After making the Elite Eight for the fifth time in six seasons under head coach Vic Schaefer, the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns have a chance to advance to a second straight Final Four with a win on Monday at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth against the No. 2 seed Michigan Wolverines.
Monday’s matchup looms in the wake of a minor controversy sparked during Saturday’s post-win celebration when Texas seniors mistakenly placed their placard too far along in the bracket as the regional champions, the title the Longhorns
still have to earn with a win over the Wolverines.
Texas meant no disrespect, senior point guard Rori Harmon said on Sunday.
“Obviously no one recognized in the moment, and if we did, you would quickly change it,” Harmon said. “We didn’t recognize it until we left. But of course, if you are another team, you are going to use anything for fire… so that’s valid enough.”
Also on Sunday, Schaefer offered a sharp public rebuke of Houston Chronicle columnist Kirk Bohls questioning whether the Longhorns disrespected the Wolverines.
“Be careful accusing my kids of being disrespectful,” Schaefer wrote on Twitter. “Not a disrespectful bone in our locker room. We respect the game and our opponents. But don’t disrespect us falsely. Merely an innocent accident trying to do something with all our seniors hands & placing a sign 12 inches off.”
Controversy aside, playing in an Elite Eight is as unfamiliar for Michigan as it is familiar for Texas — the Wolverines are into the regional championship game for the second time in school history and trying to make the Final Four for the first time.
Led by head coach Kimberly Barnes Arico since 2012, Michigan set program records for regular-season wins (24) and Big Ten wins (15) this season, led by first-team All-Big Ten standouts Olivia Olson and Syla Swords. A sophomore guard, Olson paces the Wolverines at 19.2 points per game, adding 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. Swords, also a sophomore guard, averages 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists.
Olson and Swords key the high-powered offensive attack for Michigan, which ranks ninth nationally in scoring at 83.9 points per game. The Wolverines are 25-0 when scoring at least 80 points per game this season.
Michigan advanced to the Elite Eight after a 71-52 win over No. 3 seed Louisville on Saturday as Olson scored 19 points to pace the Wolverines, who also received 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench from Te’Yala Delfosse, a sophomore wing who finished plus-31 in 22 minutes.
Texas turned in a third straight dominant win to start the NCAA Tournament, beating No. 5 seed Kentucky 76-54 after taking control of the game early, going on a 15-0 run early in the first quarter and securing an 18-point lead by its conclusion, extending the margin to 22 points by halftime.
Three Longhorns scored in double figures, led by a game-high 18 points from sophomore guard Jordan Lee, who added three assists and two rebounds. Junior wing Madison Booker had another impressive all-around effort with 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Harmon added 11 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Texasshot at least 50 percent (34-of-63) for the 18th time this season and takes an 11-game winning streak into the Elite Eight.
Tip is at 6 p.m. Central on ESPN.
