Texas women's basketball reacts to earning first No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament since 2004

After going 30-4 this season, the Texas Longhorns were rewarded on Sunday with a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Women's Tournament.

Texas will meet Drexel (19-14) in the first round. The Longhorns last earned a No. 1 seed in 2004.

After Texas learned its fate, the Longhorns met with the media that had gathered at its watch party for the ESPN-televised selection show. Here are some of the things that head coach Vic Schaefer, senior guard Shay Holle, junior forward Aaliyah Moore and freshman guard Madison Booker had to say:

What was your reaction to getting a No. 1 seed?

Booker: "I was extremely happy. There was a lot of talk about us being a 2 seed. Just seeing us get a 1 seed just shows how much we worked for that. We were very excited as you could see on our faces and our dances, our celebration. I think we deserve it, now it's time to go out and work."

More: Cleveland or bust? How far we think the Texas women's NCAA Tournament run will be

What does a No. 1 seed mean to the Texas basketball program?

Schaefer: "I just think it's a tremendous accomplishment. This team is deserving. As I've said all along, there's only one other Power Five team in the country with 30 wins and that's South Carolina. I think we played the right schedule (in) nonconference. I think like they said on the broadcast tonight, we're hot, we've won 12 of our last 13. Again, I'm really proud of this team. They deserve it. To me, they've earned it. But now we got to go live it. That's the message that I'll have for them, is we've got to go live it. When you're the 1, everybody's a whole lot more interested and a lot more focused when they play you, but we have felt that all year long."

Is Texas ready for the pressure that comes with being a No. 1 seed?

Moore: "We're all about pressure, we're all about things being difficult and we get past it. So at the end of the day, we're going to get in the gym and go to work."

How confident is this Texas team as the NCAA Tournament begins?

Moore: "We know the work we've put in. No one else but us knows the work we've put in, so we act like we have every right to be confident because we've worked so hard every day in practice. Coach will tell you, practices are way harder than games for us, but it's like that for a reason."

What can this team learn from UT's 2021 and 2022 Elite Eight runs?

Holle: "I think it really is a mental toughness thing, playing games back-to-back like that. It's whoever's ready that night. It's not best-out-of-three, it's that one game, so you have to be ready. I think just the preparation, just one game at a time and really staying locked in. It's really easy to look ahead, especially when you see the whole bracket, but really just taking it one game at a time I think is the key."

As someone who grew up rooting for Texas, what does it mean to accomplish something that hasn't been done in 20 years?

Holle: "It's really special. I think even winning 30 games this year and just being able to do what we've done this year is so special, and then to get the 1 seed on top of everything. As a little kid, you've seen me in all the little UT cheerleading outfits, and to be at this moment, it's pretty surreal. Honestly, just letting it all sink in. I think this whole team, whether they're from here or not, I think everyone is just as excited as I am, but it's really special for sure."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas Longhorns react to earning No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament bracket