What does the last four for Gamecocks and Longhorns mean?
For South Carolina, this was planned. The Dawn Staley team has established itself as a power of women’s basketball, looking for its third title in four years. But for Texas, this is only its second Final Four and the first since 1986. The Longhorns reached three Eight Eight in the previous four seasons, but the Vic Schaefer team finally succeeded in the bump this year.
South Carolina
The Gamecocks (34-3) are looking to become the fourth team to win consecutive titles, joining Tennessee, southern California and its participating Final Uconn colleague. Dawn Staley has led South Carolina to three national championships since her move to Columbia, raising the trophy in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
Southern Carolina has a solid nucleus led by Joyce Edwards, Milaysia Fulwiley and Chloe Kitts which all have two -digit points on the season.
Texas
It may be the first Final Four in Texas in almost four decades, but the Longhorns know the tournament game. They have reached their fourth elite in eight in five years this season before removing the horns in Hailey Van Lith horns to win a trip to Tampa.
However, Texas has a serious obstacle to overcome in the Gamecocks. The two enemies of the SEC divided the regular season series, but the South Carolina crossed the Longhorns in the dry championship match, 64-45. The Staley team beat Texas with 36 points combined during its two victories, while the Longhorns only beat South Carolina by four points in their only home victory.
But the Longhorns boast of a powerful attack fueled by striker Madison Booker who has an average of 16.5 points while pulling almost 50% in the field. Booker lost 20 on the Gamecocks when Texas killed them, and Texas will probably need another big game of the student in the second year to dethrone the reigning champions.
The match
Conference enemies align enough on paper each on average about the same points per game and the authorized points. Gamecocks maintain the percentage advantage of 3 points (33.7%) while Texas is just below 30%. But these teams are more than familiar with the style of the other, and this game could be summed up in the clipboard as a game set Staley and Vic Schaefer for their fourth game this season.
