Vic Schaefer was teed off after he got T’d up in the middle of Wednesday night’s game at Moody Center. But that technical foul carried more meaning than simply awarding Georgia a pair of free throws.
Sure, his No. 4 Texas Longhorns were already well on their way to a 79-50 win over a good Georgia team, but Schaefer never stopped coaching.
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After playing one of its best first halves of the Schaefer era, Texas was comfortably up 51-21 with just over 8 minutes remaining in the third quarter when Breya Cunningham anticipated a Georgia entry pass and deflected the ball to a teammate. But Cunningham was whistled for her third foul and Schaefer made no secret of his disgust with what appeared to be a ticky-tack call.
Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer disputes a call during the game against Georgia at the Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
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The suit jacket predictably came off and the Texas coach railed at the official, who took all she could before she whistled him for a technical foul. It was Schaefer’s first technical since the 81-63 blowout of Penn — not the Nittany Lions, the Quakers back at the end of November — but Schaefer doesn’t care. He coaches until the wheels fall off.
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Thursday’s outcome was never in doubt. Schaefer’s “T” was a mere footnote, but the message was clear for his players and upcoming opponents alike. “I’m going to fight for my kids,” he said.
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Here’s the funny thing about a knockout. In boxing, the referee either counts out the fighter or stops the contest. In basketball, the clock still ticks down every second. So it went with the Horns. The fans showed up at Moody for the 9 p.m. tipoff and stuck around for most of the carnage before many headed for the exits with six minutes remaining. It was a school night, after all.
Texas Longhornsguard Rori Harmon (3) hugs guard Bryanna Preston (1) after the game against Georgia at the Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Texas (27-3, 12-3 SEC) delivered in its final regular-season home game and showed why it’s on the short list of teams capable to taking the whole thing come March.
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The Longhorns get it done the old-fashioned way: a defense-first mentality. Just ask point guard Rori Harmon, who kept Georgia guard Dani Carnegie — the league’s eighth-leading scorer at 18.3 points per game — to just three points on 1-of-8 shooting. Carnegie’s lone bucket came with 2:30 remaining when Harmon was on the bench.
Vanderbilt was a wake-up call
The 86-70 loss to Vanderbilt didn’t sit well with the Horns or their coach, who questioned their toughness and heart. When Georgia took out the Commodores days later, the Horns noticed.
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Did it help Texas beat Georgia?
“Our motivation was our tape against Vandy,” Texas’ Madison Booker said.
Harmon added that the Horns’ desire to win had nothing to do with external forces.
“We’re not the type of team that likes to rely on other teams to beat other teams,” Harmon said. “We want to focus on what we’re doing. I think we’re firm believers in the only people that can beat us is us.”
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Georgia didn’t stand a chance.
The Horns shot a blistering 71% in the first half and took a 49-18 lead at the intermission. Their level dropped a bit in the second half, and that can be expected at times, but it wasn’t the case in Columbia, S.C. where rival South Carolina scored an SEC-record 112 points in a flattening of Missouri that earned Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks at least a share of a fifth straight SEC title.
Texas Longhorns guard Madison Booker (35) and guard Jordan Lee (7) celebrate a score during the game against Georgia at the Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
The Horns will finish second with a win at Alabama in Sunday’s regular-season finale and could use that win, if anything, to clinch a first-round bye in the SEC Tournament.
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This is where it starts to get even more fun. Last season, the Horns got a taste of their first Final Four since 2023 and return a nice mix of veterans and young up-and-comers to try to make a return trip to the national semifinals. They’ll get two homes games to open the NCAAs and upon winning those would likely head to Sacramento for the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds, though the nearby Fort Worth regional would be more desirable for obvious reasons.
It seems like forever from now, but Schaefer, who has coached in a pair of national championship games with Mississippi State, knows it will get here soon enough. So while he’s fighting and clawing for every call, he must also figure out how to balance keeping that high national ranking with making sure his players enter the tourney with legs that are as fresh as possible. And they’re playing their best ball right now, having won their last three games by 110 points.
“These kids continue to work and practice and every day, they’re bringing it,” Schaefer said.
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The Longhorns will be an interesting watch in the postseason because of their star power and willingness to lay it all on the line, particularly on the defensive end. Plus, they have a hungry coach fighting for every crumb.