Inside the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, the noise from the crowd feels almost physical.
In the 64–45 loss to No. 5 South Carolina, the stands filled with garnet and black with white towels labeled with Gamecock logos. Whether fans lived in Greenville, Columbia or anywhere in between, Gamecock supporters probably made the trip up Interstate 26. At least that’s what it looked like.
“It’s a road game,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said. “To play them basically on their home floor, it makes it that much more difficult.”
The University of South Carolina is only 104 miles away from the Southeastern Conference tournament site, located just over an hour and a half northwest from campus. And just by looking at the SEC championship crowd clad, it’s clear how easy of a drive it was.
“I mean, it’s amazing,” South Carolina junior forward Chloe Kitts said. “It almost feels the same. All those fans came out and supported us.”
The Gamecocks are familiar with the SEC Tournament, having now won the championship three years in a row. Four South Carolina players scored in the double digits, including Kitts, who was awarded tournament MVP after the conclusion of the game.
Texas struggled the most in the second quarter and only managed to score six points, while South Carolina put up 21.
“Our offensive execution was a little stagnant, but it’s just a lot of little things throughout the game, like it was just very small details,” senior guard Rori Harmon said. “We didn’t make as many winning plays this game. They made more.”
The Longhorns had 18 turnovers, only 12 offensive rebounds and shot at just under 30%. Meanwhile, South Carolina shot 42.9% from the field, had more points off turnovers and more second chance points.
After scoring a team high 25 points in the semi-final, sophomore forward Madison Booker struggled to find her rhythm all game, going just 4–13 from the field. Harmon and senior forward Taylor Jones brought some relief, combining for 28 points on 10–23 shooting, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.
This loss stings, but as he’s done all season long, Schaefer believes in his squad.
“I’m not concerned about this team.” Schaefer said. “They’ve been great. We’ve scored a lot of points on certain nights. I think I’ve told y’all, this is one of the better shooting teams that I’ve ever had and ever coached.”
The No. 1 Texas Longhorns now look ahead to Selection Sunday on Mar. 16, where they will find out what seed they will hold in the NCAA Tournament. With hosting the opening weekend almost guaranteed, Texas will get its chance at home court advantage to push them into the March Madness Sweet 16.
But until then, Schaefer will keep his fireworks going.
“I’m not worried about them at all,” Schaefer said. “They’ll come back, bounce back and shoot it better the next night. I have no question.”
