With a 17-1 overall record in the season so far, South Carolina has really walked the talk as a three-time national champion. They have managed to keep almost all teams at bay except for the Texas Longhorns, who managed a narrow 66-64 win in November, courtesy of Rori Harmon’s last-minute winning shot. As the Gamecocks face their nemesis once again on Thursday in an SEC conference battle, star forward Joyce Edwards shed light on the hurdles that her team can expect to face against the Longhorns.

In an interview, Edwards highlighted the formidable challenge that the big Longhorns players will present to South Carolina.

“When they’re on offense, we know they’re big,” she said. “They’re physical. We have to do our work early. They rebound the ball really well, so we have to keep them off the boards.”

The availability of big and physical players on the roster for almost all positions on the court has benefited the Longhorns immensely on defense. Centres like 6’6” Kyla Oldacre, who leads the Longhorns in blocks, and 6’4” Breya Cunningham have helped the side to give away an average opponents’ points per game of just 53.2 in the season. This is slightly better than the Gamecocks’ 53.6.

However, Joyce Edwards and the Gamecocks are ready as a unit to penetrate the defense of the Longhorns. She candidly added in her interview, “And then just as a team handling the pressure. They’re going to deny the wings, elbow entries. So, we have to just work it around that and execute our offense.” Besides the defense, 6’1” forward Madison Booker presents a physical challenge for the Gamecocks on offense. On top of that, Booker has been in sublime form this season, averaging a career-best 19.2 points so far.

But coming into the match on Thursday at the Colonial Life Arena, the pressure will be on the Longhorns. Texas is eagerly waiting to make a comeback following its first defeat of the season against LSU, where several of its players, including Booker and Harmon, struggled. Although Booker recorded 24 points in the game, she had six turnovers to shy away from. Moreover, Harmon, who was pivotal in Texas’s last victory against South Carolina, had just two points in 28 minutes.

With this defeat, the Longhorns are currently on the back foot, and the Gamecocks will aim to take advantage of it. Combined with in-form players like Edwards and Ta’Niya Latson, Dawn Staley’s team can put early pressure on Texas.

How Do Joyce Edwards and South Carolina Fare Against the Texas Longhorns?

Joyce Edwards and South Carolina’s formula to succeed against Texas will be to focus on its strengths. The Gamecocks have succeeded highly on offense in the 2025-26 season, with impressive shooting from the field. They currently rank third behind LSU and UConn in FG percentage, with 51.80% of shots made from the field. Besides, South Carolina has the perfect arsenal to outmaneuver Texas’s physique with clever play and a fast offense.

For context, the Gamecocks have an abundance of big players on their roster to stop the Longhorns’ offense. 6’6” senior Madina Okot, who transferred from Mississippi State for her senior year, has been the heart of the Gamecocks’ defense this season. Okot has led the side on rebounds and blocks, while averaging 15.1 points per game. 6’7” freshman Alicia Tournebize is also among the bigs that head coach Dawn Staley can employ in the game.

Edwards herself is averaging an impressive 20.7 points on offense, while hitting 60.6% from the field. She can be pivotal in the game for the Gamecocks, along with guard Ta’Niya Latson. To top that, it will be an interesting contest to witness between Edwards and Longhorns centre Kyla Oldacre.

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With the contest set to begin in a few hours, who has the edge going into the SEC conference contest? What’s your thought?