NCAAW: South Carolina-Texas XII is for the SEC title

The 2026 SEC Tournament title game shouldn’t be too surprising.

South Carolina, the No. 3 team in the nation and No. 1 seed in the SEC, has reached their seventh-straight tournament title game, with the Gamecocks seeking their fourth-straight crown. Texas, in their second season in the SEC, will challenge South Carolina for the conference tournament championship for the second-straight year. The Longhorns, the No. 3 seed in the SEC, are ranked No. 4 nationally.

The matchup also will be the seventh between the two titans over the past two seasons. The Gamecocks claim a 4-2 edge over the Longhorns across their six recent showdowns. In the 2025 SEC Tournament title game, South Carolina secured their biggest win, running away to an almost 20-point, 64-45, victory to guarantee the SEC title stayed in Columbia. The Gamecocks subsequently defeated the Longhorns in the 2025 Final Four, doing so once again in authoritative fashion, 74-57.

This season’s matchups have been closely-contested, with Texas winning by two, 66-64, at November’s Players Era Championship in Las Vegas thanks to a Rori Harmon game winner before South Carolina held on for a three-point home in mid-January, 68-65.

So while it’s unsurprising that South Carolina and Texas are here yet again, the familiarity only increases the stakes. Can Texas, finally, beat South Carolina when it matters most? Or, will the Gamecocks continue to clutch all the conference trophies?

South Carolina-Texas XII tips off at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN. Here’s how the Gamecocks and Longhorns advanced, and which side is likely to come out on top.

She was so Raven for South Carolina in another win over LSU

Although South Carolina has had a notable advantage over Texas in their recent rivalry, they’ve absolutely owned LSU.

The games might be dramatic, but the outcome is always the same: South Carolina finds a way.

On Saturday afternoon, the Gamecocks’ path to their 19th-straight win over the Tigers was paved by Raven Johnson. The super senior point guard showed off all the poise, precision and improved shotmaking she has honed during her tenure in Garnet and Black, scoring a career-high 22 points as she shot 4-for-6 from 3. Johnson also had eight assists to just one turnover.

Johnson’s play epitomized the superior execution that not only allowed South Carolina to prevail on Saturday afternoon, 83-77, but also the extra attention to detail that has helped them consistently beat LSU.

South Carolina also benefitted from Joyce Edwards’ best game yet against LSU. While she had previously struggled through some inefficient outings against the Tigers, Edwards was excellent in the semifinal, finishing with an 18-point and 11-rebound double-double, along with two blocks.

Ta’Niya Latson likewise reminded what she brings to South Carolina. Her paint penetration and foul drawing prowess, which injects more diversity into the Gamecock offense, resulted in 19 points, including seven from the free throw line.

A Madison Booker masterclass was too much for Ole Miss

After Texas escaped with a three-point home win over Ole Miss in early January, when a late charge by the Rebels made things a bit uncomfortable, the Longhorns made sure to lock down the semifinal victory on Saturday evening with less drama, winning 85-68.

A career-high 31 points from Madison Booker was the big reason Texas got the job done.

Booker, who sometimes has the tendency to feel out games, exhibited aggression from the jump. Texas put the ball in her hands—and she put it in the basket. In addition setting a new career best, she also took 21 field goals, tied for her second-most all season. She hit over 65 percent of them, living up to her reputation as one of the game’s sweetest scorers.

Booker also grabbed 11 boards, tossed five assists, collected three steals and swatted two shots. It was all-around mastery that Ole Miss could not match.

And as is often the case in Texas’ most important games, Kyla Oldacre came through for the Longhorns. She hit 11-of-13 free throws on her way to 19 points, while also grabbing eight boards, four defensive and four offensive.

When it matters most in the SEC, a South Carolina win is inevitable

How can the Longhorns prevent another South Carolina coronation?

Another masterful performance from Booker would help. However, she’s historically struggled against South Carolina. She’s shot less than 35 percent from the field and only 22 percent from 3 in six career games against the Gamecocks.

And Texas really needs their star to be THE star.

The Longhorns’ roster doesn’t feature another player likely to produce lots of points.

Oldacre will have her fair share of putbacks and opportunities at the line, Jordan Lee can be counted on the cash in on a couple of 3s, Justice Carlton will generate some points with her hustle and Harmon, as she proved in Vegas, can step up in big moments. But Booker needs to be the load-bearing scorer, with the contributions from the rest of the Longhorns amplifying her output.

South Carolina, in contrast, has more players capable of stepping into the spotlight, as Raven Johnson proved on Saturday. The other Johnson, Tournament Tessa, can ignite; she’s shooting 50 percent from 3 through two tournament games. And while she’s yet to have a big scoring game against the Longhorns, she’s shot 57 percent from 3 in her six career games against Texas.

Madina Okot was beset by early foul issues against LSU, but still grabbed 13 boards; for the season, she has complemented her 11 rebounds per game with six games of 20 or more points. That’s in addition to the possibility of an outsized afternoon from Edwards or Latson.

Whether it’s Raven or Tessa, Edwards or Okot, or maybe Laston makes her SEC Tournament legacy, there’s a strong chance that one of these Gamecocks, or even another one, will meet the moment and make sure that South Carolina takes their fourth-straight SEC title.