorns' head coach Vic Schaefer had one thing to say about how he wants his team to play: tough.

When asked about how he wants his team to win, whether a high-scoring game or not, he just wants them to play 40 minutes of tough defense.

In three previous matchups with the Gamecocks this season, Schaefer attributes his losses to one bad half and then one bad quarter. In the first matchup in Columbia, the Longhorns struggled to get started in the first half. In the SEC Championship game, Texas scored just six points in the second quarter.

To remind his team of what not to do, he lets his team pick which one they want to watch, calling it "The Rocky Horror Picture Show."

Apr 3, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer directs practice before the NCAA Woman’s Final Four at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"You've got to learn from it," Schaefer said. "I asked them the other night, I said, 'Okay, what do you want to watch tonight? (Do) You want to watch the first quarter, or, the SEC tournament, where we opened up the game and I thought we were in good shape, or you watch the second quarter,' they're all, 'okay, we'll watch the second quarter,' and I'm like, 'Hey, I'm giving you the option.' But you know, they know we've got to learn from that. And that's the challenge, is that you got to learn from your mistakes. As hard and uncomfortable as that is, the film, don't lie."

Texas already learned from its mistakes once against South Carolina, bouncing back to beat the Gamecocks when they traveled to Austin, and now will have to do it again, but on a neutral floor.

He preaches tough defense -- his team has held opponents to less than 50 points 14 times this season, and he also knows that its expected of his team.

"I think our fans get louder when somebody takes a charge than they to do when somebody makes a three," Schaefer said. "I think fans appreciate a team that's going to play hard, and if you're describing a team as a tough, physical, aggressive basketball team, you probably ain't talking about their jump shot."

In the Elite Eight against TCU, the Horned Frogs turned the ball over nine more times than they made a field goal. Senior point guard Rori Harmon set the tone on defense early, and it carried for 40 minutes.

Now, the Longhorns will need to play another 40 minutes of tough defense if they want to advance to the National Championship game.

"When the game's on the line, I'm not interested in the five best basketball players, I'm interested in the five best competitors, that's who's gonna be on the floor for me," Schaefer said. When the game's online, it's time to get it done. Your kids cherish that role. They value that opinion of themselves. When a coach thinks that highly of them and thinks that way of them, no matter what sport you're in. Our kids take great pride (in being tough), but it's something you have to understand. You don't wake up one day and you're just tough, you develop that."

Schaefer has reiterated "Texas Tough" and several other slogans his team has, including "it takes what it takes," and his team has fully bought in. They want to win a national title for Schaefer as bad as he wants to win it for them, and they're going to have to show their toughness to get past an extremely talented and deep South Carolina team.

Texas and South Carolina will tip off at 6 p.m. central on ESPN Friday.