COLUMBIA, S.C. — Everything is in place for what promises to be one of the most emotionally charged nights of the women’s college basketball regular season. No. 3/3 South Carolina hosts Missouri on Thursday at Colonial Life Arena, and while the basketball stakes are meaningful — a Gamecock win clinches the SEC regular-season title outright — the evening belongs above all to four players whose careers in Columbia are drawing to a close.
Here is everything you need to know before tipoff.
Game Information at a Glance
Date: Thursday, February 26, 2026
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Colonial Life Arena, Columbia, South Carolina
TV: SEC Network
Streaming: Fubo TV (free trial available)
Radio: 107.5 FM / Gamecock Sports Network
South Carolina enters the contest with a 27-2 overall record and a 13-1 mark in SEC play, leading the conference standings. A win over Missouri will seal the SEC title for the Gamecocks outright. ESPN The Gamecocks are unbeaten in their last 15 home games ESPN , a streak that has made Colonial Life Arena one of the most imposing venues in the country for visiting teams.
Senior Night Ceremony: 7:30 p.m. ET
Before a single tip is contested, the night officially begins at approximately 7:30 p.m. with the Senior Night ceremony honoring four Gamecocks who are suiting up at home for the final time.
It was well known that Raven Johnson, Ta’Niya Latson, and Maryam Dauda would take part in the festivities, as they have exhausted their collegiate eligibility. Madina Okot will also walk with the seniors, but Staley reiterated that the Gamecocks and their walking double-double are appealing for an extra year of eligibility. Missouri Athletics Okot played two seasons at Zetech University in Kenya before her time at Mississippi State and South Carolina, and the program is pursuing a medical hardship waiver that could bring her back for one final season.
A brief look at each honoree:
Raven Johnson | Guard | Atlanta, Georgia
In her four seasons as a primary contributor, South Carolina has gone 136-7. Johnson made her first big statement as a freshman at UConn when she had 14 points and seven assists to help South Carolina pull away. Missouri Athletics This season she is posting career highs in points (9.8), assists (5.4), field goal percentage (48.7%), and is fourth on South Carolina’s all-time career assists list while holding first place in career assist-to-turnover ratio. Her awards include two national championships (2022, 2024), a 2023 Final Four appearance, a 2025 national runner-up finish, and five SEC regular-season titles. Missouri Athletics She is the last standing member of the core class that started the Gamecocks’ dynasty.
Ta’Niya Latson | Guard | Atlanta, Georgia
Latson led the nation in scoring in 2025 and won ACC Rookie of the Year in 2023 during her time at Florida State. She is the NCAA’s leading active scorer by career average. Missouri Athletics After transferring to South Carolina to reunite with her former Westlake High School teammate in Johnson, Latson has averaged 14.8 points per game while posting career-best shooting splits — including shooting over 50% from the field for the first time in her career. She gave up raw scoring volume and gained efficiency, a championship, and a final season alongside the player who first made her great.
Madina Okot | Center | Kenya
Okot had her 18th double-double of the season against Ole Miss, posting 17 points and 10 rebounds. The 18 double-doubles are the most in Division I women’s basketball this season. She averages 13.4 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. ESPN The 6-foot-6 center transferred from Mississippi State seeking a program that could prepare her for the WNBA. She found it — and then some. Experts project her as a first-round WNBA Draft pick, and the program’s appeal for an additional year of eligibility reflects just how much she has meant to a team that has needed her interior presence all season.
Maryam Dauda | Forward
A veteran contributor whose professionalism and consistency have made her a trusted piece of Staley’s rotation. Dauda completes a senior class that has collectively brought enormous value to the Gamecock program this season.
Probable Starters
South Carolina (27-2)
The Gamecocks have deployed six different starting lineups this season due to injuries, but the current configuration has stabilized around their most experienced group. Expect Raven Johnson at point guard alongside Ta’Niya Latson in the backcourt, with Joyce Edwards, Madina Okot, and either Chloe Kitts or Ashlyn Watkins — pending availability — rounding out the five. Edwards tops South Carolina at 20.1 points per game. Latson is next at 14.8, while Tessa Johnson totals 13.1 points per contest, giving the Gamecocks four players averaging in double figures. ESPN
Missouri (16-13)
Missouri enters the contest on a four-game losing streak and will rely heavily on Grace Slaughter, who is averaging 18.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. ESPN Led by Slaughter’s 14 points last time out, Missouri lost 108-55 versus LSU LSU Athletics — a margin that illustrated the growing distance between Missouri and the conference’s elite tier. The Tigers will attempt to deploy a perimeter-heavy attack to offset South Carolina’s dominant interior presence.
Injury Report
Adhel Tac (South Carolina) — OUT: The sophomore big woman remains sidelined with an undisclosed lower leg issue and has been navigating practice on a scooter. There is no clear timeline for her return, though the program is hopeful she could contribute in the postseason.
Tessa Johnson (South Carolina) — QUESTIONABLE/PROBABLE: Johnson left practice early Thursday with what Dawn Staley described as a minor issue. She did not appear on the official availability report, suggesting her status for the game is not in serious jeopardy. Monitor for updates closer to tipoff.
Missouri enters Thursday already operating in a shorthanded capacity due to injuries that have limited bench depth in recent games. Head coach Kellie Harper will need maximum effort from her starters to have any chance of keeping the contest competitive.
Dawn Staley’s Future Plans: A Senior Night Subplot
In a notable development announced just one day before Thursday’s game, Staley used her pre-game media availability to make significant roster announcements about South Carolina’s future beyond this senior class. Staley said “Chloe will come back next year,” referring to Chloe Kitts, who missed the entire 2025-26 season due to an ACL tear. Of Ashlyn Watkins, Staley said, “Ashlyn took the year off, so she’ll come back when the year’s up, and that’s sometime in May.” Sofascore
The timing was deliberate. Even as South Carolina prepares to honor four departing players, Staley made clear that the program’s foundation for next season is already being built. The dynasty continues regardless of who walks out the door Thursday night.
What to Watch For
South Carolina’s +907 scoring differential — outscoring opponents by 31.3 points per game — is a product of averaging 87.3 points per game (third in college basketball) while holding opponents to 56.0 per game (14th in college basketball). LSU Athletics Against a Missouri team that has lost four straight and absorbed a 53-point defeat in its most recent outing, the Gamecocks have the ingredients for another dominant performance.
The more meaningful story, however, plays out before the opening tip — in the ceremony, the flowers, the video tributes, and the packed crowd at Colonial Life Arena sending off four players who have given everything to this program. For Raven Johnson especially, who has spent five seasons building something that will outlast her, Thursday night is a farewell the sport will not soon forget.
Tipoff is at 8 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
