Women's Hoops Heads to Texas for Top-5 Test

COLUMBIA, S.C. – No. 2/2 South Carolina is back on the road for another top-five matchup, traveling to No. 4/6 Texas for a 2 p.m. ET tipoff on Sunday.

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina’s schedule is provably the toughest in the country with their opponents’ cumulative winning percentage standing at an NCAA-best .700. On top of seven fellow SEC teams in this week’s top 25, the Gamecocks’ slate includes six non-conference games against teams ranked this week or at the time of the game.

• Even against that tough slate, including an NCAA-best 10 games against ranked opponents behind them, South Carolina still ranks among the nation’s best in several primary stat categories – 14th in points per game (81.0), 15th in field goal percentage (.471), seventh in scoring margin (+25.7), sixth in field goal percentage defense (.342), 12th in rebounding average (41.9) and 15th in rebounding margin (+8.7).

• The Gamecocks have created the most separation this season in the middle quarters of the game, outscoring opponents by 8.0 points per second quarter and 7.6 points per third quarter. The difference maker has been the defense, which limits opponents to 32.7 percent shooting in the second quarter and 33.6 percent in the third.

• Freshman of the Year candidate Joyce Edwards’ team-high 12.4 points per game include 14.2 per SEC contest, which ranks 19th in the league, and 12.1 per game against ranked opponents. She is shooting a league-best 62.4 percent against SEC foes and 58.3 percent against ranked teams. Five of her team-high 10 games leading the team in scoring have been against ranked opponents as are six of her team-high 16 games scoring in double figures.

• Junior forward Chloe Kitts has been on an offensive tear the last two weeks, averaging 11.3 points on 62.5 percent over the last three contests. She is among the SEC’s top 10 rebounders overall (7.6) and in league play (7.4).

• South Carolina has only known winning in Raven Johnson’s time at point guard. The redshirt-junior has her finger on the pulse of the Gamecock offense – ranking 13th in the SEC with 3.5 assists per conference game – and is a menace on defense – ranking eighth in the conference with 2.1 steals per league game. Johnson leads the league and is sixth in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio  (3.33) in addition to spearheading the defense effort of one of the nation’s stingiest teams. Over the last three games, she has poured in 7.3 points on 53.3 percent shooting.

By the Numbers
4 – Four of the Gamecocks’ last seven regular-season games are against ranked opponents.

23.6 – Against ranked opponents, Joyce Edwards has scored 23.6 points per 40 minutes.

57.9 – South Carolina has allowed just 57.9 points per game to ranked opponents on 34.4 percent shooting this season.

The Texas Series
The Gamecocks are 3-2 all-time against the Longhorns with all three wins coming in the Dawn Staley era.

In this season’s first meeting (Jan. 12), South Carolina took control from the start with lockdown defense that allowed just 15.4 percent shooting and a scorching offense that shot 62.5 percent in the opening quarter. The Longhorns dominated the offensive boards but shot just 27.8 percent for the game as the Gamecocks secured the 67-50 victory in Columbia.

Ranking Review
South Carolina is ranked No. 2 in both the AP Poll and the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Poll this week.

It marks the Gamecocks 110th consecutive entry in the AP top 10, beginning with the 2019-20 preseason poll. It is the longest active streak and the 10th longest in the history of that poll (9th is 111, Stanford). Their 241 straight appearances in the AP Poll, dating back to Dec. 10, 2012, marks the second-longest active streak in the nation and is the eighth longest all-time (7th, Texas Tech, 248).

In the USA Today/WBCA Coaches’ Poll, South Carolina has been in the top 10 since claiming the No. 10 spot in the 2019-20 preseason poll.

SEC Sayings
Picked by league coaches to win its fourth-straight SEC title this season, South Carolina has been the benchmark in the league over the last decade, amassing eight regular-season titles since 2013-14 (11 seasons) and finishing no lower than second in that time. Since that season, the Gamecocks have a 171-15 record (.919) in league action, including an 87-3 mark (.967) since 2019-20. South Carolina set a new SEC record with its 43rd-consecutive league victory with its win over Georgia on Feb. 18, 2024. The streak spans three seasons beginning on Jan. 2, 2022, with a win over Mississippi State and now stands at 57, which is tied for sixth in NCAA history for conference win streaks (5th is La. Tech, 66).

The Gamecocks have also had a lock on the SEC Tournament, winning eight titles since claiming their first in 2015. They became the first program to win four consecutive tournaments, claiming the crowns 2015-18.

In the last decade, three Gamecocks have been named SEC Player of the Year a combined seven times, three have collected seven SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors, two have been the league’s 6th-Woman of the Year, three have been the league Freshman of the Year, one has been the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Staley has been the Coach of the Year seven times – one shy of Pat Summitt’s league-record eight selections.

All About Balance
Like last season, South Carolina’s greatest asset is its depth with the 2024-25 roster featuring six Gamecocks who averaged at least 18.0 minutes and scored at least 8.1 points per game last season.

This season, 10 Gamecocks have played at least 14.0 minutes per game. Seven average at least 7.0 points, including five who average 9.0 or more. Five players have grabbed at least 4.0 rebounds per game. Eleven Gamecocks have scored in double figures at least once, including five who have done it at least nine times, and six players have led the team in scoring at least once.

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 one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

The Gamecocks are 21st in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 55.3 points per game, and have allowed just 57.9 points per game against ranked opponents. The defense has allowed more than 70 points just twice and has held its opponent under 60 point 14 times, including six ranked foes.

Ranking fourth in the nation in blocks per game (6.2), the Gamecocks have allowed opponents to shoot just 34.2 percent from the field, which ranks sixth in the nation.