When Dawn Staley got candid about her rivalry with Vic Schaefer: "He's trying to outfox us, we're trying to outfox him"

Dawn Staley's No. 1 seed South Carolina will face Vic Schaefer's top-seed Texas in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Friday. However, this is not the first time the two coaches have met at a critical stage in March Madness.

In 2021, Staley's Gamecocks faced Schaefer's Longhorns in the Elite Eight. Before the matchup, Staley got candid about her rival, pointing out how she wanted to get the better of Schaefer and vice-versa.

"We've had our battles in the SEC, and Vic's done a great job at Texas in his first year to get to this point," Staley said. "It's probably a great thing to have some familiarity with Texas and Vic, especially at this stage, because you get one day to prepare. He's trying to outfox us, and we're trying to outfox him."

At the time, Schaefer was in his first year at UT. However, his team was no match for Staley's South Carolina. The Gamecocks crushed the Longhorns 62-34 to progress to the Final Four but lost to Stanford in the March Madness semifinals.

Dawn Staley has an incredible H2H record against Vic Schaefer

South Carolina HC Dawn Staley - Source: Imagn

Dawn Staley and Vic Schaefer have faced each other 16 times in their coaching careers. Stlaey leads the H2H by a clear 13-3 record.

Moreover, Staley has won three national titles since taking over at South Carolina in 2008. Schaefer, on the other hand, is making only his third appearance at the Final Four this season.

In this year's Final Four, the NCAA Tournament semifinal clash will take place at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, on Friday, with tipoff at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Fans can also live stream the matchup on Fubo.