The Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Women's Tournament tips off on Friday night with a game between SEC juggernauts in the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Texas Longhorns.
Both teams have rolled through much of the season, each racking up only three losses on the entire year. For Dawn Staley's Gamecocks, the postseason has been uneven. After a dominant opener, South Carolina trailed at the half of its Second Round game, then beat Maryland and Duke in the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight, respectively, by only four points each.
Texas has looked more the part of the 1-seed. During the second weekend, the Longhorns secured convincing victories over fellow SEC foe Tennessee and in-state rival TCU, sending Hailey Van Lith and Sedona Prince home.
How to watch South Carolina vs. Texas
- Date: Friday, April 4
- Time: 7:00pm ET
- Venue: Amalie Arena in Tampa, FL
- How to Watch (TV): ESPN/ESPN2
- Streaming: fubo TV
- South Carolina record: 34-3
- Texas record: 35-3
South Carolina vs. Todds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- South Carolina -215
- Texas +172
Spread
- South Carolina -4.5 (-112)
- Texas +4.5 (-108)
Total
- 124.5 (over -110/under -110)
South Carolina injury report
- Ashlyn Watkins, F: Out (torn ACL)
Texas injury report
- Aaliyah Moore, F: TBD (leg)
- Laila Phelia, G: Out (eye)
South Carolina and Texas series history
- South Carolina all-time record vs. Texas: 4-3
South Carolina vs. Texas prediction
By virtue of being conference opponents, these two teams have already faced off three times this season. Let's get a quick refresher on each game.
In January, South Carolina housed Texas at home by 17 points. The Gamecocks shut down Madison Booker, holding her to seven points on 3-of-19 shootings. Kyle Oldacre scored 11 points off the bench for the Longhorns, the only person on the team to reach double figures in that top five matchup.
Texas returned the favor at home in February, beating the Gamecocks by four points and snapping South Carolina's regular season SEC win streak at 57 games. Booker got her revenge with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Texas held South Carolina to 36.8 percent shooting from the field.
The rubber match came in the SEC Tournament championship. South Carolina was a slight favorite, but there was nothing slight about its dominance over Texas once again, securing its third consecutive league title with a 19-point romp of the Longhorns.
So for those keeping score, that's one close victory for Texas and two dominant victories for South Carolina this season. And despite the Gamecocks' dramatics in the NCAA Tournament, the line suggests the team is a heavy favorite to take the contest once more.
South Carolina has unprecedented depth, but lacks the star player they've had in years past such as Aaliyah Boston or A'ja Wilson. Texas has those types of players in Booker and Rori Harmon. But it can't go as deep as South Carolina.
This is the most vulnerable the Gamecocks have seemed in years. Staley's team is the defending champion, but hasn't been playing like that in the last three games. If there's a time for someone to come in and knock off her crown, now is the time.
But picking against Staley and the juggernaut she's formed in South Carolina is foolish. The Gamecocks deserve to be favored until they can be knocked off their pedestal.
Prediction: South Carolina 80, Texas 72