The Texas Longhorns, who are fresh off winning the SEC Tournament, are hoping to extend the buzz and vibes around their program all the way to the Final Four in Phoenix, Arizona.
The Longhorns know what it takes to get that far, but a national championship has alluded the team throughout Coach Vic Schaefer's tenure at the school. That could change this year, especially if Texas can play the game the way they need to.
As Schaefer told reporters in Austin on Saturday, the team has to play with the edge they brought to most of the regular season. But that's sometimes easier said than done, he added, which was demonstrated by the Longhorns' performance Friday. Texas managed the win, but it was hard-fought.
"I think the thing that this time of year and especially for our team right now is the reason we've been able to play as well as we played lately is because we've had an edge," Schaefer told reporters Saturday as the Longhorns prepared for today's game. "And really have had an incredible competitive spirit. I'm not sure we had that yesterday. That's my job, that's my job as the coach, to make sure we got that. I think we got to find a way to make sure we've got that tomorrow."
The Longhorns know how to win when they need to
Texas demonstrated all season that they know how to win. The team ended the regular season third in the SEC with a 13-3 record, an impressive feat for the program — but not anything they haven't been able to do before.
To advance in the tournament Texas will have to make sure they've fully shaken off last year's disappointing loss, and that they're focused only on the here and now. The game against Oregon is a crucial one for the Longhorns, and the Ducks won't make it easy for them.
Schaefer knows a thing or two about what can happen when you're playing Kelly Graves and the Ducks. As he explained to reporters, one of his teams went out west and played in front of 13,000 fans and Graves' "best team ever" — and lost 88-84. "You can count on one finger how many games I've lost when my teams have scored 84 points," he said. "And it was that night. And Ionescu was so special."
Oregon's 2025-26 team is also special, he added, and the challenge ahead of his own squad is clear.