Texas Women's Basketball had a quick celebration after becoming co-regular season champions with South Carolina on Sunday. The work isn't done just yet for the Longhorns.
The SEC Women's Basketball Championship in Greenville, South Carolina, begins on Wednesday. The Longhorns won't play until Friday since they are the second seed after losing a coin flip for the number one seed. They will find out who they play after Thursday's slate of games.
Texas can't take any team lightly in the tournament. Even though the Longhorns have their March Madness Invite secured, other SEC teams are fighting for a birth. That means a win against Texas could help their resumes in making it into the tournament over other teams. If the Longhorns want to win the SEC Conference Tournament, they must be on their A game on Friday. Here are three teams that could be a threat to eliminate the Longhorns from the SEC Tournament.
Texas narrowly escaped Starkville, Mississippi, with a win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. They are one of the teams on Texas's side of the bracket that concerns me. While I don't think they would make it to the quarterfinals against Texas, they do raise some alarms. The fact they probably want a second chance at pulling off a major upset should worry Vic Schaefer and his squad. If Texas is prepared and ready to play them, the Longhorns should perform better against them this time.
If Senior guard Jerkaila Jordan had a better shooting performance against the Longhorns, they would have won last Thursday in Starkville. The Longhorns should be worried if they play the Bulldogs again. They could have spoiled Vic Schaefer's homecoming if they had a better defensive performance and didn't fall apart. They won't pass up another opportunity to upset the Longhorns this season.
I think Texas will play Alabama in the semifinals after hearing the news about LSU Tiger guard Flau'Jae Johnson missing the SEC Tournament due to an injury. The Crimson Tide lost to the Longhorns by a significant margin in January.
They would love to prove to Texas that performance was a fluke. The Longhorns played circles around the Crimson Tide on the road. What a perfect time to pull off a significant upset other than the conference tournament. It's only the second team the Longhorns should avoid.
Crimson Tide Senior guard Sara Ashlee Barker didn't play in the game against the Longhorns this season. She's averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds this season. I don't think she would have made a difference in the final score against the Longhorns this season. However, she's done well in her last three games this season. The Longhorns must be ready for her if they play the Crimson Tide in the SEC Conference Tournament this year.
The Longhorns had to claw back into the game to beat the Ole Miss Rebels. They would take on the Longhorns if they win their second-round matchup. I'm sure the Longhorns would be prepared for them.
However, the Rebels looked like they had the Longhorns' number during their last game. I'm concerned the Rebels could be a trap game for the Longhorns. I'm sure the Longhorns don't want to enter March Madness with a loss to the Rebels in the quarterfinals.
The difference in the game came down to the final minute when Longhorns Sophomore forward Madison Booker scored the game-winning basket. It shouldn't have come to that, to be honest. The Longhorns are a good defensive team that seemed to have an off-day against the Rebels. Senior guard Madison Scott had a good game, scoring 17 points against the Longhorns. With everyone turning into the SEC Tournament, she would love a better performance and to lead her team to an upset over the Longhorns.