The No. 1 seed South Carolina women's basketball team has arrived in Tampa, Florida, set for a matchup with fellow No. 1 seed Texas on Friday night in its fifth-consecutive Final Four appearance. The Gamecocks have an opportunity to play for a fourth national championship trophy since 2017.
"It's going to come down to heart, effort and controlling the things that we can control which is attitude and effort," senior guard Te-Hina Paopao said. "Whoever's going to win tomorrow is going to determine who wants it more."
The matchup with the Longhorns will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two heavyweights. In two regular season games, each team took a victory at home. South Carolina bested Texas in the SEC Championship 64-45 on March 9 to take the lead in head-to-head matchups this season.
In the SEC Championship, the Gamecocks were backed by a defensive effort that held the Longhorns to 29.6% from the field and 18 turnovers . A 17-0 run in the second quarter helped South Carolina break free and maintain that lead throughout the contest. In the upcoming matchup, head coach Dawn Staley is looking to capitalize on "broken" offensive plays to build a lead.
"You probably have to put a little bit more emphasis on being able to stay organized when they take your first and your second option away," Staley said. "Most of the time this is what you call broken plays."
Senior guard Bree Hall only scored 7 points in 55 minutes played in the Birmingham 2 regionals against No. 2 seed Duke and No. 4 seed Maryland. Hall has been a mainstay on the court in late-game situations because of her defense, according to Staley. Hall is expected to match-up on the court with Texas star sophomore forward Madison Booker on Friday.
"I think our game sometimes looks at stats. I mean, she's not one that's going to steal the ball," Staley said. "She's one that is going to get your top scorer shooting at an inefficient clip, and that's her claim to fame."
Sophomore guard Tessa Johnson did not shy away from the lights in her first Final Four a season ago in Cleveland, Ohio. In the National Championship game against Iowa, Johnson led the Gamecocks in scoring off the bench, dropping 19 points in 25 minutes. Johnson talked about the value of being in that spotlight as a freshman on the biggest stage.
"I think it's actually very valuable because I've experienced it before," Johnson said. "I've already put my feet in the water, so I think that just helps with my confidence out there."
In the Elite Eight win against Duke, Paopao was an offensive catalyst for the Gamecocks in the third quarter, getting to the midrange with timely buckets to help keep South Carolina close. Paopao said she wasn't as aggressive until that point of the game against Duke and that she knows to look for more of those moments to be aggressive.
"When your teammates are telling you to shoot the ball, you got to shoot the ball," Paopao said. "I felt like I didn't shoot the ball as much as I need to before then."
Texas gave South Carolina its second loss of the season 66-62 on Feb. 9 in Austin, Texas. Booker scored a game-high 20 points to go with 11 rebounds for the Longhorns, while the Gamecocks shot just 36.8% from the field. Although the Gamecocks have since beat Texas, Staley wants her team to be ready for anything that contributed to the loss and to respond it.
"We're not going to stray too far left or right from the things that we've done that were positive, that would help us," Staley said. "And then, you know, knock on wood, we can identify the things that when we did get beat in Texas, what those things were that put us in the bad position."
Staley and Texas head coach Vic Schaefer have had a handful of marquee matchups in recent history, beginning in 2017 when Staley defeated the Schaefer-led Mississippi State Bulldogs to take home the first South Carolina women's basketball national championship. While the Gamecocks have gotten the better of Schaefer in much of the time in between, Staley knows she can't underestimate her competitor on the other bench.
"We're both defensive-minded, we've had a bigger offensive spurt throughout those games that we've played that were at a higher stake," Staley said. "And I do think it's going to take that. I mean, we're not going to rely on our success against them and say, 'Hey, we can beat them.'"
What's next?
The Gamecocks and Longhorns will tipoff at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, for the Final Four for a spot in the National Championship. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.