Texas Women's Basketball is doing really well this season with a record of 16-2. The only two losses this season came against Notre Dame and South Carolina. Vic Schaefer has done an outstanding job of building this program and I can't wait to see where he takes it in the future.
Texas women's basketball head coach Vic Schaefer speaks on the SEC's scheduling breaks
Usually, I'm not one to write editorials or opinion articles, but I have to with what Schaefer said during a press conference last week. It's something the SEC should look at changing for next season.
Brian Davis, Reporter for A-Z Sports, reported last week that Schaefer is fed up and angry with how the SEC schedules conference games. Schaefer doesn't like how the Thursday-Sunday conference game schedule doesn't give much time for the athlete to rest in between games.
He does have a good point about it. SEC Women's Basketball teams have little time to prepare for their next opponent. It looked like it affected the Longhorns' basketball program last week.
Right after the Longhorns decimated the Alabama Crimson Tide, it was a quick turnaround to take on South Carolina on Sunday. SEC teams don't have time to recover after games on Thursday. I could still see the fatigue from the Arkansas game when Texas took on South Carolina.
It also didn't give Schaefer's coaching staff much turnaround to develop a scouting report. Schaefer prefers the Big 12 schedule format they had last season.
The Big 12 played on Wednesday and Saturday, which allowed Texas ample time to recover and prepare for their next opponent. Schaefer also mentioned it allowed his players to attend church if they wanted to.
With most SEC teams in the Bible Belt, I'm surprised the SEC Conference didn't consider that when creating their contract with ESPN. Schaefer mentioned he's raised his concerns for years, and no one has responded or considered making the change.
The SEC needs to look into this because I'm sure many other SEC programs share Schaefer's frustration with playing on Sundays. While some churches have the luxury of streaming their services and can view them online the next day, some college athletes might not attend a church like that. I know the SEC wants to schedule games without getting lost behind big match-ups from other conferences.
I hope Schaefer continues to share his frustration until someone from the SEC Conference listens. With how the schedule is formatted, many SEC teams won't go far in the March Madness tournament. I hope Schaefer travels to the main offices during the offseason and doesn't leave until he gets his point across.
The SEC has a contract with ESPN to stream their games. I'm sure the SEC and ESPN can agree on changing it for next season. This scheduling format should not be set in stone until 2034.