Injuries healed, Texas women's basketball conquers LSU and prepares for a brutal SEC stretch with a full arsenal of talent.
Last Thursday, Texas women's basketball got its marquee win of conference play, avenging its earlier defeat against No. 5 LSU with a 77-64 home victory against the Tigers.
But the road for the Longhorns doesn't get any easier from here, as this week, they prepare to play two top-16 teams in a span of four days.
It's brutal, but that's Southeastern Conference ball for you.
"It's another day at the office, another day in paradise," Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said with a smile on Sunday. "We know we've got a real test in front of us."
With the regular season winding down and the NCAA Tournament on the horizon, it'd be easy for Schaefer and his team to start looking ahead or at the bigger picture surrounding their postseason hopes.
However, they're staying in the moment. The only thing on the Longhorns' minds is their matchup against No. 16 Kentucky on Monday night.
"I'm the one game at a time guy. I don't really get too caught up in who's next. I just live in the moment," Schaefer said. "I've been consumed with Kentucky. I have so much respect and admiration for coach (Kenny Brooks) and the job he does."
And his team is well equipped for anything the rest of its opponents have to throw at them, especially with players returning from injury.
Players like Aaliyah Crump and Teya Sidberry have recently recovered from injury, giving Texas even more weapons to choose from.
It's not easy deciding who's going to play, but that's a good problem to have if you're a coach.
"I think that's the beauty of where I sit and knowing the hand that I have, and we have so many combinations that we can play," Schaefer said. "I think that it's a great position for us all to be in. It creates great competition and practice every day... It's nice to have a full deck of cards that you can play."
When Schaefer has a full assortment of cards available to him, it makes Texas a scary team. Just ask, LSU, UCLA and South Carolina.
Different opponents and game states call for different players and profiles. The Longhorns depth gives them a sense of unpredictability.
Opponents don't know who they're going to see, or what looks they might face, and that's hard to handle.
Schaefer has built a team that is ready to contend for a national championship, and as the season moves along, you can see his plan starting to come to fruition.