South Carolina vs. Texas: Three things to watch for, scouting the opponent and injury report

South Carolina returns home with one goal in mind: Find a way to win. It hasn’t done that in 54 days but there’s always a chance that could change.

The Gamecocks (10-16, 0-13 SEC) will host the Texas Longhorns at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday night. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. on SEC Network.

Here are three things to watch for, an opponent scouting report on the Longhorns, plus the latest injury report.

Thomas must start strong then do it for a full 40

Jamarii Thomas had a nice outing against LSU on Tuesday as he finished with 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. But most of his scoring came in the second half where he had 19 points.

That’s kind of been the case with the senior guard this season. He hasn’t always been great at the start of games. When he comes out of the break though, something just seems to click for him. He’s a much better player as the game wears on.

For South Carolina to finally get in the win column, Thomas is going to have to play better than that. That means he can’t be starting slow and not providing much in the first half. If he can get off to a good start and then carry it over after halftime, he’s going to be dangerous.

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The new team in the league

After years in the Big 12, Texas is now officially a member of the SEC. Since joining in men’s basketball, it’s been an up and down year for the Longhorns, who started strong in non-conference play but have been inconsistent since 2025 began.

They’ve gone on a pair of three-game losing streaks with two other losses mixed in to sit at 5-8 in the SEC. It’s nowhere near as bad as what it’s been like for South Carolina. But it just shows how hard it is to win in this league.

Texas is 2-4 on the road in SEC play, with its wins coming at Oklahoma and LSU. It just took down a good Kentucky team last Saturday and has had the week off from game action. Could coming into Colonial Life Arena impact their performance? It all depends on what kind of crowd shows up on Saturday, though.

Expect a heavy dose of threes

While Texas hasn’t been overly successful in conference play this year, it can win games in a very simple way. Hit a lot of three-pointers and force a lot of missed three-pointers by the other team. The Longhorns rank fourth in the SEC in three-point percentage (36.1%) and 12th in the conference in three-point shooting percentage allowed (33.6). 

South Carolina is coming off a game in which LSU set the world on fire and knocked down 13 triples from the outside. The Gamecocks hit seven threes of their own, which isn’t bad, but it’s nothing compared to what the Tigers did.

If South Carolina hopes to win this game, it must avoid allowing Texas to get into a rhythm. On the flip side, it needs to find a more consistent shot. The Gamecocks shot much better after the break at a 57.1 percent clip against LSU. They weren’t shooting that hot in the first half, which made it hard to climb back into the game. But if they can play like that for a full 40 minutes, this could be a tight-knit battle.

Scouting the opponent

For a full look into Texas, click here to read Resume Check: Looking ahead to South Carolina basketball’s next opponent, the Texas Longhorns.

Injury report

For South Carolina: Myles Stute is OUT (blood clot).

For LSU: Chendall Weaver is OUT, Arthur Kaluma is PROBABLE, Devon Pryor is PROBABLE.

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Game details

Who: South Carolina (10-16, 0-13 SEC) vs. Texas (16-10, 5-8 SEC)

When: Saturday, Feb. 22 at 8:30 p.m.

Where: Colonial Life Arena (18,000)

How to watch/listen: SEC Network/107.5 The Game

ESPN gives South Carolina a 32.9 percent chance to win

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