{"id":158794,"date":"2026-02-10T19:48:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:48:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/158794\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T19:48:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T19:48:08","slug":"longhorns-wildcats-disagree-if-texas-benefits-from-new-ncaa-rule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/158794\/","title":{"rendered":"Longhorns, Wildcats disagree if Texas benefits from new NCAA rule"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following a 64-53 loss<\/a> to Texas women’s basketball<\/a> Monday night at Moody Center, Kentucky’s Kenny Brooks was complimentary of his coaching contemporary.<\/p>\n

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Brooks said that he respects Texas coach Vic Schaefer<\/a> “as much, or more than anybody in the country.” Brooks described Schaefer as fair and said he likes how the longtime coach goes about his business. He appreciated the words that Schaefer said to him after the game about his wife, Chrissy, who is a breast cancer survivor (Texas coincidentally was hosting its “pink game” on Monday in support of breast cancer awareness). Brooks also sees Schaefer as an “inspiration” when it comes to blending family with basketball\u00a0since one of his daughter, Gabby, plays for him and another daughter, Kendyl, is on his staff and Schaefer’s daughter, Blair, played for him at Mississippi State and is currently\u00a0an assistant coach at Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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“I don’t like his style of basketball,” Brooks said. “It’s a lot of fouling. But it’s not a foul if they don’t call it, and they do it extremely well. They are the best\u00a0defensive team in the country.”<\/p>\n

\"Kentucky<\/p>\n

Kentucky Wildcats center Clara Strack (13) and Texas Longhorns forward Teya Sidberry (32) dive for the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Care to elaborate, Coach?<\/p>\n

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“They get away with a lot of what the rules committees have enforced or introduced in women’s basketball,” Brooks said. “I think that all the new rules that are implemented, they favor the defense. When they made that rule change and we talked about it as coaches, we were all in a Zoom, and I just saw\u00a0Vic smile. I saw (Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin) smile. I saw a lot of the defensive-minded coaches just smile.<\/p>\n

“My angst is not at Vic, he’s doing what he’s supposed to do. My angst is not at the three officials that were there tonight. It’s the rules that makes it tough. But you have to adjust.”<\/p>\n

More: Replay, highlights as No. 4 Texas records a 64-53 win over No. 18 Kentucky<\/a><\/p>\n

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Brooks made sure to couch his statements Monday with praise for Texas, which is well-known for an aggressive, full-court approach on defense. His problem was with the rules, not Texas. This wasn’t like in 2022 when former Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer\u00a0drew the Texas coaching staff’s ire<\/a> for comparing the Longhorns’ style of play to the sport of rugby.<\/p>\n

Brooks was referencing one of the rule changes that was approved by the NCAA this past summer<\/a>.\u00a0According to the NCAA, it is now permissible to allow “defenders multiple one-hand (hot stove) touches on stationary players holding the ball or on a dribbler. These touches would be legal as long as they are not repetitive and do not affect the rhythm, speed, balance and quickness of the dribbler or reroute the offensive player.”<\/p>\n

Vic\u00a0Schaefer: Texas aided by ability to adapt, not rule changes<\/p>\n

Not surprisingly, Schaefer agreed to disagree with Brooks. Speaking after a game in which junior center Breya Cunningham<\/a> fouled out and Texas had 18 fouls to Kentucky’s 16, Schaefer retorted that “I don’t think (the new rule) benefits me. I’ve got people in foul trouble all over the score sheet.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer greets Kentucky Wildcats head coach Kenny Brooks as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Schaefer argued that the SEC is a\u00a0physical conference, which is a sentiment that UT center Kyla Oldacre<\/a> echoed when she stated that “we’re in the most physical conference there is for women’s basketball.”\u00a0And like Brooks, Schaefer said that adaptation is key.<\/p>\n

“I’ll play by whatever the rules are, just tell me what they are,” Schaefer said. “I can remember back in ’14, that’s when they came out with the no more arm bar, no more\u00a0hand-checking rule, that if you touched them, it is going to be a foul. I remember my staff coming in at Mississippi State going, ‘Oh my god, what are we going to do?’ Hey, we’re going to coach better and teach better. That’s what we’re going to do. I am not playing two-three zone, playing hope-you-miss defense. I’m not doing it, and so that’s what we did.<\/p>\n

“But you know what happened? A lot of coaches started playing a lot of zone, and those coaches ain’t here no more. They’re not in the game, and it’s just a cop out. ‘Well, we can’t play this way. We can’t play the way we used to play, so let’s just do this,’ instead of owning it and saying, ‘Hey, we’ve just got to coach better and teach better.’ So that’s kind of how I approached it.”<\/p>\n

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More: Subscribe to the Statesman’s Texas sports newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n

It is worth noting that Texas averages 16.7\u00a0fouls per game this season. In terms of fewest fouls per game, that ranks 159th among 359 Division I basketball teams and seventh in the SEC.<\/p>\n

That average is the lowest of Schaefer’s Texas tenure. Over his first five years in Austin, the Longhorns averaged 18.0, 18.3, 18.9, 17.2 and 17.5 fouls per game. Texas ranked higher than 210th nationally in each of those seasons.<\/p>\n

\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) and Kentucky Wildcats guard Asia Boone (8) dive for the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns center Kyla Oldacre (00) and Kentucky Wildcats forward Jordan Obi (0) reach for the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Aaliyah Crump (23) dribbles up court as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Lee (7) drives to the basket as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns center Kyla Oldacre (00) gestures to the referee as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) brings the ball up court as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Aaliyah Crump (23) drives to the basket as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns center Kyla Oldacre (00) shoots the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Lee (7) passes to a teammate as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) dribbles down the court as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns center Kyla Oldacre (00) handles the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Ashton Judd (21) and Kentucky Wildcats forward Amelia Hassett (32) dive for the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) reacts to a play as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Lee (7) guards Kentucky Wildcats guard Tonie Morgan (5) as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Fans<\/p>\n

Fans react to a play as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Bryanna Preston (1) reacts to a play as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Aaliyah Crump (23) guards Kentucky Wildcats guard Asia Boone (8) as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"A<\/p>\n

A fan puts their horns up as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Lee (7) brings the ball up court as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Kentucky<\/p>\n

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Kenny Brooks speaks with a referee as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) shoots the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Aaliyah Crump (23) drives to the basket as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) guards Kentucky Wildcats forward Jordan Obi (0) as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns forward Madison Booker (35) shoots the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns guard Jordan Lee (7) reaches for the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns forward Justice Carlton (11) handles the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns center Kyla Oldacre (00) reaches for the rebound as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer reacts to a play as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns forward Breya Cunningham (25) reaches for the ball as Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns forward Justice Carlton (11) is welcomed onto the court before Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas players react to fireworks before Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman\"Texas<\/p>\n

Texas Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer stands alongside Texas Longhorns guard Rori Harmon (3) as she is recognized as the Texas women’s basketball program’s all-time leader in steals before Texas takes on Kentucky at The Moody Center in Austin Monday, Feb. 9, 2026.<\/p>\n

Mikala Compton\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n

Where does the NCAA’s “hot stove” terminology come from?<\/p>\n

In addition to praise for Justice Carlton<\/a>‘s 17-point performance against Kentucky and the downplaying of any concern for All-American forward Madison Booker’<\/a>s off night on offense, Schaefer also taught a history lesson during UT’s postgame news\u00a0conference on Monday night.\u00a0Remember the “hot stove” term used by the\u00a0NCAA to describe the quick defensive touches \u2014 which mimic touching a hot stove \u2014 that it would now allow? Schaefer told reporters that he coined that phrase while coaching at Mississippi State.<\/p>\n

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“They took that from me back in ’14 when we would coach it that way,” Schaefer said. “Back then, you could pop them one time, and then that was it, you couldn’t put it back on them.”<\/p>\n

After holding No. 18 Kentucky (18-7, 5-6) to its second-lowest point total of the season, No. 4 Texas (23-2, 8-2) boasts the top scoring defense in the SEC at 54.8 points per game. Texas is forcing 23.68 turnovers per game<\/a>, which is also the SEC’s best mark.<\/p>\n

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Up next for UT is Thursday’s trip to play No. 5 Vanderbilt, which has a top-10 scoring offense. Both\u00a0Mikayla Blakes and Aubrey Galvan scored at least 30 points for Vanderbilt in Monday’s 102-86 win over No. 10 Oklahoma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Following a 64-53 loss to Texas women’s basketball Monday night at Moody Center, Kentucky’s Kenny Brooks was complimentary…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":158795,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[538,27,29,537,5276,28,5279],"class_list":{"0":"post-158794","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-kentucky-wildcats","9":"tag-texas","10":"tag-texas-headlines","11":"tag-texas-longhorns","12":"tag-texas-longhorns-women-s-basketball","13":"tag-texas-news","14":"tag-vic-schaefer"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158794","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=158794"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/158794\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/158795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=158794"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=158794"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=158794"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}