TAMPA, Fla. -- Texas coach Vic Schaefer referenced one of the ultimate cult movies when talking about the Longhorns facing SEC rival South Carolina at the women's Final Four in Friday's semifinals.
The Longhorns and Gamecocks are meeting for the fourth time this season. The Longhorns won Feb. 9 at Texas 66-62. The Gamecocks won the other two games: 67-50 at South Carolina on Jan. 12 and 64-45 in the SEC tournament final on March 9 in Greenville, South Carolina.
Schaefer said the Longhorns had very bad stretches that cost them both games.
"We've had to call [those stretches] 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show,'" Schaefer said. "I told [the team] the other night, what do you want to watch? The first quarter of the SEC tournament, where I thought we were in good shape? Or do you want to watch the second quarter?
"And they're like, 'OK ... we'll watch the second quarter.' You've got to learn from that. The film don't lie."
Schaefer hopes the Longhorns don't end up in a "time warp" against the Gamecocks and end up making the same mistakes.
In the first game, the first half was a disaster for Texas. South Carolina led 39-22 after shooting 71% from the field while holding Texas star Madison Booker to 1 of 14 shooting.
In the SEC title game, that second quarter Schaefer had mentioned was the dagger for the Longhorns, as they were outscored 21-6.
Friday will be the fifth time over the past 25 years that teams will meet in the women's Final Four for a fourth time in a season. Three of those were UConn-Notre Dame matchups (2011, 2012, 2013) and the other was Maryland-Duke in 2006.
Schaefer also will look to make a personal breakthrough against South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley in a high-stakes game. Previously as Mississippi State's coach, Schaefer faced South Carolina four times in the SEC tournament final and once in the NCAA final, losing all of those games. He took over at Texas for 2020-21, and with the Longhorns moving to the SEC this season, lost to Staley in the conference tournament final again.
Asked why South Carolina has been such an obstacle, Schaefer said, "We've had some real knock-down drag-outs with them. Dawn does a great job with them. They play hard; they play the right way. I think you just have to give credit where credit is deserved."