BASKETBALL

Vic Schaefer NCAA Tournament, Final Four record: How has Texas coach fared in March Madness?

Ehsan Kassim
USA TODAY NETWORK

This story has been updated from a previous version.

Texas women's basketball coach Vic Schaefer has put together an impressive resume following a slow start to his career at Sam Houston State.

When the 1-seed Longhorns (32-4, 14-4 Big 12) take the court against 4 seed Gonzaga (32-3, 16-0 West Coast) on Friday in the Sweet 16, he will be seeking his sixth Elite Eight appearance, and third with the Longhorns. From there, he will seek his third-ever Final Four appearance, including first as Texas' coach.

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Junior forward Aaliyah Moore is coming off a 21-point, 10-rebound performance against 8 seed Alabama in the second round. At the same time, the Longhorns are led by freshman sensation Madison Booker, who averaged 16.8 points, 5.1 assists and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Last season was the first time Schaefer coached a team that was knocked out before the Sweet 16 round since he coached Mississippi State in 2014-15, his third year with the Bulldogs. Excluding the canceled COVID-19 postseason, Schaefer has made it to at least the Sweet 16 in six of his last eight seasons, reaching the Elite Eight five times.

Here's Schaefer's career record in the NCAA Tournament:

Vic Schaefer NCAA Tournament record

  • NCAA Tournament record: 25-8
  • at Mississippi State: 16-5
  • at Texas: 9-3

Schaefer, 63, began his coaching career at Sam Houston State in 1990 after being an assistant coach on the staff. Schaefer peaked at 18 wins during the 1995-96 season and never led his team to an NCAA Tournament berth. At one point during his Sam Houston State tenure, he contemplated becoming a Major League Baseball umpire before ultimately sticking to coaching.

He eventually did leave to become an assistant at Arkansas, where he served as an assistant coach and associate head coach from 1997-2003. From there, he became the Texas A&M associate head coach from 2003-12.

He then took the head coaching position at Mississippi State. He went just 13-17 in his first season in Starkville, Mississippi, but has never experienced a losing season since. He reached the WNIT Quarterfinals in his second season with the Bulldogs, and then reached the second round in his third season.

Schaefer then coached the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 in 2016 before consecutive runner-up finishes in 2017 and 2018. His final trip to the NCAA Tournament with the Bulldogs saw them reach the Elite Eight in 2019. Following the COVID-19 canceled postseason, Schaefer took the Texas job, which appealed to him since he was born in Austin.

"Texas is where I'm from," Schaefer told ESPN in a 2020 interview about taking the Texas job. "I will be 65 miles from where I spent weekends at my grandmother's house, and where my mother and father are buried, in La Grange, Texas. I'll be 2 hours and 40 minutes from my older sister, who was also my kindergarten teacher."

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How many Final Fours does Vic Schaefer have?

Schaefer has led his teams to the Final Four two times, with his team reaching the championship game both seasons. Those came in back-to-back seasons with Mississippi State during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.

The Bulldogs went 34-5 (13-3 SEC) during the 2017 run, including a win over 1 seed UConn in the semifinals (66-64 in OT) before falling to 3 seed South Carolina 67-55. During the 2018 run, MSU had just two losses all season. One came to the Gamecocks in the SEC Tournament championship game, and the other to Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament championship game.

Here's a look at both Final Four runs for Schaefer:

2017

  • Round 1: (2) Mississippi State 110, (15) Troy 69
  • Round 2: (2) Mississippi State 92, (7) DePaul 71
  • Sweet 16: (2) Mississippi State 75, (3) Washington 64
  • Elite Eight: (2) Mississippi State 94, (1) Baylor 85 (OT)
  • Final Four: (2) Mississippi State 66, (1) UConn 64 (OT)
  • Championship: (1) South Carolina 67, (2) Mississippi State 55

2018

  • Round 1: (1) Mississippi State 95, (16) Nicholls State 50
  • Round 2: (1) Mississippi State 71, (9) Oklahoma State 56
  • Sweet 16: (1) Mississippi State 71, (4) NC State 57
  • Elite Eight: (1) Mississippi State 89, (3) UCLA 73
  • Final Four: (1) Mississippi State 73, (3) Louisville 63 (OT)
  • Championship: (1) Notre Dame 61, (1) Mississippi State 58

Vic Schaefer career record

Here's Texas coach Schaefer's career record:

  • Career record (19 seasons): 409-203
  • Record at Texas (four seasons): 108-31 (52-20 in Big 12)
  • Record at Mississippi State (eight seasons): 221-62 (83-39 in SEC)
  • Record at Sam Houston State (seven seasons): 80-110 (49-72 in Southland)