FORT WORTH, Texas — As the final seconds ticked away from No. 1 seed Texas’s 77-41 win against No. 2 Michigan on Monday night in the Elite Eight, Longhorns coach Vic Schaefer took a knee. Senior point guard Rori Harmon ran to embrace him, and the pair nearly fell to the floor.
Then they got to their feet, still embracing as Schaefer shook Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico’s hand, eyes red with emotion. Madison Booker waited at the end of the handshake line, grabbing Harmon into her own arms.
«I prayed for a long time last night that I’d have that moment with her today,» Schaefer said. «That kid’s been so special. She’s been the heart of our team and program for a while… Whenever this thing does end, it’s going to be a little different for the old ball coach to come walking into the gym after five years.»
With the win, Texas is in rare air among women’s college basketball programs. The Longhorns reached the Final Four for the fifth time in program history. It’s only the second time in program history that they’ve accomplished the feat in consecutive seasons, joining the 1986 and ’87 squads under legendary coach Jody Conradt.
After the demolition, Texas is only the ninth team all-time to enter the Final Four after winning each of its first four NCAA Tournament games by at least 20 points. The last five teams to do so each won a national championship.
Perhaps no player has defined Texas’ ascent to the top of the sport more than Harmon. The fifth-year senior tore her ACL during her third season on campus, an injury that threatened to derail her career. Instead, it showed her that she needed to transform.
After averaging more than 11 shots per game during her first three seasons on poor efficiency, Harmon embraced a setup role this season. During Texas’ run to the Elite Eight, she has managed to take over games despite averaging a career-low (by far) 7.5 shots per game.
«There are going to be some games where I can go for 13 assists and take five shots, and there are some games that I take 12 to 15,» Harmon said. «It just really depends. You never know who’s going to go off, we have so many people who can do so many different things.»
Early in the third quarter, Texas had missed 20 of its last 24 shots, erasing the most efficient quarter of coach Vic Schaefer’s Longhorns tenure. After sitting for a stretch in the second, Harmon decided to take matters into her own hands.
After the lead was cut to 11, Harmon stepped back and hit a 3-pointer, the first of the game for Texas. On the next two plays, she found forward Breya Cunningham for back-to-back baskets, including a fastbreak dime that handed her the ball right under the basket.
Harmon’s tenacious effort helped key off an absurd 35-6 run that turned a tightening game into a 40-point decimation. She finished with seven points, seven rebounds, 13 assists — and only five shot attempts.
«The past years I’ve been with Texas, I’ve seen Rori be even more demanding of us,» center Kyla Oldacre said. «Knowing what we need to do and what we need to fulfill offensively, defensively, and just that she trusts us, it gives us a lot of confidence in how she produces.»
The All-American Booker shook off two early turnovers to score a game-high 19 points, one of only four players in double-figures. The defense was a constant, holding Michigan to only 22.8% from the field, the worst shooting performance by a team in Elite Eight history. Down the stretch, it was Oldacre’s rebounding that helped put the game away.
Michigan came into the matchup on a dominant run, winning games by an average of 27.7 points in the NCAA Tournament. A trio of superstar sophomores, led by Third-Team All-American Olivia Olson, helped power the Wolverines to only the third Elite Eight in program history.
However, Texas managed to drag the Wolverines into the gutter with their defense. No Michigan player finished with more than 11 points as the Longhorns’ dominant run through the tournament continued.
«Rori has been in a lot of those situations, and just her composure throughout the game, her ability not to get sped up throughout the game, her ability to find her team, who’s hot through the game, I mean, she just showed incredible experience,» Barnes Arico said. «They’ve been there, they’ve done it before. To knock them off, we’ve got to be on it, and we weren’t able to generate that tonight.»
One year ago, Texas reached the Final Four before losing 74-57 to South Carolina. The Longhorns have spent the last 360 days waiting for their next shot. With fellow 1-seed UCLA on the docket, Texas is hoping to get over the hump and clinch its first national championship since 1986.
Schaefer will allow himself one indulgence. Turkey hunting season has started, so he’ll wake up early and grant himself one turkey kill. After he’s done, Schaefer plans to come into the office by 10 a.m. and fly out for Phoenix.
«I told them after the game, we’ve been down this road,» Schaefer said. «I’m hopeful that experience will carry over and help us get ready for what’s coming.»
