Gamecocks-Longhorns Round 4 in the Final 4
TAMPA, FLA. – No. 2/2 South Carolina will face SEC rival and No. 5/5 Texas for the fourth time this season on Fri., Apr. 4, in the NCAA Women’s Final Four in Tampa. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN from Amalie Arena.
Gamecock Notables
The Gamecocks are playing in their fifth-straight Final Four and seventh in the last 10 tournaments, marking an incredible run on the national stage. Their current streak is the longest active and the second-longest in NCAA Tournament history. South Carolina is 41-6 in that stretch of 10 NCAA Tournaments, including a 20-1 mark over the last four.
Five Gamecocks average at least 7.0 points in NCAA Tournament action this season, highlighted by a pair of double-digit scorers. Four others have scored at least 6.0 points per game.
South Carolina is 31-0 when outscoring its opponent in the paint. The Gamecocks lead the nation with 42.1 paint points per game this season, including 37.1 per game against ranked opponents.
The Gamecocks lead the nation with 40.6 bench points per game this season. The bench has out-scored its counterparts by 25.5 points per game this season with 19.8 points per NCAA Tournament game margin.
South Carolina is 28-1 when winning the rebounding battle. The Gamecocks are 13th in the nation with 42.2 rebounds per game and 15th in rebounding margin at +7.9.
All three previous meetings with Texas this season have been defensive battles with the Gamecocks averaging 64.3 points to Texas’ 53.7 points. The Gamecocks have won the efficiency battle, shooting 43.3 percent to the Longhorns’ 33.3 percent, and hold an edge in 3-point shooting, making 3.7 percent game to Texas’ 0.7.
Forward Chloe Kitts has been confident and dominant in the postseason, leading the team with 14.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, picking up MVP honors in both the SEC Tournament and the Birmingham 2 Regional. She has shot 60.3 percent over the last seven games, and she is tied for third on the team in assists at 2.3 per outing.
In her second time through the postseason, sophomore MiLaysia Fulwiley has had her complete game on display. Her 12.1 points per game have come on 45.1 percent shooting, and she is tied for the team lead with 2.7 assists per game to go with her team-high 2.0 steals per game. She is also rebounding well with 3.0 per postseason contest.
By the Numbers
4 –Four different Gamecocks have led the team in scoring in the first four NCAA Tournament games.
8 –Of South Carolina’s 14 ranked wins this season, eight were against top-10 teams, including three top-5 wins.
The Texas Series
The Gamecocks are 4-3 all-time against the Longhorns, including a 4-1 mark in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09) after the teams’ three matchups in the Longhorns’ inaugural SEC season.
South Carolina won two of the three meetings this season, including the most recent in the SEC Tournament championship game. Across the three games, six Gamecocks averaged at least 7.5 points, and the South Carolina defense held the Longhorns to just 53.7 points per game on 33.3 percent shooting.
The Gamecocks struck first with a 67-50 win on Jan. 12 in Columbia behind a 17-point halftime advantage. The defense allowed the Longhorns to shoot just 15.4 percent in the opening quarter to set the tone.
In the rematch in Austin (Feb. 9), the Longhorns edged out a 66-62 victory. Texas took a nine-point lead into halftime before the Gamecocks knotted the game at the end of the third quarter. The Longhorns’ sharp shooting delivered the win.
In the SEC Tournament final (Mar. 9), South Carolina overwhelmed the Longhorns in the second quarter 21-6 en route to its 64-45 victory and its third-straight and ninth overall SEC Tournament crown.
NCAA Tournament Take
South Carolina is in its 21st NCAA Tournament and its 13th straight under head coach Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks are 54-17 overall in the event with 15 Sweet 16 appearances (including 11 straight), nine Elite Eight seasons (including five straight), seven Final Four showings (including five straight) and three National Championships.
The Gamecocks have been the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed three times (2022, 2023, 2024) and a regional No. 1 seed nine times. They are 38-5 as a No. 1 seed.
In her 25th season as a head coach, Staley has taken a team to the NCAA Tournament 19 times. She is 48-15 at the event, including a 46-9 mark at South Carolina and a 20-1 mark over the last four tournaments.
Serious Scheduling
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley has never been afraid to challenge her team to prepare it for the rigors of March and April. This season is no different.
The Gamecocks’ 30-game regular-season schedule included 13 games against teams in the national rankings at the time of the game – two more than any other ranked team. Six of the 13 games were against non-conference foes.
Over the last 10 seasons, South Carolina has played an average of 10.0 regular-season games against ranked foes with this season’s 13 as the most in program history. The six against non-conference foes matches the 2021-22 schedule for the program high.
Dial Up the Defense
Head coach Dawn Staley has always put a premium on defense, and this year’s team has kept that tradition while facing the toughest schedule in the nation. For the fourth time in program history, two Gamecocks were named to the SEC All-Defensive Team – Sania Feagin, Raven Johnson.
The Gamecocks are fifth in the nation in field goal percentage defense, allowing teams to shoot just 35.2 percent from the field. That number dropped to an SEC-best 34.7 percent in league games. Only eight teams have shot at least 40.0 percent against the Gamecocks, and seven have failed to reach 30.0, including four ranked team
