BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Vic Schaefer, a Texas man through and through, is a man of many words. They’re more often than not a creative combination of them to relay his point.
“The minute that ball goes through, she’s on you-know-what like stink on you-know-what.”
“If you're going to play H-O-R-S-E with them, you're gonna get beat.”
Then there’s a rather basic, cut-to-the-point single thing by which he lives.
“Play defense,” Madison Booker said. “That’s the name of the game for him is defense. Defense wins games.”
It’s also what draws scrutiny. Texas lost just three games all season and secured a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed, but all the program heard was that its offense was anemic and the defense wouldn’t win them games when the number of teams thinned.
After Texas beat TCU 58-47 in Monday's Elite Eight matchup, players Schaefer individually guided up a ladder at Legacy Arena on Monday night would disagree. It was defense that led Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda up to cut a piece of the net with confetti stuffed in each of her socks. It was defense that lifted center Kyla Oldacre to a rare on-court smile — “probably a slip-up,” she insisted.
It was definitely defense that sent senior point guard Rori Harmon to her first Final Four after upsets and injury derailed her long ride to the Elite Eight. She folded in emotion as time ticked off and Texas fans greeted her with chants of “Rori” as the celebration for the program’s first Final Four since 2003 began.
It is Harmon who Schaefer praises consistently for defense, causing problems a full 94 feet. Horned Frogs point guard Hailey Van Lith was no exception.
Harmon made everything difficult, from inbound to finish, keeping Van Lith from driving and forcing TCU deep into actions. Van Lith didn’t score her first basket until three minutes into the second quarter when Harmon hit the bench for a one-minute rest. The TCU guard went 3-of-15 in her final college game before entering the WNBA Draft. The majority of her 17 points were off a 10-of-11 day at the free throw line. Her seven turnovers were a season high.
“Van Lith, I promise ...
