After losing out on a Big 12 title, Texas believes 'there's still so much in front of us'

danny davis, austin american-statesman

Fri, Mar 1, 2024, 10:36 PM·4 min read

Those trophies that look like punch bowls that the Big 12 awards its champions after hard-fought regular seasons? The Texas women's basketball team was unable to add one to its trophy case this winter. Oklahoma secured that instead by edging UT 71-70 in Norman on Wednesday.

But the season didn't end for the Longhorns this week. As veteran guard Shay Holle noted in the postgame press conference Wednesday, "there's still so much in front of us."

The Big 12 has another nice trophy that it will hand out at the end of its conference tournament, which will begin next week in Kansas City, Mo. And there are significant pieces of hardware to be won in the NCAA Tournament as well.

"We're very disappointed in the game the other night, but we still have so much to play for," head coach Vic Schaefer said. "I've got to try to get them up off the deck a little bit and get them back, focused and ready to go."

Texas' Shaylee Gonzales, right, and Khadija Faye battle Southern guard Kyanna Morgan for a rebound Nov. 8 at Moody Center. The two Longhorns will be honored at Saturday's regular-season finale with BYU on Texas' senior night.

'We still have a lot to play for'

For Texas, the rest of its season will begin Saturday when the Longhorns (26-4, 13-4) close out the regular season at home against BYU (16-14, 6-11). Texas will be either a No. 2 or a No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Tournament and is in the conversation to be a top seed in the NCAAs.

On Thursday — the day after that loss to Oklahoma — the NCAA Tournament's selection committee revealed its top 16 rankings. Texas is sixth. But one of those teams listed above the Longhorns — No. 5 Virginia Tech — lost by 13 points Thursday night.

"We still have a lot to play for, and all of us know that, but it's still one game at a time," Holle said.

Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said it's his job to make sure his third-ranked Longhorns put Wednesday's heartbreaking 71-70 loss to Oklahoma squarely in the rearview. "I've got to try to get them up off the deck a little bit and get them back, focused and ready to go," he said.

Goals to go: Texas women's basketball looks forward

So now that a conference championship is out of the picture, what are UT's goals? On Friday, senior guard Shaylee Gonzales listed a few.

First, there's the conference tournament. Texas was the last team standing in Kansas City in 2022 and reached last year's final as well.

"Obviously, we want to win the Big 12 Tournament," Gonzales said. "We know that we're going to go in and play some really good teams that we've played before. We just need to be ready and prepared for those."

Then Gonzales noted that Texas wants to secure a good seed for the NCAA Tournament. With almost two weeks to go before Selection Sunday, the NCAA is projecting South Carolina (28-0), Ohio State (25-3), Stanford (25-4) and UCLA (23-5) to be its No. 1 seeds. The Longhorns were last a No. 1 seed in 2004.

When it comes to the NCAA Tournament, Gonzales would personally like to make it past the second round. She's never done that over the time she spent at BYU and Texas. But she also knows Texas has ambitions that are bigger than the Sweet 16.

"I mean, we're a Final Four team. People have told us that all season. Hopefully, we can do that," she said.

Texas guard Shaylee Gonzales drives to the basket against Oklahoma forward Sahara Williams in the second half Jan. 24 at Moody Center. The Sooners swept the Longhorns in this year's two Big 12 matchups.

Gonzales and Faye: going out in senior style

Before Texas can focus on the postseason, it needs to wrap up the regular season. Texas' finale Saturday also will be senior night, and both Gonzales and fellow senior Khadija Faye will be honored after the game.

Gonzales has started in 66 games since her 2022 transfer from BYU, where she scored 1,555 points over three seasons and was a two-time West Coast Conference player of the year. Injuries have forced Texas to ask her to play various roles, but she has scored 11.3 points per game over the past two years and has been the team's top 3-point shooter.

"(I have) just a lot of appreciation for her and her being here and what she's meant to our team and our program," Schaefer said.

As for Faye, the Texas Tech transfer has started 34 times over the past two seasons. She has averaged 4.7 rebounds as a Longhorn.

"She's a very kind and sweet soul, always willing to help others," said Gonzales, who also is Faye's roommate. "On the court, I would just say she's very hardworking and driven. She always goes off to rebound super, super hard. She does everything hard."