The No. 4-ranked Texas Longhorns fell to the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks in a 68-65 slugfest, which included a peculiar end-of-game decision by head coach Vic Schaefer.
The Texas Longhorns' rematch with the South Carolina Gamecocks did not end in similar fashion as the team's previous meeting, a 66-64 win for Texas on Nov. 27.
This time around, the No. 2-ranked Gamecocks exacted revenge, beating No. 4 Texas 68-65 in Columbia. USC improved to 18-1 overall while the Longhorns fell to 18-2.
All-American Madison Booker led Texas with 24 points and Rori Harmon contributed 16 to go with five rebounds and five assists. The Longhorns shot just 1-9 from three-point range, showing that their legs on offense couldn't keep pace with the full-court press they played on defense throughout the game.
Despite the pressure, South Carolina managed to have each of the five starters finish in double-figures scoring, with Joyce Edwards leading the well-rounded affair with 14 points.
In the game's final moments, however, Texas seemingly missed out on an opportunity to have the game flip its way.
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South Carolina was inbounding the ball on the sideline with seven and a half seconds remaining holding onto the three-point lead. Harmon couldn't foul the ball-handler on the catch, but despite it being still a one-possession game, the Longhorns chose not to foul, allowing the Gamecocks to dribble out the final six-plus seconds uncontested.
A whistle would have put the Gamecocks at the free-throw line for the one-and-one bonus, and yes, while one make would've essentially ended the game, a miss could have given the Longhorns one last shot to force overtime. Texas didn't have anymore timeouts, but over five seconds after a defensive rebound would have still been plenty of time to muster a last-second heave.
Instead, head coach Vic Schaefer didn't even let it become a possibility.
And for those keeping an eye on the betting spread, the Longhorns were indeed in position to cover the +3.5 margin. Avoiding a foul and a potential free throw to go down four makes the situation all the more head-scratching.
After the game, Schaefer emphasized that he appreciated his teams resilience and competitiveness.
“Two teams really just compete and play their hearts out. I’m very proud of my kids,” he said. “I think we’re in a tough spot, and I’m just proud of how hard they played and their focus tonight. ... But, I can’t fault my kids tonight. They played their heart out. As always, a great environment here.
"When I walk off that floor tonight, I know I’ve got a hell of a team. And we’d stay overnight, play tomorrow if they want to. We just came up a little short tonight.”
Though Schaefer didn't address the odd end-of-game decision specifically, he pointed to the expectation that it would be a close game throughout.
“Two really, good teams, Two really competitive teams full of competitive kids. Probably got two competitive coaches too,” Schaefer said. “And we all know, myself included, whether it’s an out-of-bounds play I called, and we didn’t get it in, my turnover, right? And so, we can all be accountable for the one possession that the game hits. But when you get two teams like this together, that know each other so well, you’re gonna have these knockdown, drag-outs.
"To be in that environment tonight to see these kids compete the way they did ... We’ve been on the road for the last six days, so it is what it is.”
The Longhorns now return home after an 0-2 stretch on the road to face Texas A&M at the Moody Center on Sunday Jan. 18.