After defeating No. 2 seed Duke in the Elite Eight, the No. 1 seed South Carolina Gamecocks, led by head coach Dawn Staley, are Final Four bound for a fifth-straight time.
On Monday’s edition of “Nightcap” podcast with co-host Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson, Shannon Sharpe broke down the Gamecocks’ Final Four matchup with Texas and their chances at repeating as national champions.
Shannon Sharpe Breaks Down South Carolina-Texas Final Four Matchup
NFL great-turned-analyst Shannon Sharpe, on a recent episode of his podcast with football legend Chad Johnson, discussed the Final Four matchup between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas Longhorns.
“I could see a game where it’s 35-34, [South Carolina] and Texas,” Sharpe said. “They play each other, they know each other, they’re in the same conference, Ocho.
“Texas snapped [South Carolina’s] SEC winning streak, and then [South Carolina] returned the favor when they got them in the conference championship,” he continued. “But hey, two teams that are very familiar with each other, both play outstanding defense.”
Texas handed the Gamecocks their second loss of the season in Austin in a 66-62 nailbiter back in February. South Carolina returned the favor in the SEC Tournament final in a 64-45 drubbing a few weeks later.
“It’s gonna be a great matchup. We know what Dawn Staley is, she’s been here, she’s done that,” Sharpe said. “They don’t have the shooters… I won’t say they don’t have it because they have the same women on the squad that made a lot of the — [Te-Hina] Paopao and Chloe Kitts can dominate the class,” Sharpe explained.
“I think Raven Johnson—they have young ladies that can make the shots; they just, for whatever reason, they haven’t made them this season.”
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This season, the Gamecocks are shooting 46.5% from the floor and 32.8% beyond the arc, compared to 49.2% from the floor and 39.5% beyond the arc last year. Part of the difference is the loss of center Kamilla Cardoso, who was drafted No. 3 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
“It’s gonna be a really interesting matchup. I think it’s gonna be a low-scoring game, Ocho because both of these teams get out here defensively.”
This highly anticipated “rubber match” between the two SEC foes in the Final Four tips off on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN2.
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