With the 2025-2026 women’s college basketball regular season in the books, the Texas Longhorns are making headlines before beginning a deep playoff run. On Thursday, head coach Vic Schaefer was named a semifinalist for Women’s College Coach of the Year. The honor comes after Schaefer led Texas to an SEC title while etching his name into the history books.
The Longhorns finished the season with a 31-3 record. It marked the third straight season Texas won 30 games, the first time they have done that since 1988. They are currently the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season and only the second time in program history. That is partly due to the leadership that Schaefer has provided since setting foot on campus.
As Texas looked unstoppable at times under Schaefer, they thrived against ranked teams. The Longhorns had 14 wins over ranked opponents, which was the most in the country. That came as no surprise, given how good the program has been over the last few years
Since Schaefer took over at the start of the 2023-2024 season, the Longhorns have posted a 99-12 overall record. In each of the last five seasons, Texas has won either a regular-season or conference tournament championship. While the Longhorns are still searching for a title under Schaefer, they have become a staple in the NCAA tournament.
Additionally, Schaefer is the only women’s coach to lead two different programs to an SEC Tournament Championship. Last year, he made history, becoming one of two active head coaches to lead two different programs to the Final Four. His hope is that Texas will go all the way this year.
Regardless of how voting for coach of the year goes, Schaefer has made a compelling case to add more hardware to his trophy case.
This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Lady Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer honored by Naismith Awards
Reporting by Jamie Gatlin, Longhorns Wire / Longhorns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
