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Posted
2 minutes ago, Js1 said:

I dunno man, I saw a lot of missed layups and putbacks across the elite 8

I wish our mid range shooters utilized the backboard more.  But that takes skill to locate it perfectly. 

There have been more bad misses by every team lately, true. But we've done it all year, most memorably during those low-scoring stretches in conference. Relentless effort on defense of course also saps your shooting touch, so some of our issue is due to the nonstop intensity of guarding elite offenses. But we have to cash in on more layups and putbacks to knock off SCar again. We beat them earlier by shooting just 44%, so we don't have to go crazy...but please make those gimmes.  

 

 

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Posted

Blake Munroe

 

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Posted 51 minutes ago

As Texas prepares for the Final Four against South Carolina, I spoke with a couple of sources regarding the team, the future and more. 

- Texas felt they matched up really well against TCU in the Elite 8 and confidence was high in coming away with a victory (obviously for good reason, as Texas won 58-47). 

- The team is well aware that it gets harder this go round and they’re going to have to shoot better against South Carolina, but it seems they’re anxious to settle the score. One source said there is a quiet confidence in the locker room. I’m also told that they feel they are a “different team” right now versus the one that played SC in the SEC Tournament Championship game. 

- There’s been a lot of questions regarding standout Rori Harmon’s future in Austin. Multiple sources have told OTF to “not be surprised” if she’s gone after this year. 

- There is A LOT of confidence in freshman Bryanna Preston regarding next season. The staff has a lot of faith in her abilities, especially in the event that Rori leaves.

- One note to close on… It seems there is a common belief that Texas could be even better next season. 

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Posted
12 minutes ago, BurntOrange&White said:

I’m also told that they feel they are a “different team” right now versus the one that played SC in the SEC Tournament Championship game. 

Yeah, one who got 3 full days of rest this time and didn’t just go to war against LSU in the SEC semifinals the night before 

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Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, Pancho said:

Did a 4th player leave ND? @Js1

Yes

Miles (senior guard)
Koval (freshman center)
Risch (sophomore guard)
Watson (senior center)

Avery Howell, one of the big up and comers at USC, also entered the portal

I think you will see players get somewhat excited about the prospect of multiple Final Fours and media hype with a star player (Hidalgo, JuJu) but then realize all they're gonna do is stand in the corner and watch the star take over. 

The JuJu Show
The Hannah Hidalgo Show
The Aaliyah Chavez Show
etc. etc. 

UConn, South Carolina and Texas may be the big 3 teams in the country who still play 100% team ball.  There is no one bigger than those programs, even UConn - Bueckers shares her spotlight with Fudd and Strong.  Dawn's best player comes off the bench.  Texas is as much the Madison Booker show as it is Rori Harmon, Jordan Lee, Tayor Jones, Kayla Oldacre, Bryanna Preston.

Edited by Js1
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Posted (edited)
9 hours ago, ztejas said:

6 boards a game at 6'2"?

orlando scandrick boards GIF

Smith did a really excellent job defending Lauren Betts in the Elite 8 game, who has 5 inches on her.  The problem is she's likely going to have to play center for Kim Mulkey next year and that is not a good use of a 6'2 player. 

She'd excel as a forward in Vic's system - she has all the tenacity defensively after being coached by Mulkey + we have a gaping hole at forward.  She put up 21 and 11 against NCST in the Sweet 16 and 20 and 12 against FSU in the R32.  She didn't have a stellar regular season overall, but she did average a double double in 4 NCAA  tournament games (13.8 points, 10.3 boards, 2.3 steals, 1.0 block, 1.0 turnovers) shooting 64% from the field and 82% from the stripe.  And only committed 3 fouls a game. 

Edited by Js1
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Posted
13 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Blake Munroe

 

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Posted 51 minutes ago

As Texas prepares for the Final Four against South Carolina, I spoke with a couple of sources regarding the team, the future and more. 

- Texas felt they matched up really well against TCU in the Elite 8 and confidence was high in coming away with a victory (obviously for good reason, as Texas won 58-47). 

- The team is well aware that it gets harder this go round and they’re going to have to shoot better against South Carolina, but it seems they’re anxious to settle the score. One source said there is a quiet confidence in the locker room. I’m also told that they feel they are a “different team” right now versus the one that played SC in the SEC Tournament Championship game. 

- There’s been a lot of questions regarding standout Rori Harmon’s future in Austin. Multiple sources have told OTF to “not be surprised” if she’s gone after this year. 

- There is A LOT of confidence in freshman Bryanna Preston regarding next season. The staff has a lot of faith in her abilities, especially in the event that Rori leaves.

- One note to close on… It seems there is a common belief that Texas could be even better next season. 

Looking at WNBA salaries it really doesn't look like it makes sense to leave early unless you're going to get in the top 10-20%. And I don't see Rori being that. Reality is she just isn't a good enough shooter to command a top salary. It seems to me like she could get more NIL $ at Texas than WNBA endorsement $, but I can't find good numbers for that. 

Perhaps they can make more $ playing in Europe. And if she doesn't win it all this year, why not come back and try again?

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Posted (edited)

Blair has started following Latson from FSU

She visited us out of high school so the relationship with Vic and familiarity with UT is there 

Edited by Js1
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Posted
3 hours ago, TommysTinyTowels said:

There was a WBB podcast recently where the host was talking about Paige Bueckers 

and accidentally inverted the first letters of her name and called her Beige Peckers.

Now I laugh every time I see her.  😄

 

laugh.gif

Spoonerism

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Posted
1 hour ago, Js1 said:

Blair has started following Latson from FSU

She visited us out of high school so the relationship with Vic and familiarity with UT is there 

Interesting. Would she want to split time with Preston? 

Posted
On 4/2/2025 at 8:15 PM, Js1 said:

Yeah, one who got 3 full days of rest this time and didn’t just go to war against LSU in the SEC semifinals the night before 

How will Vic game plan for SC this time?  We barely won at home when we had the sell-out crowd behind us, then lost twice by double-digits when we played them in SC.  Their defense overshadowed us so that we must find a way to score.

Posted (edited)
11 hours ago, Cairn Horn88 said:

How will Vic game plan for SC this time?  

Texas needs to play loose and confident.  This a team we are well scouted against; nothing they do will be a surprise

Not that it matters, but when Texas played then the first time, we had played Alabama on a Thursday at home in a night game and then had to travel to Columbia and play on Sunday afternoon

The second time, same deal, but we played Vandy at home on Thursday night and then hosted South Carolina on a Sunday afternoon - no travel

The third time, we had just played 2 consecutive evening games against teams that wear you out defensively (Ole Miss and LSU), then had to turn around after a night game to play South Carolina in their backyard in the afternoon.

Finally, Texas gets "rest" before facing them - we played on Monday, went back to Austin and then traveled to Tampa on Tuesday, so we got basically 2 full days and most of Tuesday in Tampa before we have to play today. 

 

Edited by Js1
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Posted (edited)

And also not for nothing, but Texas didn't struggle as much as South Carolina did on their road to the Final Four, despite having what was seen as a much tougher path. 

There was legitimate moments in both the Maryland and Duke games, late, where South Carolina looked like they were headed for an early exit.  Texas was never seriously in danger of losing either of their Sweet 16 or Elite 8 games.

Wire to wire against TCU - tied a few times, never trailed.  TCU's largest winning % was 35.5% when it was tied 29-29
Tennessee's largest winning % was 60.4% when they were up 2, sometime in the 3rd Q, and it quickly plummeted as Texas retook the lead and never let it go

Maryland had a 60% chance of victory with 3 min left in the 4th Q versus South Carolina
Duke had a 72.8% chance of victory in the closing seconds of the 3rd Q versus South Carolina

Texas looked "the best" in our regional semifinals and finals games -

South Carolina struggled to beat Maryland and Duke - both teams had leads in the 3rd/4th Q
UConn was losing at the half to OU
UCLA was only up 1 at the half to Ole Miss and it was a 3 point UCLA lead with 3:30 left in the game against LSU

Edited by Js1
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Posted

I’m not putting much stock into the SEC tournament final where we were basically on the road, had played the prior two days, and the game really didn’t mean anything in the overall scheme of the season. 
 

SCar is vulnerable for sure. We have to make our jumpers - 27.8% and 29.6% from the floor in the two losses, 44.1% in the win.  I’d love to see us shoot 10-12 threes tonight and make 4ish of them. 

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Posted
5 minutes ago, MrX said:

I’m not putting much stock into the SEC tournament final where we were basically on the road, had played the prior two days, and the game really didn’t mean anything in the overall scheme of the season. 

Funny thing is, win or lose, I think Texas and South Carolina would still be meeting in the Final Four

Texas lost - South Carolina #2, Texas #3
Texas wins - Texas #1, South Carolina #4

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Posted

Granted, South Carolina would have a much tougher #2 than Duke - mostly UConn.  But if seeds held, it was still going to be SEC vs SEC and B1G v B1G.

It did not HAVE to be, but the committee made their decision.  It could have easily been South Carolina, UCLA, Texas, USC

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Posted
On 3/30/2025 at 8:33 PM, Js1 said:

Blair and Elena are both following Louisville PF Nyla Harris

The 6-foot-2 forward played in every one of Louisville's 33 games this season and started all but one, but regressed some following a standout sophomore season. She averaged 8.6 rebounds and 5.3 rebounds per game and shot 54.0 percent from the floor, but totaled just 11 points and 11 rebounds over the Cardinals' four postseason games.

This came after the Orlando, Fla. native took a massive step forward during the 2023-24 season. Starting all 34 games that year, she averaged 10.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.3 percent from the field. As a true freshman, she helped UofL orchestrate a second half turnaround after being inserted into the starting lineup, averaging 4.2 points and 3.6 rebounds in 38 games and 15 starts.

Off the board - to UNC

Perhaps why we are looking at Smith from LSU now

Posted

#1 seed Texas (35-3, 15-1 SEC) vs #1 seed South Carolina (34-3, 15-1 SEC)

Friday, April 4 | 6:00 p.m. CT | ESPN
Amalie Arena | Tampa, Fla.   

TELEVISION: The game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Ryan Ruocco (pxp), Rebecca Lobo (analyst) and Holly Rowe (reporter) will call the game.
RADIO: This game will air on KVET-FM 98.1, along with the web streams on TexasLonghorns.com. Craig Way (pxp) and Kathy Harston (analyst) will call the action.

Complete game notes:
https://texaslonghorns.com/documents/2025/4/4/GameNotes_Texas_FinalFour.pdf

• FINAL FOUR: This is the Longhorns fourth trip to the NCAA Final Four and first since 2003. Texas won the national championship in 1986 by becoming the first team to go undefeated in a season at 34-0.

• SCHAEFER IN THE FINAL FOUR: Texas head coach Vic Schaefer has taken two teams to the final four as a head coach (Mississippi State, Texas) and two more as an associate head coach (Arkansas, Texas A&M). Schaefer was on the staff that won the national championship with Texas A&M in 2011.

• BOOKER REPEATS AS WBCA ALL-AMERICAN: Madison Booker became the third player in program history to earn All-America honors from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in multiple seasons, joining Clarissa Davis and Kamie Ethridge. Booker was named a WBCA First Team All-American for the second straight season. Booker also was named a finalist for the WBCA Wade Trophy, which honors the national player of the year.

• 35 WINS: Texas won their 35th game of the season with their victory over TCU in the Elite Eight. That matches the program record for wins in the NCAA, set in the 1981-82 season.

______________________________

South Carolina Coach: Dawn Staley since 2008

South Carolina Regular Season
vs Michigan W 68-62
vs #9 NC State W 71-57
vsCoppin St W 92-60
vsEast Carolina W 95-44
@ Clemson W 77-45

@ #5 UCLA L 77-62
vs #15 Iowa State W 76-36
vs Purdue W 99-51
vs #8 Duke W 81-70
vs #9 TCU W 85-52
vs South Florida W 78-62
vs Charleston So W 82-46
vs Wofford W 93-47
@ Missouri W 83-52
@ Mississippi St W 95-68
vs Texas A&M W 90-49
vs #5 Texas W 67-50
@ #19 Alabama W 76-58
vs #13 Oklahoma W 101-60
vs #5 LSU W 66-56
@ #18 Tennessee W 70-63
vs Auburn W 83-66
@ Georgia W 74-42

@ #4 Texas L 66-62
vs Florida W 101-63
vs #7 UConn L 87-58
vs Arkansas W 95-55
@ Vanderbilt W 82-54
@ Ole Miss W 75-59
vs #15 Kentucky W 78-66
vs Vanderbilt W 84-63
vs #10 Oklahoma W 93-75
vs #1 Texas W 64-45

South Carolina Postseason
vs 16 Tennessee Tech W 108-48
vs 9 Indiana W 64-53
vs 4 Maryland W 71-67
vs 2 Duke W 54-50

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Posted

University of Texas women's basketball sophomore Madison Booker has been named to the 10-player Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America team.

WBCA Coaches' All-America Team
Georgia Amoore           Kentucky
Lauren Betts                 UCLA
Madison Booker           Texas
Paige Bueckers             UConn
Hannah Hidalgo            Notre Dame
Kiki Iriafen                    USC
Aneesah Morrow         LSU
Sarah Strong                UConn
Hailey Van Lith             TCU
JuJu Watkins                USC

MadIAA.jpg

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Posted

Welcome to the offseason. We need a big ( or two) to replace Jones. Phelia and Preston can run our offense, but if Rory wants to come back for one last ride, we'll welcome the depth she adds. If we can find a veteran perimeter shooter in the portal, that would be a welcomed addition as well. 

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Posted
31 minutes ago, perfectchaos007 said:

Welcome to the offseason. We need a big ( or two) to replace Jones. Phelia and Preston can run our offense, but if Rory wants to come back for one last ride, we'll welcome the depth she adds. If we can find a veteran perimeter shooter in the portal, that would be a welcomed addition as well. 

Aaliyah Crump is coming in as the #5 recruit. She’s a good shooter and has some size. She should be able to help out immediately.

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Posted
3 minutes ago, Js1 said:

We made it back to the final four. I’m not upset 

I agree. It’s a great accomplishment. We got over the Elite Eight hump. Onward and Upward.

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Posted

I must say I was heartened by Lee’s performance tonight in that she had no fear.  I hate that she was hesitant to shoot at times this season. Hopefully, Vic unshackles her next season and she has the green light. I also hope he adds a few more wrinkles offensively and rethinks the constant dribble drive. 

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Posted
35 minutes ago, Js1 said:

We made it back to the final four. I’m not upset 

Exactly. Not even playing brilliantly would have guaranteed a win tonight. Texas fought hard and showed it's a solid program despite having room to improve in every area.

I said several weeks ago that I felt we were in the #3-6 range nationally, and that's basically how it played out. Just hope getting to the top of the mountain doesn't take matching UConn by signing 3 former national high school players of the year. Their talent and execution are on another level. 
 

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Posted (edited)
2 hours ago, BurntOrange&White said:

Didn’t get to watch due to traveling but I assume we got dominated downlow and couldn’t shoot for shit?

Do you think there's a cash prize every week when it comes to being the stupidest, most annoying poster on the entire site? 

We're all really, really sorry that your non-existent, high-powered business career got in the way of you watching Texas play in the Final Four and that as a result you feel compelled to come here and make some shitty, demeaning comment about how you knew that the team wasn't good enough to advance. 

Quit being such a fucking clown. 

Edited by ztejas
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Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, ztejas said:

Do you think there's a cash prize every week when it comes to being the stupidest, most annoying poster on the entire site? 

We're all really, really sorry that your non-existent, high-powered business career got in the way of you watching Texas play in the Final Four and that as a result you feel compelled to come here and make some shitty, demeaning comment about how you knew that the team wasn't good enough to advance. 

Quit being such a fucking clown. 

It’s was a legit question since that’s the same shit that’s happened in 2/3 of the games with them. But keep the drinking up you dumbass alcoholic. 

Edited by BurntOrange&White
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Posted
Didn’t get to watch due to traveling but I assume we got dominated downlow and couldn’t shoot for shit?

Started off hot, but Booker got two early fouls, and things started going south when she went to the bench. She picked up a dumb third foul in the second quarter and it was pretty much over after that. Jordan Lee was the only other player who provided any kind of offense.
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Posted

Now we move to the portal phase. Will we lose anyone? Idk, maybe. It always happens, it wasn’t the end of the world last year. 

Posted
31 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Now we move to the portal phase. Will we lose anyone? Idk, maybe. It always happens, it wasn’t the end of the world last year. 

The only player that would not suprise me to enter the portal would be Carlton. Everyone else seemed pretty satisfied. 

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Posted

I'd be very surprised if Moore was back next year and a little surprised if Harmon was back.

Boutilier will be nudged out the door if they need the scholarship.  She'll never be an on court contributor.

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Posted
5 hours ago, someguy said:

Boutilier will be nudged out the door if they need the scholarship.  She'll never be an on court contributor.

I'm hoping for the end of the Abbie experiment, but that has to be some tough, sad conversations.

She always looks like a supportive teammate, but at some point you're a detriment to the team.

 

6 hours ago, 86txex said:

The only player that would not suprise me to enter the portal would be Carlton. Everyone else seemed pretty satisfied. 

I was very surprised by Gaston, Matharu, Lattimore, Faye, and Muhammad. So I've got a little PTSD fear going on.

The guys I think are portalling to get greater NIL funds, not sure if that works as well for the ladies or if they just move to showcase their talents better.

 

 

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Posted
3 minutes ago, TommysTinyTowels said:

I'm hoping for the end of the Abbie experiment, but that has to be some tough, sad conversations.

She always looks like a supportive teammate, but at some point you're a detriment to the team.

 

I was very surprised by Gaston, Matharu, Lattimore, Faye, and Muhammad. So I've got a little PTSD fear going on.

The guys I think are portalling to get greater NIL funds, not sure if that works as well for the ladies or if they just move to showcase their talents better.

 

 

Where did Muhammad go. I liked her last season, think she could’ve been good this year for us, but I get why 

Posted
2 minutes ago, D3zii said:

Where did Muhammad go. I liked her last season, think she could’ve been good this year for us, but I get why 

Oregon 

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