Texas basketball: How do the Longhorns prepare for a tournament foe they don't yet know?
Over the years, Texas women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer has seen some interesting things happen on Selection Sunday (and what was once called Selection Monday).
Schaefer can recall at Mississippi State when he was once told before a selection show that the bad news was the Bulldogs were going to be a No. 5 seed but the good news was that they'd still get to host because the No. 4 seed in their quadrant didn't have an available gym. Three years ago, Schaefer found out that Texas would be playing Fairfield in the first round while on a plane.
But this past Sunday, Schaefer learned that there's a first time for everything — even in a 40-year coaching career.
Ahead of Sunday's selection show, assistant coach Blair Schaefer asked her father what would happen if Texas got paired with the winner of a "First Four" play-in game for the first round of the tournament. Vic Schaefer had to think for a second. The NCAA introduced the First Four games to its women's tournament in 2022 so Schaefer hadn't yet had to deal with such a scenario.
But sure enough, that's exactly how the bracket played out. Texas found out Sunday evening it had earned a No. 1 seed and will face either High Point or William & Mary in Saturday's first round. High Point (21-11) and William & Mary (15-18) will play Thursday night at Moody Center for the right to face Texas.
"It's unique. I've never had this happen," Schaefer said.
First Four games a relatively new wrinkle to the NCAA women's tournament
The NCAA has had First Four games in the men's tournament since 2011. Three years ago, four additional games were added to the women's bracket and that expanded the tournament's field to 68 teams.
So while 56 qualifiers for this year's NCAA Tournament began preparing for their first-round opponents on Sunday night, four teams — Texas, UCLA (vs. UC San Diego or Southern), Michigan (vs. Iowa State or Princeton) and West Virginia (vs. Columbia or Washington) — won't know who they are playing until midway through the week. Texas and UCLA are both No. 1 seeds. Michigan and West Virginia are No. 6 seeds.
Since High Point and William & Mary are playing at Moody Center, Schaefer said that the Longhorns will get a chance to scout both teams in-person on Thursday. "You can bet I'm going to be sitting there courtside," he added.
But Schaefer will also rely on the scouting reports put together by his coaching staff this week. Associate head coach Elena Lovato has worked with Schaefer for a while, and he coached UT assistants Blair Schaefer and Sydney Carter when they were collegiate players. Assistant coach Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton is in her third year with the Texas program.
"It's the best staff I've ever had. They don't leave any stone unturned. They're thorough. If you've ever seen one of our scouting reports, it looks like (a legal pad). I mean, we're killing trees every week," Schaefer said. "We take great pride in preparation of our players, and so they're really thorough, so I have the utmost confidence in them and what they'll do to get our kids ready because they've done it all year."
High Point, William & Mary won conference titles ahead of Austin trip
Heading into this year's tournament, the winners of the First Four games are 1-11 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Couple that with the fact that Harvard's 1998 team is the only No. 16 seed that has ever beaten a No. 1 seed, and Texas should be a heavy favorite in its first game.
Texas has never played William & Mary before, and the Longhorns recorded a 62-point win last season in their only meeting with High Point. But regardless of whether Saturday is an introduction or reintroduction, Texas senior Shay Holle recently expressed confidence that her team will be ready for the game.
"We'll watch film on both teams. We'll be prepared. I know our staff will probably have film ready by 8 a.m. (on Monday)," Holle said. "We'll watch both teams, and I think we'll just really focus on our principles and our habits and trust that going into that game."
The first team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with a losing record since Incarnate Word in 2022, William & Mary caught fire as the No. 9 seed at the Coastal Athletic Association tournament after losing seven of its last eight games in the regular season. Thursday will be William & Mary's NCAA Tournament debut.
Meanwhile, High Point secured its second-ever NCAA Tournament bid by being the best of the Big South Conference. High Point will arrive in Austin with a nine-game winning streak.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: NCAA Tournament bracket: How Texas women prepare for March Madness
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