Texas suffered a frustrating defeat to South Carolina during SEC Conference Play; now, a rematch in the SEC Tournament Final can help prove their championship credentials.

On the whole, the Texas Longhorns will be pleased with how their 2025-26 NCAA regular-season campaign ended — winning 10 of their final 11 games, with five of said wins being against ranked opponents.

Despite ending the year with a 30-3 record, it will be the opponents they were defeated by throughout the course of the campaign that will truly hurt head coach Vic Schaefer.

It is almost inevitable at this point that Schaefer’s stress levels will boil over early in a fixture, causing him to display the iconic disrobing of his suit jacket and casting it to one side. Yet, on January 16. This spectacle took place much earlier than usual.

South Carolina defeat shows Texas’ frailties

After coming off the back of a 70-65 defeat to LSU, Texas had to respond emphatically if it wished to prove to the SEC fraternity that it was indeed capable of winning a championship come the end of the year.

This response never came to fruition, as the team was outfought in every aspect of the court as Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks chalked up a narrow 68-65 victory.

South Carolina’s Joyce Edwards and Raven Johnson provided steel and experience off-the-ball; the Longhorns struggled to match, and this inevitably handed their opponents a vital victory.

For a team to linger on a defeat for too long would be foolish, but lessons of this nature can sculpt a team’s season.

Rori Harmon must step up

Undoubtedly, Madison Booker will continue to replicate her fantastic season (18.9 points per game), providing Texas with an offensive spark that is required to defeat a team at the level of South Carolina.

Nevertheless, Rori Harmon’s contribution in this matchup will prove pivotal if the Longhorns wish to claim the SEC Tournament trophy.

Harmon has had a great year for Texas, and in the eyes of many, has propelled herself into contention for a spot on a WNBA franchise’s roster. The defensive and playmaking she has displayed throughout the campaign must translate into a championship scenario.

The senior guard has averaged 8.4 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. Without Harmon on the court, Booker would not have developed offensively in the manner she has.

South Carolina will share the scoring and have a frigid defensive structure that will be tough to break down. Harmon will be critical in disrupting the team’s passing flow and forcing turnovers. This will be critical to Texas enacting a devastating transition offense, which they are more than capable of.

If I were a betting man, I would not place my money against Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks, who have shown for several years that they know how to perform on the biggest stages when the spotlight shines the brightest.

However, if the Texas Longhorns can execute their gameplan to perfection, and both Rori Harmon and Madison Booker can get a stranglehold on proceedings early in the tie, the underdogs have every chance of claiming the SEC Tournament for themselves and proving that they can go deep in the NCAA Tournament.