Vic Schaefer can't hide his emotions at March Madness as $25,000 unlocked

Texas head coach Vic Schaefer was emotional when speaking about his Longhorns roster after they reached the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2003. Madison Booker had 18 points and six rebounds during a 58-47 win over TCU, outscoring Hailey Van Lith , who was heavily pressured by Texas guard Rori Harmon. The Horned Frogs also lost 6-foot-7 center Sedona Prince after she fouled out, which majorly hindered their ability to contest rebounds.

It was a dream run for TCU , who reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history , but the Longhorns are also unfamiliar with this stage of the NCAA Tournament . Schaefer was relieved after Texas made it to the Final Four, after wanting it so badly for his players . Texas had only previously won the NCAA Tournament in 1986, but Schaefer was an associate head coach at Texas A&M when the Aggies won in 2011 for the first time.



Now, Schaefer hopes that he can lead the Longhorns to glory, and his roster is starting to believe. Schaefer wasn't emotional about the fact they'd reached the Final Four, or because he'd received yet another bonus, but because Texas left everything out on the court. Schaefer has been trying to convince the Longhorns all season that they're good enough to end March Madness as champions, and now Texas is two wins away.

The Longhorns coach was choked up at times when being interviewed on the court after the game, as he spoke about the heart and soul that his team puts into every occasion. "Took guts. It took an incredible defensive effort, that's an unbelievable offensive team," Schaefer said when analyzing Texas-TCU.

"Rori Harmon, (Hailey) Van Lith is so good, Rori did a great job on her today but it took everybody. It just took guts. I mean, it's so hard to do and to see these kids doing it, I have wanted this so badly for them.

I've said it all year, they're good enough. "Sometimes it's hard to convince kids that have never done that, and I knew they were good enough. I knew we had what it took.

Today, if you watched that game, those kids played their guts out. You cannot help but go 'Wow.' You cannot help but go, 'Man, that team plays with tremendous heart.

' I mean, that's it, they got heart. "I know I'm not their world, but they sure are my world. They say it's not who you are, it's what you do.

This is who I am, this is what I've done all my life. A family has suffered at times because I put so much into this. "A wonderful wife, I've got two beautiful kids, but this is what I do and who I am.

You invest so much, you invest your heart and soul into these kids, you want it so badly for them, but sometimes it's hard to show them, especially if they've not been there. "I think Sedona is a seventh-year player, Van Lith is five, that's two veterans, and they have got great players around them. I'm just proud of this group.

That today is the Texas fight right there. That's what we're all about." Schaefer is now in his fifth year as Longhorns coach, and has earned several bonuses this season.

After matching South Carolina at the top of the SEC Conference, and reaching the Final Four, it's been a near-perfect season for Texas. Due to reaching the Final Four, the Longhorns will give Schaefer a $25,000 bonus, but that isn't the only incentive he's triggered this season. When factoring in the reward for reaching the Final Four, Schaefer has now earned $220,000 in bonuses on top of his $2.

3 million annual salary. The two No. 1 seeds, Texas and South Carolina, will fittingly meet in the Final Four after the SEC Conference couldn't separate the programs last season.

A coin toss was needed to determine the No. 1 seed for the SEC Tournament at the end of the regular season, due to both schools sharing identical records. There is a lot of respect between Longhorns coach Schaefer and Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley, and a big rivalry on the court.

The winners will advance to the national championship game and face either UConn or UCLA, but for now, Schaefer wants to enjoy the Elite Eight win. "Well, obviously, they're really good," Schaefer said. "We've had some experience with them this year, so, we're going to enjoy this today and then we'll start worrying about that tomorrow.

We've got our hands full.".