For Texas women’s basketball head coach Vic Schaefer, seeing UCLA on the opposing bench for the Longhorns’ second exhibition game on Oct. 25 may bring up some haunting memories.

Last year, the Bruins ended the Longhorns’ dream of a national championship in the Final Four round of March Madness.

“Your heart aches for the way it ended because I really believe I had the better team,” Schaefer said in a media availability on Sept. 24. “My job is to get those kids home, and I didn’t get them home.”

But with the 2026-27 season on the horizon, Schaefer is anticipating getting back into the swing of competition. The preseason schedule isn’t cushioned with opponents that will easily build Texas’ confidence.

Texas will travel to Hartford, Connecticut, to take on UConn before returning the 512 to play UCLA at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park.

The Longhorns can’t erase the past, but this is a new team. Texas picked up three transfers and added five freshmen to its roster after five players either graduated or transferred, so Schaefer is putting an emphasis on getting comfortable as a cohesive group, rather than trying to rectify losses of the past — no matter how much they weigh on his heart.

“I got to get those young kids in some pretty good environments early, because the rest of that schedule is coming,” Schaefer said. “A lot of (the new players) are going to play, and so (that’s) going to be a big challenge for us.”

For Texas, this is another preseason test of how quickly new pieces can come together against a program that is familiar with going deep into the postseason. Rather than easing into the season, Schaefer is throwing his team into the fire before the games start counting.

Still, UCLA isn’t the same team that captured the national championship title just last April.

Six Bruins were taken in the 2026 WNBA Draft, including former center Lauren Betts, who shot 58.2% from the field her senior year.

That turnover means Texas won’t be facing the exact same group that ended its season last March. Instead, the matchup gives Schaefer an opportunity to see how his new-look roster holds up against another team going through its own transitions.

UCLA’s transfer class was ranked No. 5 in the nation by ESPN, with five portal pick-ups, including four guards. Additionally, two freshman guards have joined the squad.

This exhibition game will not be the last time these teams face each other. The Longhorns will travel to Las Vegas to play in the Players Era Showcase, with a game against UCLA scheduled for Dec. 20. This first game won’t count toward either team’s record, but it could provide a preview of what’s to come when the stakes are higher.

But Schaefer scheduled this competitive matchup for another reason.

“Both of those (exhibition) games are (Name, Image and Likeness)-centered,” Schaefer said. “(UCLA head coach) Cori Close (is) nice enough to come in. Obviously it’s going to benefit her team too with some money.”

With the weekend jam-packed with sporting events, fans will have their pick of the litter on which to attend. So Schaefer is urging fans to show up and give the newbies a glimpse of the support this women’s team has.

“We’d love to have a packed house … for UCLA,” Schaefer said. “I believe the football team has a home game on Saturday against Ole Miss, so it should be a great weekend, and maybe even F1 is in town, so you got a lot of options that weekend, and hopefully women’s basketball will be one of them.”