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Gamecocks-Longhorns for SEC Tournament Title Again
Women's Basketball  . 

Gamecocks-Longhorns for SEC Tournament Title Again

GREENVILLE, S.C. – No. 3/3 South Carolina faces No. 4/4 Texas for the 2026 SEC Tournament title on Sun., Mar. 8, at 3 p.m. at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.

Gamecock Notables

  • South Carolina’s 11th appearance in the SEC Tournament championship game extends its league record for consecutive appearances to seven. The Gamecocks won nine of the previous 10 title games with a runner-up finish coming in 2022.

  • The Gamecocks are the three-time reigning SEC Tournament champions with an opportunity to tie for the league record of four consecutive titles – a feat twice achieved by Tennessee (1988-91 and 1998-2001).

  • The Gamecock offense this weekend has been on par with the regular season, averaging 85.0 points per game on 47.7 percent shooting, including 44.8 percent from 3-point range.

  • Senior point guard Raven Johnson leads the Gamecocks with a .532 field goal percentage against ranked opponents this season. She has handed out 5.9 assist per game against the nation’s best as well, meaning she has had her hands on 32.0 percent of the total offense in those 14 games (25.4 ppg). In her four-year career, the Gamecocks are 46-5 against ranked opponents.

  • Senior Madina Okot continues to crash the boards for South Carolina, grabbing 13.0 per game in the SEC Tournament to lift her season average to 11.1. Over the last five games, the dominant center has averaged 16.8 points and 13.2 rebounds.

  • Senior Ta’Niya Latson has been sharp offensively over the last five games, shooting 51.1 percent en route to 13.4 points per game while also averaging 4.0 assists in that stretch. For the season, she continues to post career-best efficiency marks, hitting 49.7 percent from the field and scoring 1.04 points per possession and 1.16 points per scoring attempt.

  • Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards continues to prove her All-America status, impacting the Gamecocks in a multitude of ways. In the SEC Tournament, she averages 19.5 points on 60.0 percent shooting to go along with 7.5 rebounds per game, following her double-double against #6/6 LSU. Against ranked teams this season, she averages 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals.

 

By the Numbers
8 – Including today, eight of the Gamecocks’ last nine games have been against ranked opponents.

+12.5 – South Carolina has a +12.5 points off turnovers per game edge in the SEC Tournament.

44.4 – Gamecock guards have accounted for 44.4 percent of the team’s points in the paint this weekend.

 

The Texas Series
The Gamecocks are 6-4 all-time against Texas, including a 6-2 record in the Staley era and a 4-2 mark since the Longhorns joined the SEC in the 2024-25 season.

Today’s game is the third between the two teams this season, and they split their regular-season meetings. The Longhorns claimed a 66-64 non-conference victory in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas on Nov. 27. The Gamecocks answered with a 68-65 SEC win in Columbia on Jan. 15. In both games, the team trailing after three quarters won the final period to claim the victory.

 

Neutral Stance
The Gamecocks are 182-97 (.652) all-time on a neutral court. South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley is 99-29 in games played at neutral sites (.773), including a 62-17 (.785) mark in postseason play.

 

Ranked Readings
Against ranked teams, South Carolina is 144-73 (.664) in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09), and even that mark is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure. Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Gamecocks are 129-34 (.791) against ranked teams, including a 59-7 (.894) mark since the start of the 2021-22 season. The Gamecocks are 128-24 (.842) under Staley when ranked higher/better than their opponent.

This season, South Carolina is 12-2 against ranked opponents, including a 5-1 mark against top-10 foes. The Gamecocks are 5-0 against ranked teams at home, 4-1 on the road and 3-1 at neutral sites.

 

Paint Production
South Carolina has long controlled the paint, and this season is no different.

Scoring 53.7 percent of the their total points in the paint, the Gamecocks are second in the nation with a 46.8 scoring average in that space and are out-scoring opponents inside by an average of 23.5 points, including a +17.9 edge in SEC action. South Carolina’s 23.3 points allowed in the paint are top 15 in the country.

The Gamecocks are shooting 60.8 percent in the paint compared to opponents’ 42.5 percent accuracy.

They tied the program record for single-game paint points in back-to-back outings with 74 at USF (Dec. 18) and at FGCU (Dec. 20).

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