GREENVILLE, S.C. — Before No. 4 Texas left the friendly confines of Austin for the SEC Tournament, head coach Vic Schaefer sensed something different about his team.
Three days earlier, the Longhorns closed the regular season with a hard-fought win against Alabama. As they prepared to travel to Greenville, South Carolina, Schaefer believed his team was on a deeper mission, one that demanded an extra layer of toughness as Texas began its postseason journey.
It wasn’t that Texas (31-3) lacked toughness through its first 31 games. But entering the SEC Tournament riding a five-game winning streak since Texas suffered a 16-point loss to Vanderbilt on Feb. 12 — and winners of 12 of its last 13 — the Longhorns knew they would need to dig deeper in determination, grit and physical execution to claim their first SEC Tournament championship. That challenge loomed even larger against No. 3 South Carolina (31-3).
The Gamecocks, located a little over 100 miles from Greenville, filled Bon Secours Wellness Arena with a crowd that functioned like a home-court advantage. Even after Texas’ semifinal win against Mississippi on Saturday night, Schaefer understood his team needed more to dethrone the three-time defending SEC Tournament champions.
That edge showed up Sunday. Texas delivered a relentless, physical performance from the opening tip and never looked back, defeating No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 inside Bon Secours Wellness Arena to win its first SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament championship since joining the conference before last season.
However, hours before Sunday’s tipoff, Schaefer shared a familiar yet important message with his players. Before every game, Schaefer receives a text from a close friend in Louisiana that includes a gameday prayer and ends with three words: “bring da wood.”
Schaefer has a homemade bat etched with “University of Texas” and the mantra. On Sunday morning, his friend reminded him of the message again. Schaefer passed it along to his players at breakfast. A few hours later, Texas delivered it.
The Longhorns stormed out of the gate with a 14-0 run, immediately seizing control with aggressive defense that deflected passes, clogging South Carolina’s passing lanes and forcing turnovers. Texas converted those disruptions into transition opportunities, finishing around the rim through Breya Cunningham and Justice Carlton while Rori Harmon and Madison Booker added efficient midrange jumpers. Texas landed the first punch.
“Justice [Carlton] was really a difference like she was back in November in [the] Vegas [matchup],” Schaefer said postgame.
For players like Harmon — who returned for a fifth season under Schaefer and played in her final SEC Tournament — the moment carried significance even with bigger goals still ahead.
“I’m trying to not pour so much emotion into it, kind of just be where my feet are at and not get tied up into it being my last,” Harmon told reporters after Sunday’s win. “When you say it out loud, it makes me really sad. But I’m happy at the same time because it’s the last one and I’m happy we came out on top [but] it’s not over. …I don’t think we’re finished.”
Booker, who finished with a game-high 18 points, four rebounds and two assists and earned SEC Tournament MVP honors, viewed the victory as both a milestone and evidence of growth.
The two teams’ previous meetings this season — the Players Era Championship final in November and a January matchup — were decided by single possessions. In a conference widely projected to place as many as 10 teams in the women’s NCAA Tournament, Texas and South Carolina could meet again with even higher stakes.
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
But on Sunday, Booker saw progress.
“I think the first two times we played them, we had a lot of mistakes,” Booker said postgame. “Sometimes we get out of rhythm and we just turn the ball over or we’re not playing team defense. I would say we kind of regrouped after our [Vanderbilt] loss and talked about how we can help each other on the court. … This is a sisterhood. … We talk about making sure we always have each other’s backs on the court. … I think that’s kind of the mindset we came into this game with.”
Texas built a lead as large as 17 points by halftime and maintained control despite South Carolina’s attempts to rally. The Gamecocks trimmed the deficit to 13 entering the fourth quarter and cut it to nine when Joyce Edwards completed a three-point play to make it 63-52.
But Texas never wavered. Jordan Lee drilled a 3-pointer with 4:53 remaining to push the lead to 68-54. Moments later, Booker buried one of her signature midrange jumpers, prompting some South Carolina fans to head for the exits and Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley to empty her bench.
When the final seconds ticked away and confetti prepared to fall, the moment felt familiar for Schaefer, who previously won the SEC Tournament with Mississippi State in 2019 and guided Texas to Big 12 Tournament titles in 2024 and 2025. But this one carried unique significance.
Standing beside ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the championship stage in his burnt orange and powder blue windowpane blazer, Schaefer reflected on what the moment meant for his team’s journey.
“We have a saying in Austin, Texas tough,” Schaefer told Rowe on the stage following the Longhorns’ win. “These kids were Texas tough. I came here [Texas] to do this. …I’ve been doing this [coaching] a long time. … This group is really, really special.”
The victory also delivered Texas its third consecutive 30-win season and improved the Longhorns to 14-3 against ranked opponents, including five wins against top-10 team that include South Carolina twice, UCLA, LSU and Oklahoma.
Texas shot 54% from the floor, its 15th game shooting at least 50% this season, and hit 57.1% from beyond the arc. The Longhorns also converted 16 points off 14 South Carolina turnovers.
Texas dominated several key categories, outrebounding the Gamecocks 35-26 while also holding advantages in second-chance points (11-10), paint points (40-32), blocks (7-4) and assists (18-14). It followed a familiar formula. In Texas’ two victories against South Carolina over the last 13 months, the Longhorns controlled the glass, generated second-chance opportunities, scored off turnovers and pressured passing lanes and post entries.
Schaefer believes those experiences have prepared his team for whatever lies ahead.
“Their discipline allows them to get through maybe some times when it might be hard for some teams,” Schaefer said. “Last night [against Mississippi], when it [lead] got cut to two [points] is a great example. Today, they [Gamecocks] made a run. I think they cut it back to 11. Jordan Lee had a big three over on the corner that got it back to 14. … That’s what we try to create as coaches. We want them to be ready for that moment. … I don’t think any moment is going to happen where it’s too big for these kids.”
Part of that readiness comes from players embracing their roles.
Carlton finished with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting — including 13 points in the first quarter — while adding three rebounds and three assists. Lee contributed 12 points and made both of her 3-point attempts. Overall, Texas scored 51% of its points in the paint.
“They’re starting to understand their roles,” Schaefer said. “We have so many players, can go nine, ten deep. When you have that many and you have that depth, you’ve got to understand your roles. I think we’re starting to do that.”
Carlton described her performance as simply being “a star in her role.” Harmon saw something more.
“Good enough to win a championship as you can see,” Harmon said. “I was telling her [Carlton], I need you to do what you do. I didn’t even have to say it, and she was like, I got you. I’m just glad that we can get that out of her. I could tell on the look on her face, she’s not a huge Communicator [but] when she starts talking and hyping people up, that’s when you know she’s really locked in. I could see that in her in the first minute of the game. That’s just what we’re going to need down the line as well.”
With the SEC Tournament trophy secured, Schaefer understands the road ahead only grows more difficult. But as confetti rained down and his players cut pieces of the net, he also recognized how meaningful the moment was.
“I’m really happy with this group,” Schaefer said. “The grind of an SEC season is just so hard. Until you go through that, you have no idea how hard it is to prepare every night for some monster.
“… To see them [players] be able to stand out there in that confetti instead of walking off the floor while it’s falling on somebody else, as a coach, it’s probably the most rewarding thing to watch your kids do as an athlete. It ain’t no fun walking off that floor as it’s [confetti] falling on the back off your back side as you’re going in the tunnel. I’ve done it. It ain’t much fun. … They’re in a different zone right now.”
For Texas, the first postseason checkpoint is complete. However, the mission continues.
“Becoming Caitlin Clark” is out now!
Howard Megdal’s newest book is here! “Becoming Caitlin Clark: The Unknown Origin Story of a Modern Basketball Superstar” captures both the historic nature of Clark’s rise and the critical context over the previous century that helped make it possible, including interviews with Clark, Lisa Bluder (who also wrote the foreword), C. Vivian Stringer, Jan Jensen, Molly Kazmer and many others.
