Texas Longhorns Savoring Elite Eight Win, But Ready to Get Back To Work

Emotions were at an all-time high last night after the No. 1 Texas Longhorns advanced to their first Final Four in 22 years. Less than 24 hours after winning, the Longhorns were back in Austin and loading the bus to head back on the road, this time to Tampa.

Head coach Vic Schaefer knows that while his team needs to turn its attention to South Carolina, which his Longhorns will face for an unprecedented fourth time this season, they also need to savor the moment of winning. While the Longhorns packed up and left for Tampa about 12 hours after getting back to Austin, Schaefer wasn't going to place any basketball-related responsibilities on them until they watched film after dinner.

"I just told them, we can enjoy the game last night," Schaefer said. "I wanted them to enjoy it today. It's an off day, we'll travel today. We'll be back in the film room tonight after dinner, and tomorrow will be a good day of prep. The biggest thing right now for me is just the distraction piece, knowing how they're all going to be pulled in many directions once we get there. And so I'm just trying to keep them, you know, really locked in."

Vic Schaefer celebrates cutting down the Elite Eight net — Mar 31, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer waves to the fans after cutting the net following a win over the TCU Horned Frogs at an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

Even with all of the extra attention that comes with playing in the Final Four, Schaefer isn't worried about his team staying focused. Facing South Carolina for the fourth time this season, he believes that his team knows what it takes to beat them.

While he will do his best to prepare them for the matchup, he also knows that he won't need to.

"There's no doubt in my mind they're going to be ready," Schaefer said. "They know what it takes. They've done it. They know what happened when we didn't do it. And so I think from you know, I think from a leadership standpoint, our kids will be ready."

Schaefer shared that he showed a picture of one of his Mississippi State teams in the national championship to show his team what it meant to be ready and to be together. Now, his team has a chance to do what it has said it would do all year, play for a national championship, and no other team than the only one that has beaten it twice, the defending National Champions, the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The National Semifinal game will tip off at 6 p.m. from Amalie Arena in Tampa on ESPN.

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