PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — When Vic Schaefer decided he was coming to Austin to take over the women’s basketball program at Texas, he embraced what it means to sit in the chair Jody Conradt occupied for 31 years.
And with it, he accepted the expectations that come with being in that role.
“Yeah, 34-0 to me is the standard and that’s really hard chasing that,” Schaefer said. “But that’s what I’m chasing. We’re chasing a national championship. That’s our goal. It’s always been my goal. It’s the standard in every sport at Texas. And so it’s a miserable way to live, I can tell you because as you know, there’s only one team left when the year’s done.”
It’s been 21 years since Texas, one of the premier programs in women’s basketball, has appeared on the stage of the Final Four. The last time came under Conradt’s watch in 2003, and the two decades since have seen unfulfilled potential and a handful of near misses.
Schaefer will get his third chance at taking the Longhorns to the Final Four when No. 1 seed Texas (33-4) faces No. 3 seed North Carolina State (30-6) in the Portland 4 Regional final on Sunday. Texas toped Gonzaga in the Sweet 16, while N.C. State ran away from Stanford.
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The Longhorns have been here twice before since Schaefer arrived and this appears the best chance for Texas to end that Final Four drought and match a little of what Conradt accomplished.
“Coach Conradt … when we were walking yesterday out of the arena, she made a comment that really resonates with me. It’s the answer — there’s nothing like winning at this level,” Schaefer said. “Think about that. You can go a lot of places. Coach. Win. But there’s nothing like winning at this level. But it’s hard. People think it’s easy.”
Conradt led Texas to three Final Fours during her tenure, including the 34-0, 1986 season that Schaefer referenced and finished with the school’s lone NCAA title. The last Final Four appearance for Texas came in 2003 when the Longhorns lost 71-69 to UConn in the national semifinals.
The Longhorns were at this point twice in the past three years, both times coming up short. In Schaefer’s first year, the Longhorns reached the Elite Eight unexpectedly as a No. 6 seed before running into South Carolina. A year later, the Longhorns were seeded second before falling to defending champion Stanford 59-50 in the regional final.
The only other time Texas has reached this point of the tournament since that last Final Four trip was 2016 when the Longhorns were thumped by UConn in the regional final.
“You have to focus on preparation and taking every game to heart because any team that’s at this point you have to respect and you know that they have put a lot of work in, too,” said Texas guard Shae Holle, who played in both Elite Eight games under Schaefer. “But I think also just knowing that we’ve worked to be in this moment, so you can’t play all tied up. Just have fun. It’s supposed to be fun. This is why we do what we do.”
The Final Four drought is even longer for North Carolina State. The last time the Wolfpack made it to the national semifinals was 1998 before losing to Louisiana Tech.
Wes Moore’s team was here two years ago and fell short in a 91-87 double overtime loss to UConn. It’s a loss that stung in the moment and has lingered since.
“Our program has the confidence, has the culture and feels like we belong on this stage,” Moore said. “But no doubt, we need to take another step. And that’s what’s in front of us. It will be tough against a great team, but we’re excited about the chance.”
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket/ and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness