GREENVILLE, S.C. — An old-school coach who still prefers to wear a suit on gameday, Vic Schaefer has a trademark way of expressing his frustrations from the bench of the Texas women’s basketball team.
If Schaefer is irritated by a mistake made by his players, the suit jacket comes off. If he’s upset with a referee’s call, the jacket comes off. Sometimes the jacket removals are theatrical. Sometimes they’re subtle. Either way, Texas director of operations Tory Teykl is often left with some sideline laundry to collect.
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But over Texas’ three games at this past weekend’s SEC Tournament, Schaefer’s jacket didn’t come off once. The brown one he wore Friday against Alabama? It stayed on throughout the Longhorns’ 83-60 win. The black one he wore Saturday against Ole Miss? It remained on throughout the Longhorns’ 85-68 win. And the checkered one he wore in Sunday’s SEC championship game against No. 3 South Carolina? Yes, that remained on throughout the No. 4-ranked Longhorns’ 78-61 win as well.
Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer yells instructions from the sideline during the game against Georgia at the Moody Center on Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 in Austin.
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Fifth-year point guard Rori Harmon suggested Schaefer sometimes removes his jacket because it gets hot in the gyms in which Texas plays. So was it chilly inside of Bon Secours Wellness Arena? Or was Schaefer not removing his jacket just a sign of how pleased he was with how his Longhorns played en route to their first SEC Tournament title?
Texas head coach Vic Schaefer looks on in the first half against South Carolina during the championship game of the SEC women’s basketball tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 8, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina.
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The Texas Longhorns celebrate after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks during the championship game of the SEC women’s basketball tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on March 8, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Texas forward Justice Carlton reacts in the first half against South Carolina during the championship game of the SEC women’s basketball tournament March 8, 2026 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Texas guard Jordan Lee blocks a shot from South Carolina forward Joyce Edwards in the first half during the championship game of the SEC women’s basketball tournament March 8, 2026 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
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The Texas Longhorns celebrate after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks in the championship game of the SEC women’s basketball tournament March 8, 2026 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Texas head coach Vic Schaefer takes a photo with fans after defeating the South Carolina Gamecocks in the championship game of the SEC women’s basketball tournament March 8, 2026 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
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Texas guard Bryanna Preston (right) brings the ball up court while guarded by South Carolina’s Maddy McDaniel in the second half during the championship game of the SEC women’s basketball tournament March 8, 2026 at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
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“I couldn’t be more pleased with this group,” Schaefer said after the Longhorns’ win over South Carolina.
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MORE: Texas beats South Carolina for first SEC Tournament title
Texas trailed just once all weekend for a total of 83 seconds, and its victories over Ole Miss and South Carolina in the semifinals and final were wire-to-wire wins. The Longhorns’ three triumphs came by an average of 19 points.
In the championship game, Texas jumped out to a 14-0 lead over a South Carolina team that was playing roughly 100 miles from its campus. After a South Carolina timeout, Schaefer noted that Texas still outscored the Gamecocks 13-12 the rest of the first quarter. South Carolina was unable to get any closer than nine points the rest of the way.
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“By the end of the first quarter, I’m good,” Schaefer said. “Like, they called timeout, we still won the rest of the quarter. I just felt like my group was ready.”
By Schaefer’s estimation, the Longhorns made only two mistakes in the South Carolina game that he characterized as “undisciplined.” He added that “other than that, I thought our kids played pretty much perfect.”
Texas guard Rori Harmon guards South Carolina guard Maddy McDaniel during the first half of the Southeastern Conference tournament title game March 8, 2026, in Greenville, S.C.
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Texas played well offensively and defensively during SEC title run
Over its three SEC Tournament games, Texas shot 52.2% from the floor and 79.5% from the free-throw line while making a few 3-pointers along the way. Defensively, Texas forced 49 turnovers and held both Alabama and South Carolina to bottom-five scoring totals for their seasons.
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Harmon, who joined teammates Madison Booker and Justice Carlton on the all-tournament team, remarked Sunday that “I’m glad he didn’t have to take his jacket off.” But she felt Schaefer’s intact wardrobe was a sign of his belief in the players.
“I felt like every game, we came out ready to go,” Harmon said. “I think you can see it on his face that he has a trust factor in his team to get stuff done. … We felt really composed this whole tournament, we felt like we were in control a lot of the time.”
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A shoo-in for a No. 1 seed, Texas (31-3) now awaits word from the NCAA Tournament’s selection committee about its first-round opponent and potential path to the Phoenix-hosted Final Four. The bracket for the NCAA Tournament will be announced Sunday evening.