South Carolina renews its battle with new SEC rival Texas in a high-stakes non-conference showdown on Thanksgiving Day at the Players Era Championship. Here are the biggest factors that could shape the outcome.
1. Managing Fatigue
South Carolina finally had its full group of 10 available players just in time for the back-to-back Las Vegas matchups. Although the Gamecocks played the late game Wednesday, the turnaround is just over 24 hours—far from the brutal quick-change scenarios like the SEC Tournament late semifinal. And with all the teams staying only a short walk from the arena, travel fatigue is minimized.
Texas, however, is in a much tougher spot. The Longhorns entered Wednesday’s game already shorthanded with Bryanna Preston, Ashton Judd, and Aaliyah Crump sidelined. They used only seven players, and their stars logged heavy minutes:
- Rori Harmon played the full 40 minutes
- Jordan Lee and Madison Booker each logged 39 minutes
By comparison, only Joyce Edwards (32 minutes), Madina Okot, and Tessa Johnson (31 minutes apiece) crossed the 30-minute mark for South Carolina.
2. The Bigs Take Center Stage
There’s a reason Dawn Staley aggressively pursued Madina Okot in the offseason—games like this.
Last season, the Gamecocks had no consistent answer for Texas standouts Kyla Oldacre and Taylor Jones, who together averaged 14.8 points and 12.8 rebounds across four matchups. South Carolina only lost one of those games—but it was the only one in which both players scored in double figures.
Jones has since exhausted her eligibility, but Oldacre is now paired with Breya Cunningham, who has stepped seamlessly into Jones’ role. Combined, they average over 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Okot was recruited to handle precisely this kind of physical frontcourt. And paired with Joyce Edwards, who had success against Texas last season, South Carolina appears better prepared.
Staley explained the team’s development in the high-low offense:
“We’re a high-low basketball team. We involve our post players a lot to be decision-makers. A high-low pass is one of those decisions that we didn’t get much out of the two of them. We just started being calculating and making them do it with defense, without defense. Now we’re starting to do it in the games.”
3. Point Guard Duel: Raven Johnson vs. Rori Harmon
While the matchups at center and on the wing (with Booker) get the headlines, the point guard battle may define the entire night.
Texas guard Rori Harmon dropped 26 points in the Longhorns’ win over UCLA, sinking several clutch shots late. But scoring won’t come nearly as easily against Raven Johnson, whose length, defensive instincts, and ability to contest fadeaways could disrupt Harmon’s rhythm.
Harmon excels at getting downhill and converting tough, fading midrange attempts. Johnson’s defense is designed to deny those very looks.
4. The Other Game’s Impact
Whoever ends up in the “losers’ game” still faces massive stakes. Even back-to-back defeats to ranked teams on a neutral floor can affect NCAA Tournament seeding in March.
UCLA looked sluggish—more like the team battling fatigue—while Duke again struggled with consistency and self-inflicted breakdowns.
5. A Closer Look at Texas
Texas entered the UCLA game relatively untested, while the Bruins had already beaten No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 11 North Carolina. Most observers would’ve predicted UCLA to control the matchup, but Texas flipped the script.
Many of UCLA’s problems were their own doing—sloppy offense, poor transition defense, and forgetting to feed Lauren Betts—issues that appear whenever the Bruins face sustained pressure. But Texas deserves credit for applying that pressure and forcing mistakes.
The surprise? Texas didn’t win through their bigs.
Cunningham and Oldacre combined for only:
- 9 points
- 5 rebounds
- 1 block
Oldacre quickly got into foul trouble and never established a presence.
Instead, Texas’ unexpected three-point shooting made the difference. The Longhorns are taking more threes this season, averaging:
- 13 attempts
- 4.8 makes
- 36.9% from deep
Last year they attempted only 10.4 threes per game and shot 30.1%.
That improvement matters. South Carolina’s defensive plan last postseason was simple: force Texas to shoot threes by packing the paint. That strategy may not work this time.
South Carolina will also be without their “Booker stopper,” Bree Hall, who held Madison Booker under 30% shooting last season. Now that responsibility falls to Tessa Johnson and others.
One thing remains unchanged: Texas crashes the offensive boards relentlessly. They posted 16 second-chance points off 12 offensive rebounds against UCLA.
Game Details
- Who: #2 South Carolina (7–0) vs. #4 Texas (6–0)
- When: Thursday, November 27 at 8:00 p.m. ET
- Where: Michelob Ultra Arena, Las Vegas
- Watch: truTV
