The Texas women's basketball team has been knocking on the door of the Final Four for the past several seasons, but they've yet to break through. Led by senior guard Shay Holle, the Longhorns are determined to finally reach the national semifinals and compete for a championship this year.

Fueled by Frustration, Texas Aims to Conquer the Elite Eight Hurdle

A History of Near Misses

Shay Holle may have been too young to remember the last time Texas reached the Final Four, but she's all too familiar with the heartbreak of falling just short in recent years. As a first-year reserve in 2020-21, Holle watched the Longhorns' season end with an Elite Eight loss to South Carolina. The following year, she started as Texas was bested by Stanford in the same round of the NCAA Tournament. And last season, the Longhorns again reached the Elite Eight as a No. 1 seed, only to be denied by North Carolina State."Off the bat, it has been frustrating," Holle acknowledged. "You have to take a step back and be like, 'OK, I have been to three Elite Eights in the past four years, which is obviously super special and something that not a lot of people can say.'" However, she added, "I think it fuels our fire a little bit. I think we always remember those games."

Unfinished Business Drives the Longhorns

Those recent near-misses have not been forgotten in the Texas locker room. When asked about the team's goals for the upcoming season, All-American candidate Madison Booker made it clear that "No. 1 is to get past that (Elite Eight) hump right there." Booker later reiterated that the ultimate objective is to win a national championship, a sentiment echoed by several of her teammates."National championship, that's always a goal," said senior Taylor Jones. "The ultimate goal is to win a national championship," added fellow senior Laila Phelia. Freshman Jordan Lee was even more direct, stating, "I would definitely say nothing short of a national championship (is the goal)."

Preseason Tune-Ups Provide Valuable Lessons

The road to the Final Four in Tampa begins on November 10th, when Texas hosts Southeast Missouri State in their season opener. But the Longhorns have already gotten a taste of high-level competition in their preseason preparations.Two weekends ago, Texas participated in a closed-door scrimmage against USC, the third-ranked team in the nation. Head coach Vic Schaefer was pleased with the performance of Phelia and freshman Bryanna Preston, but acknowledged that the scrimmage also revealed areas the team needs to address. "We showed some competitive spirit," Schaefer said. "At the same time, I also think it showed we've got some things to address."Last week, the Longhorns held an intrasquad scrimmage at Moody Center, where Preston once again stood out and fans got their first extended look at senior guard Rori Harmon following her season-ending knee injury last year. Texas even rallied to tie a team of male practice players in the second half, demonstrating the team's competitive drive."It's so early in the season, we're still trying to get chemistry and all of those things," Holle said. "Obviously, I feel like the main thing you want to see is just the competitive spirit. I think that was definitely there in both scrimmages we've had."The Longhorns' final preseason tune-up will come on Thursday night when they host Division II opponent UT-Tyler in an exhibition game. While the outcome of that contest is unlikely to be in doubt, Schaefer has specific goals in mind. "I want to see us take care of the ball. I want to see us defend really hard, play really hard," he said. "And again, it's execution. It's playing at a pace. I think we learned in the first scrimmage with USC, we didn't like our pace, and so playing with pace, both out of transition as well as on the half-court, I just think we've got to continue to work on that piece."With a deep and talented roster, the Longhorns are poised to make a deep postseason run. But as they've learned in recent years, reaching the Final Four is no easy feat. Fueled by the frustration of past near-misses, this Texas team is determined to finally break through and compete for a national championship.