Eyes of Texas on women’s Final Four again after Longhorns beat Michigan in regional final

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) - Texas coach Vic Schaefer was down on his knee already sharing a long and tight embrace with 5-foot-6 sparkplug guard Rori Harmon even as the final seconds were winding down in a rout that ensured them one more weekend together on the court.

After five years constantly around each other and another school record-tying 35-win season, the coach and player who don't want it to end yet are going to the women's Final Four for the second year in a row.

"I prayed for that a long time last night, to have that moment today with her," Schaefer said. "The kid has been so special. She's been the heart of really our team and program for a while."

Third-year starter Madison Booker had 19 points and seven rebounds and Harmon had 13 assists as Texas overwhelmed Michigan 77-41 in the Fort Worth Regional 3 championship game on Monday night.

"There's so much hard work, tears, blood, sweat, adversity that we go through together," Harmon said of the hug. "When you get to a point like heading to the Final Four like that, it's just a really special moment."

The Longhorns missed only one shot in the first quarter, quickly building a double-digit lead and maintaining control in the only regional final matching the top two seeds.

Justice Carlton added 15 points while Kyla Oldacre added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Texas (35-3), which built as much as a 40-point lead.

Schaefer, in his sixth season with the Longhorns, also took Mississippi State to back-to-back Final Fours in 2017 and 2018, and was a top assistant for Texas A&M's national title in 2012. He is the first coach to make multiple Final Fours with multiple teams.

"Well, this group is awfully special. They're tough. We call it Texas tough in Austin. But I told them they're good enough," he said.

Top-seeded Texas is going to its fifth Final Four overall, and the only other time the Longhorns had made back-to-back appearances was their undefeated 34-0 national championship season in 1986 and semifinal loss the following season. Before last year's loss to South Carolina, they hadn't made it to the season's final weekend since 2003.

Next for Texas is on Friday in Phoenix against UCLA (35-1), another top seed. It's a rematch against the only team to beat the Big Ten champion this season. The Bruins have won 29 in a row since a 76-65 loss to the Horns in the Players Era Championship on Nov. 26.

"A great team. We've seen them a long time ago," Schaefer said. "We're not even thinking that far ahead. I want them to enjoy today, enjoy this moment. These times are not guaranteed."

Olivia Olson and Mila Holloway each had 11 points for Michigan (28-7), which tied the single-season school record for wins, was in the Elite Eight for only the second time and hasn't made it past that. The Wolverines finished 22.8% (13 of 57) from the field in their lowest-scoring game of the season - half their 83.5 average coming into the game.

"Texas is great team," Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "But we're a better team than we looked tonight."

Booker, an AP All-American forward, had bookend baskets in an early 10-0 Texas run that made it 12-2. In the middle of that, she made a nifty pass to Harmon, who made an equally impressive quick flip pass to 6-foot-4 Breya Cunningham inside for an easy basket. Cunningham had 11 points.

The Longhorns, who finished shooting 46.9% (30 of 64), made 11 of 12 shots in the first quarter for a 22-9 lead.

Texas then missed 12 of its first 14 shots in the second quarter, including its top 3-point shooter Jordan Lee missing five from beyond the arc before Booker had consecutive baskets for a 34-21 halftime lead.

The Longhorns missed their first seven shots out of the break and their lead shrank to 11, but Harmon's 3-pointer snapped the skid, and they were off and running to Phoenix.

"I don't think we're whatever the deficit was, inferior opponent to them," Arico Barnes said.

Texas had a 69-29 lead with just under 6 minutes left, right before Harmon came out of the game. Booker didn't even play at all in the fourth quarter.

The largest margin of victory in an Elite Eight game was UConn's 90-50 win over Florida State in 2010.

The Longhorns were going back to their Austin campus about 200 miles away on a bus after the game, and Schaefer planned to get take a short break in the woods Tuesday morning before watching film and the team flight to Phoenix later in the day.

"Turkey season opened Saturday. I'm going to kill a turkey in the morning," he said. "Just being honest. That's going to happen. I've earned that right to be in the woods for a couple of hours in the morning calling a turkey. ... I'm going to treat myself."

Texas and UCLA will play in the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time, having split their first four postseason meetings. The Longhorns won a second-round game in 2021 in the last meeting.

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