Texas lifted its first-ever SEC women's basketball tournament trophy on Sunday, as the No. 4 Longhorns topped No. 3 South Carolina 78-61 to avenge last year's conference championship loss.
Texas laid a strong foundation for the upset victory with a 27-point first quarter, jumping out to an early 14-0 lead behind five forced turnovers plus tournament MVP Madison Booker's hot hand.
"I had some kids that were here on a mission," Longhorns head coach Vic Schaefer said postgame. "I just felt like my group was ready. They have really responded in the last three weeks and are in a different zone right now."
Sunday's win should secure Texas a top-seeded entry into the 2025/26 NCAA women's basketball tournament, while the Gamecocks must now await their fate in this weekend's Selection Sunday bracket reveal.
The 17-point loss marks South Carolina's worst tournament loss since 2011, snapping the program's three-year title-winning streak.
"Our team knows we didn't play our best basketball, not nearly what we're capable of doing," said head coach Dawn Staley.
That said, Staley isn't ruling out another NCAA trophy.
"I told them that the last time we lost in this situation, we won the national championship," the Gamecocks sideline leader noted, referencing South Carolina's 2022 NCAA tournament run. "It might be the very thing this team needs."
The SEC is stepping into the spotlight, as the NCAA's deepest women's basketball conference tips off Champ Week with ranked teams featuring in every round of their 2026 tournament.
No. 17 Kentucky enters as the No. 9 seed, while No. 11 seed Alabama fell off the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since Week 9 on Monday.
"Kentucky has done a great job," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said following the top-seeded Gamecocks' narrow 60-56 win over the Wildcats on Sunday. "Take some of what has happened in this league, and what this league is doing, it is hard to measure."
The AP Poll currently features eight SEC teams, as No. 7 Oklahoma, No. 22 Georgia, and No. 24 Ole Miss gear up to enter the SEC tournament in Thursday's second-round action.
As for the Top 4 seeds, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Vanderbilt, and No. 6 LSU will enter the competition in Friday's quarterfinals, as teams battle for a shot at Sunday's SEC championship trophy.
"Thank God we're a tournament team," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin prior to the high-stakes conference competition. "Go ahead, put us where you want. Because were going to be ready to compete when we're full go. This is our storm."
How to watch the 2026 SEC women's basketball tournament
The 2026 SEC tournament will tip off with No. 17 Kentucky battling unranked Arkansas at 11 AM ET on Wednesday.
All first and second round games will air live on the SEC Network.
South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley announced Saturday that three of her former players remain in Israel following the US-Israel military strikes against Iran, while the Gamecocks work to bring the players home safely.
Staley wrote on social media that Tiffany Mitchell, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, and Destiny Littleton are "in a war zone in Israel," stating that the women's basketball program is developing an evacuation plan.
"We are working a plan to get home," Staley posted to X. "Let us pray for our loved ones to return home safely asap."
Littleton posted videos from Jerusalem to her social media accounts, with sirens blaring in the background as she explained her situation. The former South Carolina star said she packed up and headed to a shelter.
"I'm just trying to stay calm," Littleton said. "I really don't want to even be out here on the streets."
Littleton later told ESPN that she's current safe despite the military strikes on Iran. "I am doing all right — shaken up but blessed to be safe," she said. "There are current options being looked at."
Littleton played at Texas, South Carolina, and USC from 2017 to 2023.
Mitchell played for South Carolina from 2012 to 2016, featuring in the team's first Final Four run in 2015. The former Seattle Storm guard spent 10 seasons in the WNBA after getting drafted No. 9 overall in 2016.
Herbert Harrigan helped lead the Gamecocks to their first NCAA championship as a freshman in 2017, with the Phoenix Mercury subsequently drafting her No. 6 overall in 2020.
A spokesperson for South Carolina athletics provided no additional information regarding the Iran situation.
The NCAA women's basketball regular season ends on Sunday, with the weekend delivering a stacked lineup despite most conferences already crowning the champions of their 2025/26 campaigns.
No. 3 South Carolina won their fifth straight SEC title on Thursday night, joining No. 1 UConn (Big East), No. 2 UCLA (Big Ten), No. 11 TCU (Big 12), and No. 12 Duke (ACC) as the major conferences' top regular-season finishers heading into Champ Week.
"They knew [the title] was at stake," Gamecocks head coach Dawn Staley said after her team's 112-71 win over Missouri. "We've been mentioning just wanting it outright and doing it on our home court in front of the fans that really have supported us to the nth degree."
Titles aside, the season isn't quite over yet, as Sunday rivalries serve as postseason appetizers for teams banking on deep playoff runs.
Duke tips off Sunday's NCAA slate against in-state nemesis No. 21 UNC, before TCU battles fellow Texas standout No. 18 Baylor and UCLA takes on SoCal neighbor USC.
"It's been amazing to watch the program grow," said Bruins guard Gabriela Jaquez. "That's a reason we all came here, is to do things UCLA has never done before."
How to watch Sunday's NCAA women's basketball rivalries
No. 12 Duke will visit No. 21 North Carolina at 12 PM ET before No. 11 TCU hosts No. 18 Baylor at 4 PM ET, both airing live on ESPN.
Then at 6 PM ET, No. 2 UCLA will close out their season at USC, with live coverage on FS1.
Seeding for the upcoming 2026 SEC basketball tournament is approaching a photo finish, as ranked clashes dominate the powerhouse conference's home stretch.
Having already clinched a share of their fifth-straight SEC regular-season title, No. 3 South Carolina are just one win away from capturing the crown outright.
Meanwhile, No. 4 Texas and No. 5 Vanderbilt sit tied for second place in the conference standings with just two regular-season matchups remaining.
Though the conference tournament weighs heavy, both squads are also looking to pad their resumes ahead of March Madness's national showdown.
The Commodores will rely on Division I-leading scorer Mikayla Blakes when they face No. 24 Alabama on Thursday night, with the sophomore's 26.6 points per game lifting Vanderbilt to an 11-3 SEC record.
"It's a lot easier to go to top programs and just win," Blakes said last month, referencing her choice to join the Commodores over more traditional NCAA basketball titans. "I wanted to do the uncommon thing."
As for Texas, the Longhorns will look to keep pace against No. 23 Georgia, fueled by team-leading scorer Madison Booker's career-high 18.7-point average and guard Rory Harmon's 6.5 assists and 2.8 steals per game.
How to watch ranked SEC basketball games this week
Thursday's ranked SEC action puts the conference's second-place teams in the spotlight, with No. 5 Vanderbilt hosting No. 24 Alabama at 7:30 PM ET, live on SEC Network+, before No. 23 Georgia visits No. 5 Texas at 10 PM ET on SEC Network.
With just nine days left in the 2025/26 NCAA basketball regular season, this weekend's ranked lineup could dictate both conference champions and national tournament seeding — with the SEC leading the charge.
The SEC steals the spotlight on Sunday, as college basketball's deepest conference will dominate ESPN with a triple-header of ranked matchups.
Fresh off a tight 78-70 loss to No. 7 LSU, No. 17 Ole Miss will close out their ranked schedule against conference leaders No. 3 South Carolina on Sunday, with the 8-5 Rebels currently sitting in a three-way SEC standings tie with No. 11 Oklahoma and No. 21 Tennessee.
"If you look at the history of our league, we always have anywhere from four to five to six teams in the Sweet 16," said Ole Miss head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin. "When we're in here fighting night in and night out, it's tough, and you can lose at any point."
The Sooners and Vols will then face off in their own battle for conference positioning, before No. 5 Vanderbilt looks to bounce back from a 76-74 upset loss to No. 24 Georgia by defeating No. 16 Kentucky.
How to watch Sunday's SEC basketball triple-header
No. 17 Ole Miss will tip off Sunday's SEC triple-header against No. 3 South Carolina at 12 PM ET, before No. 21 Tennessee takes on No. 11 Oklahoma at 2 PM ET.
Following both live matchups on ESPN, No. 16 Kentucky will visit No. 5 Vanderbilt in a 4 PM ET clash on ESPN2.
South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley celebrated a milestone over the weekend, earning her 500th career win leading the No. 3 Gamecocks as they took down the No. 7 LSU Tigers 79-72 in Baton Rouge on Saturday.
Gamecocks guard Tessa Johnson held court with 21 points, while the Tigers' struggles at the line saw star guard Flau'jae Johnson — who otherwise led LSU with 21 points of her own — miss two free throws in the final minute as South Carolina pulled away.
"At the end, we got lucky," Staley said postgame. "Flau'jae doesn't miss free throws — we actually got a bucket after that and it's those kind of plays that are determining the game."
The victory marked the Gamecocks' 18th straight win over LSU — with South Carolina holding strong as the only SEC team still unbeaten by LSU head coach Kim Mulkey.
"It was two of the best teams in our conference, in the country, just trying to get a win," Staley summarized.
South Carolina now boasts a multi-game lead in the SEC basketball standings, putting Staley's squad in the driver's seat as they aim for a fifth regular-season title with four matchups left.
How to watch South Carolina, LSU basketball this week
SEC basketball action returns on Thursday with No. 3 South Carolina facing No. 25 Alabama at 8:30 PM ET on SECN before No. 7 LSU tips off against No. 17 Ole Miss at 9 PM ET, airing live on ESPN.
SEC basketball takes center stage on Saturday, as No. 3 South Carolina takes on No. 6 LSU in what will likely be the pair's final Top 10 test of the 2025/26 NCAA regular-season.
The Gamecocks enter the matchup riding a five-game winning streak to a conference-leading 10-1 SEC record.
Even more, South Carolina boasts a dominant 32.5-point average margin of victory this season while holding opponents to just 55.7 points per game — and scoring an average of 88.1 points of their own.
As for the Tigers, LSU is 8-1 in its last nine games, averaging a Division I-leading 96.6 points per game thanks to backcourt consistency, with a trio of guards — Flau'jae Johnson, MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Mikaylah Williams — averaging over 13 points per game.
LSU junior star guard Fulwiley notably spent her first two seasons at South Carolina before transferring last April — going on to post career highs in points, field goal percentage, and rebounds in Baton Rouge this season.
"I don't think there was any animosity or hard feelings," said LSU head coach Kim Mulkey about Fulwiley's decision to leave the Gamecocks. "Internally, she's probably going to be a little bit excited [on Saturday], have butterflies, but she's really a valuable part of our team."
The SEC rivals last met in a 66-56 South Carolina victory in January 2025, back when Fulwiley played in Columbia.
How to watch South Carolina vs. LSU basketball this weekend
The No. 3 Gamecocks will visit the No. 6 Tigers on Saturday, with the clash tipping off live at 8:30 PM ET on ABC.
South Carolina vs Texas A&M ended in a routing, as the Gamecocks overcame a shorthanded roster and motivated Aggies squad to secure a 71-56 victory on Monday.
Sophomore forward Joyce Edwards delivered a dominant performance in the SEC showdown, scoring 28 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Edwards was particularly clutch in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of her points in the final period.
Junior guard Tessa Johnson provided support with 19 points, tying her career-high with five made three-pointers. Johnson caught fire early, sinking her first four attempts from beyond the arc and finishing 5-of-11 from range.
The Gamecocks built a 16-point lead late in the third quarter, before Texas A&M responded with a 7-0 run. That's when senior Aggies guard Ny'ceara Pryor hit a buzzer-beating three to cut South Carolina's advantage to 55-47.
Texas A&M pulled within four points early in the final period. But Edwards quickly shifted the narrative, scoring eight points on a 9-0 run to push South Carolina's lead to 67-53 with under two minutes remaining. The breakout performance subsequently sealed the results for South Carolina vs Texas A&M.
"The team that's able to grab it at any given moment can win basketball games," South Carolina coach Dawn Staley said postgame.
"They had it at the end of the third quarter, and we tried to figure out how to do that. I think we had more probably defensive momentum after we stopped fouling in the fourth quarter and then we were able to score."
The victory improved surging South Carolina to a 22-2 overall record and 8-1 in SEC play. They've also held tight to their No. 3 AP Poll ranking, despite missing starters Ta'Niya Latson and Agot Makeer to lower-leg injuries.
How to watch South Carolina women's basketball this week
South Carolina hosts unranked Mississippi State on Thursday at 6:30 PM ET, live on ESPN.
The Gamecocks' next ranked matchup comes on Sunday, tipping off against skidding No. 19 Tennessee at 3 PM ET, live on ESPN.
Once-unbeaten No. 5 Vanderbilt is charging ahead, getting an extra day to recover from their blowout loss to No. 3 South Carolina after winter weather pushed Thursday night's ranked clash with No. 17 Ole Miss to Friday.
"This is why you want to play games like this, on the road in an incredible environment," Vanderbilt head coach Shea Ralph said after Sunday's streak-ending defeat. "There are all kinds of things that we can't control that are happening right now, but the most important part to me is how we respond to it, and that's what we're going to focus on."
As for the Rebels, Ole Miss is fresh off a bounce-back victory of their own, beating unranked Missouri 82-61 last week behind forward Cotie McMahon's 33 points.
In light of the winter storm sweeping the South, the now-Friday afternoon game will take place at Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
"Disappointed that we lost a home game BUT grateful that we get to play," Ole Miss head coach Yolette McPhee-McCuin posted to social media on Tuesday, thanking administrators after the storm forced the Rebels to also postpone Monday's matchup against No. 15 Tennessee indefinitely. "Alabama Rebs we could use your support!"
The SEC foes last met in February 2025, with Ole Miss topping Vanderbilt 76-61 — though the Commodores' hot start could flip that script this year.
How to watch Vanderbilt vs. Ole Miss this week
The No. 5 Commodores will tip off against No. 17 Ole Miss at 3 PM ET on Friday, airing live on SECN+.