The coin, which was turned over by SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, decided whether South Carolina or Texas had the first seed in the SEC tournament. However, the winner of the tournament will be determined by playing on the 40-minute court at Bonsecourt’s Wellness Arena.
Gamecocks and Longhorns have always been very familiar with each other. But of the three matches this season, Sunday’s game has a much larger stake.
Here’s what Texas brings to the table before the SEC Tournament Championship gets hints at ESPN at 3pm.
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How they came here
The Longhorns finished the regular season with a 29-2 overall record, including the 15-1 mark in the conference play. Texas and South Carolina headed for the postseason on the same record against their opponents in the meeting, but the Longhorns lost their tiebreaker on the aforementioned coin flip. For this reason, Texas entered the SEC tournament as the second seed.
The Longhorns faced 7th seed Ole Miss on Friday and began their tournament run. Even with the late charges by the Rebels, Texas scored a quarter-final matchup with a score of 70-63. Madison Booker led the team with points (19) and rebounds (7) despite shooting just 6-16 from the floor. The Longhorns’ defense stuck in the contest, limiting Ole Miss to 41.2% shooting and forced 17 turnovers.
Texas then met third seed LSU in Saturday’s semi-final round, winning 56-49. Booker was once again the star of the show, scoring 25 points. None of them were in the fourth quarter. However, the Longhorns encountered some shooting struggles over the course of the game, but the Tigers had a higher field goal percentage (33.9%) than they did (31.6%).
last time
South Carolina and Texas have faced off twice since joining the SEC ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. They split the season series, with each team winning at their own home stadium.
The latest matchup between the Longhorns and Gamecocks, which took place on the same day as the Super Bowl, finished 66-62 in favor of Texas. Booker recorded his fifth double-double of the season that day, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. On the other side of the court, Milaysia Fulwiley served as a major contributor to South Carolina. Her 13 points made her the only gamecock player to score in double figures.
The January 12 match between the two teams at Colonial Life Arena was a different story as South Carolina claimed they had a comfortable 67-50 win. Holding Booker was a key factor that led to his victory. She made only three of the 19 field goals she tried. The Longhorns weren’t that good overall, so they had a shooting rate of 27.8% overnight. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks shot 51.0% from the floor, with Chloe Kitz and Te Hina Paopao leading by 11 points.
Taking these two games into consideration, the South Carolina-Texas series in history is a 3-3 deadlock.
They’re sitting in the rankings
Longhorns are ranked in coach polls on both the AP and USA Today. Texas is currently number one in the AP vote, which is in the same venue last week, after winning 768 votes. The USA Today coach poll has locked the Longhorns as the No. 1 team in the country with 771 votes.
Texas ranks third according to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Net Rankings. UCONN (1st) and South Carolina (2nd) rank higher than the longhorns on this metric. Texas is 13-2 against the Quad 1 team, 4-0 against both the Quad 2 and the Quad 3 teams, and 9-0 against the Quad 4 teams.
Players to watch
Madison Booker (2nd Grade, Forward) – Booker has built on the strong foundation she built in her freshman year, not only has she been one of the best players in the SEC, but also the whole country. She is the main driver of the Longhorns offense, averaging 16.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. After becoming the first freshman in Big 12 Conference history, which won the Player of the Year award last season, she was named SEC Player of the Year from 2024-25.
Kyla Oldacre (Junior, Center) – This year, Oldacre is the first to be marked at Texas after spending the first two years of his career in Miami. The Veteran Center has provided Texas with a physical presence despite starting with two games this season. She ranks third in the team in both scoring (9.5 points per game) and rebound (5.9 boards per game).
Rori Harmon (Senior Guard) – Harmon’s 2023-24 season ended before he really started to rise as he only suffered 12 knee injuries in the campaign. She has since recovered in full recovery and has become one of the Longhorns’ most dangerous threats on both sides of basketball. Harmon starts with all 33 team games this season, averaging 9.3 points and team high 6.0 assists per game. Her defensive efforts led her to be nominated for the SEC all-defensive team.
