Longhorns Dominate Gamecocks for Historic Title
For the first time in program history, the Texas Longhorns are SEC Women's Basketball Tournament champions. In a stunning display of dominance, the No. 4 Longhorns dismantled the No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks 78-61 in Greenville, S.C. The victory snapped a three-year championship streak for the Gamecocks and marked a significant power shift in the conference.
Texas wasted no time asserting its authority, rocketing out to a 14-0 lead in the opening minutes and never looking back. The Longhorns controlled the game from start to finish, leading 27-12 after the first quarter and leveraging a stifling defense that forced 14 turnovers. Tournament MVP Madison Booker led all scorers with 18 points, while Justice Carlton was a force inside, adding 16 points on efficient 6-of-8 shooting. Jordan Lee chipped in with 12 points as Texas dominated the paint, outscoring South Carolina 40-32 in that area.
The championship win was the Longhorns' 14th victory over a ranked opponent this season, the most in the nation, all but cementing a No. 1 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The victory also ended an eight-game losing streak for head coach Vic Schaefer against the Gamecocks.
QUICK HITS
Missouri Baseball Can't Stop Winning: The Missouri Tigers are one of the hottest teams in the nation, extending their winning streak to 12 games after a four-game demolition of UIC. The series finale was a 10-0 run-rule victory that featured a spectacular display of power, with Kaden Peer, Cameron Benson, and Pierre Seals hitting back-to-back-to-back home runs. Lefty Brady Kehlenbrink was masterful on the mound, striking out a career-high 11 batters over six scoreless innings.
Alabama Pitching Overpowers North Florida: The Alabama Crimson Tide secured a dominant three-game series sweep of North Florida, outscoring the Ospreys 28-7. The story of the weekend was Alabama's starting pitching. Junior right-hander Tyler Fay set the tone in the opener with a career-high 11 strikeouts over seven innings. Freshman Myles Upchurch matched that performance in the finale, also fanning 11 batters in a 12-2 mercy-rule victory to clinch the sweep.
Florida Gymnastics Posts Nation's Top Score to Edge LSU: In a battle of gymnastics titans, the No. 4 Florida Gators delivered the nation's best team score of the season (198.45) to defeat No. 2 LSU (198.325) in a thrilling meet. In front of a sellout home crowd, the Gators were nearly flawless, particularly on the floor exercise where they sealed the victory with the nation's second-highest total on that apparatus this year.
Former Tiger Haunts Mizzou in Walk-Off Loss: In a dramatic, 11-inning affair, Florida softball clinched its series against Missouri with a 4-3 walk-off victory. The game-winning RBI single came from Madison Walker, who played for Missouri just last season. The Tigers had taken a 3-2 lead in the third inning on three solo home runs before Florida's Jocelyn Erickson tied the game with a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh.
Givens Questions Kentucky's Belief: Following Kentucky's 84-77 Senior Day loss to Florida, UK Sports Network analyst and program legend Jack “Goose” Givens made waves with his postgame comments. Givens suggested the Wildcats took the floor not believing they could win, pointing to a disastrous 11-0 deficit to start the game. The loss has major implications for Kentucky's SEC Tournament seeding.
PORTAL WATCH
The transfer portal was quiet over the last 12 hours with no new SEC entries or commitments to report.
RECRUITING BUZZ
There were no new football or basketball commitments across the SEC in the last 12 hours.
GAMES TO WATCH
- Softball: Missouri at No. 5 Florida, 6 p.m. The Tigers look to avoid a series sweep against the Gators in Gainesville tonight.