Texas Coach, Players Respect Clara Strack But Know UK Has Other Weapons

Texas coach Vic Shaefer’s team is a 15-point favorite over Kentucky — a team it beat in early February — in Saturday afternoon’s NCAA Tournament regional semifinal in Fort Worth, Texas, but he knows better than to overlook the Wildcats.

“Certainly Kentucky has our attention. A lot of respect for coach (Kenny) Brooks’ team and their staff. We’re going to have to play really well tomorrow against them,” Schafer said Friday.

Here is more of what the Texas coach and his players had to say about Kentucky on Friday:

Q. Two-part question. What, if anything, can you take from your first meeting with Kentucky that’s helped you prep for this one? Then, second part, just personal preference. I know that there are upsides and downsides to it, but just your personal preference and personal thoughts on playing conference opponents when the stakes are so much higher here come tournament time?
VIC SCHAEFER: “Yeah, it’s seven weeks ago when we played them, so I think they’re a way different team. They’re playing way better. I think we’re different. You know, we’re playing pretty well, too. Certainly I’ve looked at that film a couple of different times, but you know, when you come from the Southeastern Conference and you have ten teams in the tournament, it’s just inevitable. You got Oklahoma and South Carolina playing each other.
“It’s really difficult to dodge it, to be quite honest. It happens, and again, we beat each other up for — we’ve played 19 SEC games this year, 16 in the regular season, three in the tournament. This will be number 20. I would like to beat my head in against somebody else than against somebody in my own league, but it’s the draw of the tournament.
“Again, I think that speaks to our league and how good our league is, and you’re going to have this happen. It might happen more than once. You know, last year it happened twice in the NCAA Tournament. It’s just part of it. Again, it’s inevitable.”

Q. Vic, the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year was announced this week, and there are no SEC players on the list. I’m wondering if that surprised you? Secondly, what are your thoughts about Kentucky’s Clara Strack and what she presents on the defensive end?
VIC SCHAEFER: “Yeah, Strack is a great player. She presents a lot of problems. You have to really — we have to really be cognizant of her and Key and then their shooters. The point guards are playing so well. They have a laundry list of issues for me. Strack has just continued I think to develop, get better and better. Kenny has done a great job with her. You know, from a match-up perspective, it’s a real challenge. She’s so long, like you better put a butt on her because she’s a great rebounder. She has that nose for where the ball is coming off from.
“I’ve watched plenty of film on her, so we’re going to have to really do a great job. But at the same time, it’s not like you can bring help to double her, because they got a couple of kids out there that can make 3’s like in their sleep.
“It’s a team that presents a lot of problems. Again, from seven weeks ago to today, they’re just a way different team. So we’re going to have to play really, really well. But she is a special talent, no question. She certainly has our attention.
“As far as the Defensive Player of the Year award, I have to be careful, Danny. I don’t want to take anything away from anybody else on the list. All I’ll say is we play in the Southeastern Conference, and it is full of future WNBA players. I’ll take our league against any other league with how many players are in that league, how many future players are in that — going to be in that league, and that’s who we have to guard every night. We’ll just leave it at that.”

Q. Rori, this match-up features two finalists for the national point guard of the year. If you could just speak to what you see from Tonie Morgan and what’s interesting about her game in this rematch.
RORI HARMON: “Yeah, she’s a great point guard. Matched up with her already one time, but she has a lot of patience, and I think that’s what you need to have to be a great point guard, and I think she’s a great point guard, but she facilitates the ball really well, gets downhill. She gets her teammates involved. Yeah, she’s a great point guard, and I can’t wait for the match-up.”

Q. What was your takeaway the first time you played Kentucky, and how much do you think what you saw from them and how you guys looked at that time will help you this time around against them?
RORI HARMON: “Great question. I remember we had them up for a little bit. They started making their way back, as a great team does, but looking back, I think Madison didn’t get too many shots. It was that type of game where she just didn’t get enough shots up. I think we need to work a little bit harder as a team for that to happen.
“That was in February, am I right? Early February? Now we’re in late March, and so both teams obviously have improved their game really well. Film has looked different because we’re looking at film from their most recent games versus, like, when we played them in February; people are playing better and doing better as well as we are. I think it just comes down to who executes the best and who gets the most rebounds.”

Q. Madison, somebody like Clara Strack doesn’t necessarily need to score for Kentucky to be effective. What other areas do you need to be able to limit her effectiveness?
MADISON BOOKER: “No, she is a tremendous player. Like you said, she doesn’t need to score to impact the game for her team. She’s a great rebounder. I also think she has great chemistry with Teonni Key. I think we need to do a better job than last time with trying to deny her the ball, limit her touches a little bit, kind of make her work a little extra for it and block her out. She’s a big presence on the glass so, like you said, she doesn’t need to score to really impact her team. But those areas right there, just touch the ball, it really changes their team.”

Q. When you are preparing for a team like Kentucky that you have played before, is that easier to do or does it make it — make you a little bit more cautious in how you approach it?
JORDAN LEE: “I would say it definitely makes our coaches a little bit more cautious. I would say their hours of preparation are probably doubled in film and just making sure they don’t miss anything and potentially trying to anticipate what Kentucky’s game plan is going to be. But it’s nice to have a little bit of familiarity with their sets and personnel and have that sort of feel of who we’re going against. But I think it’s definitely also, like I said, just a little bit got to be a little bit cautious for sure, and especially at this point in the year there’s a lot at stake, and we want to go out and represent the University of Texas the best we can.”