South Carolina women's basketball bold predictions for Final Four vs. Texas

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As Dawn Staley and the South Carolina women’s basketball team gears up for its Final Four appearance in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, anticipation is building around the reigning titleholder’s journey to a repeat. The penultimate round will be a showdown with Texas, a team that’s been as much of a powerhouse during its March Madness run as the Gamecocks.

The Longhorns have one of the nation’s most intimidating defensive fronts and are playing lights out in the tournament as they try to claim their second-ever championship. However, South Carolina’s program has a storied history under legendary head coach Staley, especially in recent years.

This will be the fourth meeting between the two sides this season, with the Gamecocks taking the season series 2-1. The dynastic program is in the midst of solidifying its legacy in women’s basketball, and it needs a statement performance against Texas to make that national title game.

Here are some predictions of what the South Carolina women’s basketball team might accomplish in the Final Four.

South Carolina will smother Texas’ offense

Texas has been winning its games decisively in this year’s March Madness tournament, but that’s camouflaging the fact that its offense isn’t as big of a factor in all of those victories as it may seem. The squad has only put up an average of 63.3 points in the last three contests, which doesn’t include the lopsided 105-61 win over William & Mary.

Since the Longhorns struggle to play from behind, their defense comes in to limit their opponent’s main scorer and knock them out of their shooting rhythm. However, this likely won’t work on the Gamecocks’ offense since there isn’t just one star player to turn to.

A perfectly balanced lineup means each player demands an equal amount of attention from defenders, so Staley and South Carolina can take advantage of the mismatch this creates and find someone open on any given play. The Gamecocks have also shot 46.7% from the field this campaign, and Texas has only notched wins when the opposing side has shot less than 40%.

If they show up in the same form they’ve been playing in all tournament, the current champs are in the prime position to make it to the final round.

Additionally, no team in women’s college basketball gets less of its offense from 3s than the Longhorns. They’ve gone 8-for-24 from beyond the arc in the NCAA Tournament and only attempted two shots in their last game against TCU. Without 3-pointers being a scoring threat, South Carolina will have a much easier time guarding and shutting down offensive plays inside.

The Gamecocks also have the advantage of knowing they’ve already stopped Texas and its leading scorer recently. Wooden Award finalist Madison Booker, who averaged 16.5 points per regular-season game and upped it to 18.8 during March Madness, only managed to muster a combined 37 points while going 14-for-54 and shooting 26% from the field in the last three matchups.

Texas isn’t the only team with a smothering defense, and the Gamecocks will prove that in the Final Four.

A breakout player will emerge

One strength the South Carolina women’s basketball team possesses is its depth of scoring options. Staley’s lineup strategy is unlike any other that’s commonly seen in the sport. Having a bench that produces more than any other in the nation – and that provides the team’s leading scorer in Joyce Edwards – makes the squad’s game plan harder to predict from game to game.

Despite having seven different players lead a game in scoring, more opponents are catching onto Edwards’ contribution and rising capital as the Gamecocks’ top points producer this year. But someone other than the star freshman will end up putting the team on their back.

Chloe Kitts has arguably been South Carolina’s most consistent player throughout the March Madness tournament. She’s been playing some of the best basketball of her college career, scoring in double figures in the last nine straight games.

Kitts put up double-doubles versus Indiana and Maryland and led the team in points against Duke with 14, which included clutch free throws that helped both seal the victory and secure her the regional Most Outstanding Player award. The experienced junior is showing what it looks like to play with the assertiveness and confidence needed to win another ring, shooting 48.6% from the field to average 12.3 points and eight rebounds.

Notably, Kitts had a team-high 15 points, nine boards, three assists, and a steal the last time she faced the Longhorns – a 64-45 Gamecocks win in the SEC Tournament championship game. Kitts was rewarded with tournament MVP honors for good reason, as she shot an incredible 74.2% from the field and averaged 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, three assists, and a steal and block each.

Credit has to be given to the contributors around her, like MiLaysia Fulwiley, Sania Feagin, and Tessa Johnson, but when Kitts takes the court in a high-stakes contest, it’s hard to limit her dynamic impact on the game. Texas could be in for some deja vu.

The 2025 NCAA Tournament’s Final Four game promises to be a thrilling of elite basketball from both Texas and South Carolina. However, Staley and the Gamecocks will be the ones to prove they’re the powerhouse team to be feared in this contest.

With a dominating defense, standout performances from a well-rounded lineup, and unmatched coaching expertise in Staley, the South Carolina women’s basketball team will emerge victorious and continue to pursue the goal of repeating as national champions.

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