Texas Women's Basketball has been busy preparing for the upcoming season by getting in the gym and running drills. They made their first Final Four in what seemed like forever last year, and the team wants to get to the National Championship next season. Vic Schaefer has put together a tough schedule to help prepare the ladies for another title run next spring. It's going to be fun to watch how the ladies get back next season with some newcomers from the transfer portal.
The Longhorns will be playing in the Players Era Tournament in Las Vegas later this year. It's a highly prestigious non-conference tournament that brings together some of the best teams from around the country to compete against each other. The Longhorns unveiled their tournament schedule, which includes some highly competitive teams, including one from their conference. Here are the teams the Longhorns are scheduled to play in Vegas later this season.
On November 26th, the Longhorns will face off against the UCLA Bruins. They have one of the best Centers in the country and will probably be the number one overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft next year. Lauren Betts is a formidable opponent and will give you trouble if you don't know how to defend against her. I expect the Longhorns will be double-teaming her in the post to make sure she doesn't have a career game against the Longhorns.
On November 27th, the Longhorns will play either South Carolina University or Duke. Either team is bound to be a challenge based on how both teams performed last season. South Carolina came up short in winning the National Championship this past season. It would have been a different story if Paige Bueckers and the Huskies had a bad performance. However, the Gamecocks are on a mission to get back and win the National Championship like the Longhorns are.
The Duke Blue Devils are another team to watch. They were the victims of South Carolina in the Elite Eight this past spring. Even though they did lose some key players in the transfer portal, don't be surprised if they are one of the teams to beat when next year's March Madness tournament commences. They might have a rocky start due to the new players they acquired from high school and the transfer portal.
This tournament will be a telling indicator of how successful Texas Women's Basketball will be this upcoming season. I'm sure Schaefer is already preparing the ladies for this tournament as we speak. While this is a very prestigious tournament, I expect the Longhorns to give it their all as they prepare for their second season in the SEC Conference. I hope the Longhorns can send a warning shot to the SEC that they are coming for the conference championship this upcoming season by the end of the tournament.