In a game that could have been a moment of revenge for the Longhorns, the Texas women's basketball team was clobbered by South Carolina in their Final Four matchup. Then, the Gamecocks moved on to the national title game, where their performance made Texas look even worse.
After defeating the Horns by 17 points in their semifinal game of the NCAA Tournament, South Carolina faced the dominant UConn Huskies, led by head coach Geno Auriemma and fifth-year senior Paige Bueckers. To put it lightly, it didn't go well for the Gamecocks.
By halftime, South Carolina already trailed by double digits and by the end of regulation, UConn had earned a resounding 82-59 victory over the defending national champions.
The Huskies held all five of the Gamecocks' starters to single digits in the scoring column as Buckers, Azzi Fudd, and Sarah Strong combined for 65 points.
How bad was Texas against South Carolina?
In comparison, South Carolina held the entire Texas roster to just 57 points in the Final Four game, after holding the Longhorns to a minimal 45 points in the SEC Championship game just a few weeks earlier.
Simply put, the embarrassment that South Carolina suffered in the national title game made the Horns' embarrassment from two days earlier significantly worse.
"Just wanna tip my hat to Texas, Vic [Schaefer]'s done a great job," Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley said after the Final Four. "Our conference prepares us for this. It's not by happenstance that we both end up in this spot, in the Final Four."
Don't get me wrong, Texas is a very, very good basketball team. So was the UCLA Bruins squad that UConn demolished in their Final Four matchup. However, a double-digit loss to a team that would go on to lose by 23 points just one game later is, at best, depressing.
There is always next year, next season, and next tournament. However, even the Horns' head coach, Vic Schaefer, said earlier this season that this was the best Texas squad he had ever coached. For now, only time will tell what the upcoming season holds, but this year's disappointment will always leave a lingering sting.