How a 5:15 a.m. practice propelled Texas women's basketball into Big 12 title contention

Vic Schaefer’s Texas Longhorns allowed a season-high 91 points to their rival Oklahoma Sooners on the Moody Center floor on Wednesday, January 24. Even without star point guard Rori Harmon, who was lost for the season in late December with a knee injury, Schaefer found no excuse for that type of “listless” performance.

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NCAA rules require teams to have an eight-hour break after competition, meaning he could call them back to the facility at 5:00 a.m. Schaefer was charitable, giving his team an extra 15 minutes and requiring them to be at the facility at 5:15 a.m. on Thursday, January 25.

“We watched film, then we went to the floor, and we came back that afternoon,” Schaefer said Monday.

Since then, the Longhorns have rattled off eight consecutive wins. They sit in second place in the Big 12 behind Oklahoma. And the schedule just so works out to where Texas heads to Norman, Okla. on Wednesday for a battle with the Sooners that has major Big 12 Championship implications.

“I think everyone knows what’s coming down the pike on Wednesday night,” Schaefer said. “We’ve got to go in there, we’ve got to play well, and play against a really good Oklahoma team that’s playing as well as we are. They’ll be at home. I’m sure they’ll have a great crowd, but I’m excited to take my team in there. I’ve got a lot of confidence in our team.”

The Longhorns are ranked No. 3 in the Women’s AP Poll and boast a 26-3 record with a 13-3 Big 12 mark. Oklahoma is toward the bottom of the top 25, checking in at No. 20. And while they’re 20-7 overall, they lead Texas by a game and sit in first place in the Big 12 standings with a 14-2 record in conference play.

Without that 5:15 a.m. practice, something Schaefer claimed he’s done one other time in his coaching career, Texas might not be where they are today. Just ask Moore, Okla. native and Longhorn forward Aaliyah Moore.

“I think sometimes you need to get your butt kicked to realize you need to kick it in gear and realize everyone is out for you,” Moore said Monday. “That game for us was an eye-opener on things we needed to work on.”

In the eight games since, the Longhorns have stiffened their defense and allowed just 57 points per contest. Only Texas Tech eclipsed 70 points, and Texas still managed to win that game 77-72.

Moore has been a key part of the the Horns’ ability to contend for back-to-back regular season Big 12 Championships. She’s averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest during the 2023-24 season.

Just as important to Texas’ efforts without Harmon has been Madison Booker, who posts 16.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.

Texas has navigated the entirety of non-conference play without their first-team All-Big 12 point guard, something Schaefer did not want to go unnoticed.

“These kids have risen to the occasion, and you have to admire and respect them,” Schaefer said. “Where they are today, these kids deserve so much respect and admiration for what they’ve done. And they’re not done. But nobody thought they’d be where they are today. None of y’all did.”

Texas is proud of what they’ve accomplished but Schaefer and company are striving for more. To win a share of a second consecutive Big 12 regular season title, they’ll have to get the Sooners on their home floor before disposing of BYU at home on Senior Night on March 2.

OU is 12-2 at home this season under second-year head coach Jennie Baranczyk, with losses only to Princeton and Southern at the Lloyd Noble Center. Their closest Big 12 home game was a 60-55 win over highly-ranked K-State on January 31.

“Everything that they’re doing, you’ve got to match it,” Schaefer said. “You’ve got to be on the floor after all the 50-50 balls because they are.”

Moore is no stranger to the Sooner program. Considering her roots just outside of Oklahoma City, she knows a hostile environment awaits the Longhorns. The LNC should be more pepped up than usual with a chance for the Sooners to win an outright conference title. That’s something she’s understood since she committed to the Longhorns during her recruitment.

“I definitely was asked a lot of ‘whys,’ a lot of people were wondering why I chose Texas,” Moore said. “At the end of the day, I had to go where I felt best and where I was happy. It just so happened to be Texas, but there definitely was a lot of comments made.”

There will be comments made toward the Longhorns on Wednesday night, but Schaefer is more worried about responding to Oklahoma’s actions on the floor.

“Everything that they’re doing, you’ve got to match it,” Schaefer said. “You’ve got to be on the floor after all the 50-50 balls because they are.”  

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They have to get through Oklahoma before thinking about at conference title. If Schaefer’s Longhorns are able to do it, they would have an early-morning practice after a tough January loss to thank.