Longhorns Have More ‘A-Mo’ For Sweet 16

Vic Schaefer said he had a feeling something big was coming from Aaliyah Moore before Sunday’s second-round NCAA Tournament game against Utah.

After all, Moore had put together two solid performances in her previous two games. Even his son noticed.

“My son goes, ‘Hey Dad, A-Mo (Moore), she's playing really good. Where's that been?’” Schaefer said.

Where’s that been? It’s been lurking all season, buried in part by an injury that stole more than a month of Moore’s season. But her teammates have seen it, including guard Aliyah Matharu.

Aaliyah Moore

Aliyah Matharu

“She has always been this good around the rim and just in general. I think today was the first time –”

At that point, Schaefer had to interrupt.

“So it’s my fault?” Schaefer said to Matharu after the Longhorns’ 78-56 win over Utah in the second round on Sunday.

Matharu continued.

“Wait a minute, Coach!,” she said. “Like I think today was the first time I saw Aliyah shoot a mid-range jumper, and as soon as she caught the ball, I was like, ‘Shoot it, cash, like it's going in.’”

Moore had 21 points against the Utes, including a binge in the second quarter in which she scored five straight baskets at one point. By halftime, she had 14 points.

By halftime, she had nearly as many points as she scored in the Longhorns’ first-round win over Fairfield, a game in which she finished with 18 points. It was more than she scored in the Big 12 Tournament title game against Baylor when she had 12 points.

The timing is perfect. As the Longhorns enter Friday’s Sweet 16 matchup with Ohio State in Spokane, Wash., Moore gives Texas an ascendent option inside.

But, Schaefer seemed to know it was coming.

“There was something when I woke up (Sunday), I just had a peace about the day, and I had a really good feeling she was going to play well today, and boy, did she,” Schaefer said.

This season was supposed to go much differently for Moore, who was the centerpiece of Texas’ 2021 recruiting class. The No. 6 ranked player in the nation, she was so highly thought of that the Big 12 coaches named her the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year before she even took the floor.

Schaefer put her in the starting lineup and it lasted for three games before she suffered an injury that kept her out of the lineup until a couple of games into Big 12 play. When she returned her playing time had gone to DeYona Gaston and Latasha Lattimore, playing with Lauren Ebo inside.

Schaefer attempted to integrate Moore back into the lineup. She had 10 points in 22 minutes against Oklahoma on Jan. 29, her first game in double figures this season.

But, when Schaefer reshuffled his lineup after back-to-back losses to Baylor in early February, Moore’s playing time nearly disappeared.

And, when the Longhorns got to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament, Moore played a grand total of four minutes in their first two games.

But, in the title game against Baylor, Gaston landed in early foul trouble, and Schaefer turned to Moore. Her 21 minutes against Baylor were her most since that Oklahoma game, and her 12 points and five rebounds helped Texas avenge those two losses and to win their first Big 12 Tournament title since 2003.

Since then, Moore has been a significant part of the rotation and she’s averaged 17 points in the last three games.

So, what happened? Moore didn’t just flip a switch and, suddenly, high production followed. It took time.

Rori Harmon

Audrey Warren

Matharu saw it in practice every day. Harmon — who played against her in high school — knew she was capable. Schaefer knew what he had to see to know she was ready — getting rebounds and stops against her fellow forwards and posts in practice.

Now, she’s ready.

“This team is really tough, and so you have to be tough physically and mentally,” Moore said. “That was a big thing for me coming back. But yeah, and I was surrounded by teammates that had my back. They said, ‘Just take your time but hurry up, but whenever you come back we got you.’”

And, now, Moore has their back as they face Ohio State.

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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