Over the last two years, the Texas women's basketball team made it all the way to the Final Four, but head coach Vic Schaefer hasn't been able to push the Longhorns to the next level: an appearance in the National Championship game and a title.
This year, with one of the best rosters the team has ever seen, the Horns are expected to take that next step, and their final two preseason exhibition games cemented that expectation.
Over the last week, Texas hosted both the defending National Champion UCLA Bruins and the perennial powerhouse Baylor Bears. The Longhorns walked away from both matchups with resounding double-digit victories.
That is the level of play that Schaefer should expect from this squad, and it is a standard that he has to hold them to if the Horns want to compete at the highest level.
Vic Schaefer has built the perfect roster to take the Longhorns all the way
Part of the reason expectations for the Horns are so high is because of the roster quality Schaefer has built on the 40 Acres.
Between returning stars like forward Madison Booker and point guard Bryanna Preston, plus the transfer portal addition of elite talents like former Oklahoma Sooner Zya Vann, and not to mention the prowess of landing the No. 1 recruiting class in the country, the Texas women's basketball team is absolutely stacked.
Against the Bruins, Booker went off for a team-high 21 points, trailed closely by Preston, who earned 20 points of her own. UCLA was the very team that knocked Texas out of the NCAA Tournament last year, and Booker had a bad showing in that game. Clearly, she won't let that happen this season.
When the Bears came to town, it was a similar story, with Vann also stepping up to the plate to lead the Horns in scoring with an 18-point performance.
While these games were the equivalent of preseason scrimmages, the Longhorns showed just how dominant they can be on offense, and of course, as per Schaefer's tradition, the Texas defense looked as elite as ever.
Both Baylor and UCLA were only able to put up 64 points apiece. For reference, the Bruins put up 79 points on the South Carolina Gamecocks in the National Championship game.
The Bruins gave up 18 turnovers against the Longhorns, with Texas only giving up nine turnovers of their own. Then, Texas produced 14 steals against the Bears while forcing 28 total turnovers. The Horns held Baylor to just five offensive rebounds, diminishing the Bears' second-chance opportunities.
Add us as a preferred source on Google