Gamecocks Set for Top-5 Matchup Thursday

Gameday Information
Doors Open: 6 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. for Fast Break Pass
Giveaway: Beyond Measure Rally Towel
Promotion: Odd sections wear garnet; even sections wear white
Halftime: Rolla Bolla

South Carolina Gamecocks
Head Coach: Dawn Staley
Top Scorer: Joyce Edwards (20.7)
Top Rebounder: Madina Okot (11.3)

Texas Longhorns
Head Coach: Vic Schaefer
Top Scorer: Madison Booker (19.2)
Top Rebounder: Madison Booker (7.3)

Gamecock Notables

• This game marks the sixth between South Carolina and Texas in just over a calendar year (369 days) with both teams ranked in the top five in all six games. The Gamecocks hold a 3-2 edge in that stretch.

• The Gamecock defense continues to be the difference for the program. This season it ranks 13th in the nation in points allowed (53.6) and third in field goal percentage allowed (.319). Only one team has reached 70 points and three others hit the 60-point plateau. Only two teams have managed to shoot at least 40.0 percent from the field. In SEC action, South Carolina leads the league in scoring defense (55.25) and is second in field goal percentage defense (.325).

• South Carolina’s .366 3-point field goal percentage ranks 23rd in the nation and rises against ranked opponents with the Gamecocks shooting 41.3 percent in those four games this season.

• Senior guard Ta’Niya Latson is enjoying the most efficient season of her career, shooting 50.9 percent from the field, including 41.0 percent from 3-point range, and scoring 1.09 points per possession and 1.22 points per shot attempt. All career-high numbers. In addition to her 16.3 points per game (10th in SEC), her 3.9 assists per outing (13th in SEC) have lead to another 9.0 points per game, meaning she has her hands on 27.3 percent of the team’s total offense.

• In a season of offensive dominance – 14th in nation in scoring (20.7 ppg) and 12th in field goal percentage (.606) – national player of the year candidate Joyce Edwards continues to add layers to her game. In SEC play, her rebounding rises to 7.0 per game (13th) with that number including 3.5 offensive boards per outing (7th). For the season, she is handing out 2.5 assists per game to aid the offense, and defensively she is ninth in the SEC with 1.4 blocks per game and 14th in steals per game at 1.9.

• Senior guard Raven Johnson brought her vast experience in the SEC into conference play with a bang, especially in calling her own number. Her 14.5 points per league game are 19th-best in the SEC, and her .550 field goal percentage is third. She is enjoying a career-best scoring season with 10.2 points per game on 51.4 percent shooting.

• Senior Madina Okot leads the nation with 13 double-doubles, is eighth in rebounds per game (11.3), 11th in field goal percentage (.609) and 14th in offensive rebounds per game (4.2).

By the Numbers
3.0 – In SEC play, 3.0 of the team’s league-best 7.5 blocks per game have come from guards.

6 – The Gamecocks have had their full roster available in just six games this season.

8 – South Carolina has hosted eight of the  nation’s 10 most attended games this season to lead the NCAA in average attendance (15,613).

The Texas Series
The Gamecocks are 5-4 all-time against Texas, including a 5-2 mark in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09). South Carolina won three of the four meetings last season.

Texas got the early edge on the Gamecocks this season with a 66-64 victory in Las Vegas on Nov. 27. After a tight first half, South Carolina surged ahead in the third, but the Longhorns won the fourth, capped by a game-winning shot with one second remaining.

In the only previous meeting in Columbia (Jan. 12, 2025), South Carolina posted a 67-50 victory behind a dominant first half that saw it lead 39-22 thanks to 71.4 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.

Ranked Readings
Against ranked teams, South Carolina is 135-72 (.652) 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 120-33 (.784) against ranked teams, including a 50-6 (.893) mark since the start of the 2021-22 season.

This season, South Carolina is 3-1 against ranked opponents with three games happening outside Columbia – W 69-52 vs. #8/10 Southern Cal (Nov. 15), L 64-66 vs. #4/4 Texas (Nov. 27), W 79-77 at #22/21 Louisville (Dec. 4), W 83-57 vs. #-/24 Alabama  (Jan. 1).

Block Party
The Gamecocks have been a premier shot blocking program since their first national championship in 2017. They ranked in the top 15 in blocks per game that season and have only climbed higher in the eight subsequent seasons, including four years leading the nation in the stat and twice coming in second. Beyond the number of blocks, their block percentage has led the nation three seasons.

This season, South Carolina is fourth in the nation with 6.8 blocks per game, including 4.3 against ranked opponents and an SEC-best 7.5 per league game. The Gamecocks have blocked 16.6 percent of opponents’ 2-point attempts, which ranks fourth in the nation, per Her Hoop Stats.

Madina Okot tops the individual list with 1.7 blocks per game to rank fourth in the SEC, and that number rises to 2.3 per league game. Joyce Edwards is next at 1.4 per game (9th) on the season. Gamecock guards have added 2.4 blocks per game to the team’s average. In league play, freshman guard Agot Makeer is second on the team and seventh in the league with 1.5 blocks per game.

Let Us Re-Joyce
Forward Joyce Edwards is backing up a solid freshman season – just the third freshman in program history to earn First-Team All-SEC honors – with a dominating sophomore campaign. Edwards is on the watch lists for every national player of the year award and the Katrina McClain Power Forward of the Year list as well.

Her team-high 20.7 points per game rank 14th in the nation (3rd in SEC), including a team-best 10 20-point outings. Her scoring has come on 60.6 percent field goal shooting, which is 12th in the nation.  She has a pair of games shooting over 90.0 percent, including a 14-of-15 (.933) outing at USF (Dec. 18), which tied for the second-highest single-game percentage in program history.

Edwards is stuffing the box score beyond scoring, averaging 2.5 assists, including three outings of at least five, and upping her rebounding to 6.3 per game. In SEC action, her 7.0 rebound per game are 13th in the league and her 3.5 offensive boards per outing are seventh.

She has twice been named SEC Player of the Week (Nov. 11-17 and Dec. 16-22).