For Vic Schaefer, the long-awaited breakthrough will have to wait for another year or perhaps indefinitely after an abysmal offensive performance doomed his No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns on Friday in the Final Four in Phoenix in a 51-44 loss to the No. 1 seed UCLA Bruins.
In further proof that Schaefer can coach teams successful enough to get to the brink of a national title but can’t coax more out of them by relying on mid-range jump shots, Texas bricked its way to six points in the first quarter and
never fully recovered as junior wing Madison Booker went 1-of-12 shooting in the first half and 3-of-23 overall in a devastating failure of coaching and execution.
A 12-2 run late in the fourth quarter by the Longhorns camouflaged the terrible execution on offense throughout the night while also cutting the deficit to three points when sophomore guard Jordan Lee hit a layup with 1:02 remaining.
It was the third basket for Lee in the final 10 minutes, success complicated by two turnovers and two personal fouls in that period.
But when Schaefer decided not to try to extend the game by fouling after Lee’s layup, the Bruins were able to burn 32 seconds off the clock before missing a shot, and Booker’s attempt to convert in transition was frustrated by a monumental block from UCLA center Lauren Betts, who was sensational with her defensive versatility.
After the Longhorns were able to limit the impact of Betts in an early-season win over the Bruins that still stands as the only loss for Cori Close’s team, Betts was dominant in scoring a game-high 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting with 11 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in a remarkable all-around effort.
From the coaching staff to the players, no one performed well for the Longhorns, who had dominated their previous four opponents in the NCAA Tournament and appeared poised to contend for a national championship.
Instead, questions will continue to linger about whether Schaefer is capable of leading a team to a title or whether his conservative approach will forever doom his programs to also-ran status.
But that actual breakthrough might require embracing elements of modern basketball like the three-point shot, an anathema to an archaic approach better suited for shooting at peach baskets.
