Texas Women's Basketball took on the Ole Miss Rebels in the SEC Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinals. The Longhorns clawed their way back into the last game these two teams played in January.
I'm sure Vic Schaefer had his team more prepared for the Rebels this time. The Longhorns looked like a completely different team when the first quarter began. The entire starting five for Texas scored a basket by the end of the first quarter.
the Horns are here 🤘#HookEm pic.twitter.com/FAfcnj84oI
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 7, 2025
The Longhorns will use that "team first" philosophy tonight to beat the Ole Miss Rebels 70-63 to advance to the SEC Women's Basketball Semifinals. Madison Booker led the team with 19 points. Later tonight, they will find out if they will take on the Florida Gators or the LSU Tigers.
The Longhorns did well against both teams, so they will be prepared to face either opponent. Here are the three takeaways from Texas's win over the Rebels in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
3. Distributing the ball to everyone on the floor
I almost had a stroke when the starting five got onto the scoreboard with four minutes left in the first quarter. This is how dangerous Texas can be as a women's basketball team when they share the ball like they did tonight. Why they trailed in the first game against Ole Miss won't be solved anytime soon. The Longhorns must play against teams like LSU or South Carolina to win the SEC Conference title.
defense turns to offense 😮💨🤘#HookEm | @roriiiharmonnn pic.twitter.com/pWjA7Wwjrr
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 7, 2025
Distribute the ball to your teammates if they are open, and don't worry about your stat line. The Longhorns can't rely on Rori Harmon and Madison Booker to carry this team to the end of the finish line. Players like Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda and Jordan Lee need to get involved as well. This was an excellent start for the Longhorns in the SEC Tournament.
The only question that remains is, can they do this against an elite team like South Carolina? The Longhorns have already proven that this season.
2. Booker had a better game against Ole Miss
Booker had an okay performance against the Rebels in Oxnard earlier this season. She hit the game-winning shot, which spoiled the Rebels' upset against the Longhorns. Booker was much better in tonight's game regarding shot selection and defense.
When she didn't have a shot she liked, she looked for an open teammate to pass the ball to so someone else could score the basket. When Booker is dialed in and doesn't make terrible shot selections, she is a player you don't want to be going up against.
she can do it all 🤘#HookEm | @MaddiewitdaB_ pic.twitter.com/uR9TCMi8Dg
— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) March 7, 2025
Booker lived up to her being named the SEC Player of the Year. When she focuses and doesn't make bad shot selections, the sky is the limit for her.
If Booker plays like this for the remainder of the SEC Tournament, the Longhorns might be a tough team to beat. It would be something if the Longhorns dethrone the South Carolina Gamecocks this year as the SEC Champions. However, the Longhorns can't get caught looking at the finish line. They must take it one game at a time to get to the championship game.
1. Forcing turnovers
Even though the Longhorns didn't win the battle on the boards tonight, they did force multiple turnovers. The Longhorns scored 13 points on the Rebels' 17 turnovers tonight. That is how you make your opponents pay for having bad ball-handling skills.
It was one of the factors why the Longhorns beat the Rebels tonight. Overall, it was a good game for the Longhorns. I will have a preview of tomorrow's game before tip-off.