Gamecock Digest

South Carolina Gamecocks Set To Faceoff Against Texas In Final Four - What to Expect

Mar 30, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley works with guard Raven Johnson (25) during the first half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Duke Blue Devils at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Mar 30, 2025; Birmingham, AL, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley works with guard Raven Johnson (25) during the first half of an Elite 8 NCAA Tournament basketball game against the Duke Blue Devils at Legacy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

As the South Carolina Gamecocks get set to faceoff against the Texas Longhorns in the Final Four of the Women's March Madness tournament. We preview the SEC rematch here.

On Friday, April 4, the South Carolina Gamecocks are set to face off against the Texas Longhorns in the Final Four, which is properly titled for this matchup, as it is coincidentally the fourth time these teams will meet this season. The Gamecocks are 2-1 on the season against the Longhorns, and both victories came in a dominant fashion. While they are listed as the overwhelming favorite, the Longhorns have stolen a victory from the Gamecocks and are currently playing great basketball. This isn’t the pros, where you have to win a series. It takes just one game to advance to the final round. Is there a chance the Longhorns could outclass the Gamecocks in their highly-anticipated rematch?

In terms of team scoring, both teams are neck-and-neck in rankings. Texas is the best defensive scoring team in the SEC, and the Gamecocks are right behind them. Clearly, both teams have an identity that has playing elite defense as a championship foundation. However, the Longhorns are much better at forcing turnovers, as they rank third in the SEC, while the Gamecocks rank in the middle of the conference. Luckily, the Gamecocks take care of the ball better than anyone in the conference and have won the turnover battle during each meeting. Despite their advantage, the Longhorns' philosophy is still to force teams to make mistakes at a high cli,p and they will not waiver that for anyone, even the almighty Gamecocks. 

During the sole Longhorn victory in this season’s meetings, they decimated the Gamecocks in points scored in the paint, with an advantage of 40-26. For the duration of the game, they were the more physical team and asserted their will on the Gamecocks. The gap allowed the Longhorns to win despite not making a single three-point shot, an anomaly in this era of basketball. With the paint advantage as well as leading the way in field goal percentage, the Longhorns made the Gamecocks compromise their style of play and it proved to be too much for Dawn Staley’s squad. If the Longhorns come out with a similar game plan, they could be on their way to the national championship.    

Though the Gamecocks lead the SEC in rebounding, the Longhorns have a better rebound differential. They are elite at boxing out opponents while creating extra possessions for themselves. During the 66-62 loss, in addition to scoring well in the paint, the Longhorns cemented the low post as their home. No stranger to physicality, the Longhorns’ star Madison Booker imposed her will and tallied 11 boards on her way to upsetting the Gamecocks. As a comparison, no Gamecock had more than six total boards. The Longhorns eventually won the rebound battle, making their presence especially felt on the offensive glass. If the Longhorns come ready to give a similar output, they will have the chance to upset the Gamecocks.

The Game is set to tip on Friday, April 4, at 7 PM Eastern time on ESPN. 

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