FORT WORTH, TX ― Six weeks ago, Texas coach Vic Schaefer called his team "soft." On Monday, Schaefer called the Longhorns "Texas tough" before cutting down the nets after a 77-41 win over Michigan in the Elite Eight.
On February 12, Schaefer openly questioned the "heart" of Texas's players after a brutal 86-70 loss to Vanderbilt. The Longhorns found themselves down by as many as 27 points against the Commodores during a rough shooting night. Texas shot 38% from the field, and its usual perimeter production disappeared. The Longhorns made three shots from beyond the arc to the Commodores' nine.
"We had no heart tonight. We had no toughness. No competitive spirit. We're soft. We were whining. Complaining, but no toughness. So you know what? I've been doing this a while. I bet I'll fix it," Schaefer said at the time.
True to his word, the Longhorns coach did fix whatever was plaguing his roster. Texas has 12 consecutive victories since its coach publicly called the team out, including a massive win over the Wolverines to punch its ticket to the Final Four for the second straight year.
"That next day in practice, really, it's been different ever since, and it started with Madison (Booker) and her voice. She was very vocal that day. Rori (Harmon) was helping a little, but Madison was way different," Schaefer said.
