The Texas Longhorns left the SEC Tournament with a strong statement of why they could fight for more than just a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The No. 3-seeded Texas Longhorns rolled past the top-seed South Carolina Gamecocks 78-61 in the SEC Tournament Championship Sunday afternoon at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.
The Longhorns, entering the weekend ranked No. 4 in the country (one spot below the Gamecocks), not only stamped their ticket into the NCAA Tournament bracket, but did so with one of the biggest statements for why they deserve to be one of the four No. 1 seeds.
A well-rounded offensive showing featured Madison Booker scoring game-highs of 18 points and eight rebounds, Justice Carlton adding 15 points, four assists and four rebounds, Jordan Lee scoring 12 and the team shooting 52 percent from the field overall.
The Longhorns blitzed the Gamecocks from the opening tip on, outscoring the defending tournament champions 27-12 in the first quarter. South Carolina trimmed into the deficit throughout the middle portions, but a 21-17 rout in the final period allowed the Longhorns to coast to the victory.
Despite shooting 14 less free throws than South Carolina, Texas executed on both ends by matching the strong shooting with efficient offense when getting new possessions. The Horns forced 14 South Carolina turnovers and scored 16 points off of those takeaways.
Texas (31-3) wins its first SEC Tournament championship in program history, and it was done in enemy territory against one of the nation's best programs. Additionally, the Longhorns captured the season series by beating South Carolina (31-3) for the second time in the three meetings this season.
The Gamecocks were led by 13 points from Joyce Edwards and Maddy McDaniel's 10 points off the bench. They now await their fate for an at-large bid in the March Madness bracket later Sunday night.
During the ESPN broadcast, analysts predicted that this dominant showing should put the Longhorns in position to receive the third No. 1 seed, which would put them in a Fort Worth Regional that would be sure to draw a large contingent of Longhorns Nation.
With that type of fan support and momentum surging from a historic conference tournament championship, the Longhorns are fully equipped to turn their top seeding into a national title.
