If Vic establishes the Horns as the Big 12 number two in his first season, it must be considered a success. Now, if they could pull off an upset of Baylor and finish at least second, it would be a great success.
It's a challenging season for first-year head coaches at new schools. Didn't get the same type of offseason work with student-athletes due to COVID; that's gotta be extra difficult for a new coaching staff trying to implement a new system and culture.
In addition to that, Texas was very thin at the post due to freshman, Elyssa Coleman having surgery which will require her to miss the entire season. Then, you add in transfer Lauren Ebo's waiver and appeal for immediate eligibility being denied; so, until the blanket waiver, she was not available. After Christmas break, Lauren ran into some health issues; so, she's barely played at all this season (3-4 games). Then, it was confirmed last week that DeYona Gaston is done for the season due to injury which will require surgery.
And, Audrey Warren (double-figure scorer this season), has missed several games due to concussion protocol.
So, yes, finishing in second place would be phenomenal for Vic's first season; finishing Top 4 and securing a bye for the Big 12 tournament is crucial due to short bench. And, yes, every team is facing injury/health issues, it seems.