"They’d be p----d off at me": Texas HC Vic Schaefer makes his feelings known on Longhorns squad's competitive fire

Texas coach Vic Schaefer has spoken about the competitiveness and passion of his players. Schaefer expressed that the coaching staff does not overthink substitutions due to the chemistry of certain lineups. Instead, his players have a higher tendency to get upset when he subs them out.

Speaking to Yahoo's Caroline Fenton and SEC's Dari Nowkhah on Wednesday, Schaefer stated:

"We have great chemistry with certain players, certain lineup, so we don't really make that big a deal about it," he said. "Quite frankly I've got some competitors on my team. If I was yanking them out of the game they’d be p****d off at me. They like to play."

Vic Schaefer then highlighted his back-and-forth with former SEC Defensive Player of the Year Teaira McCowan, who wanted to continue dominating the game even when the team had a huge scoring margin.

"I think back to Teaira McCowan, I take her out of the game and she'd look at me like, 'Why? Why'd you take me out? That's 6'7/240 dragging every post player in the country up and down the floor like a rag doll.

Schaefer follows a unique substitution method to leverage the positives of the entire depth, unlike most teams that depend mainly on just starters. This includes making matchup-oriented changes, putting fresh legs on the floor for defensive energy, and rapid rotations to reset the momentum.

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What's next for Vic Schaefer's Texas?

Texas comfortably defeated William & Mary 105-61 in the opening contest of the 2025 NCAA tournament and No. 8 Illinois 65-48 in the second round, advancing to the Sweet 16. Vic Schaefer's will now face Tennessee on Saturday at the Legacy Arena in Birmingham.

ESPN's matchup predictor currently gives them a 77.7% chance to advance to the Elite Eight.

The last time Texas faced Tennessee was on Jan. 23, when they defeated the Vols 80-76. Kim Caldwell's crew started strong before Vic Schaefer's adjustment put UT back in contention. The game featured 14 ties and more than 15 lead changes, from the first quarter to the final minute of the regulation.