Finger on the Pulse: An SEC Tournament Preview

The regular season is officially wrapped up, with Texas heading into the SEC tournament as the 3-seed and earning a double-bye. Their first match will be the nightcap game on Sunday in Enmarket Arena, with the opponent still to be determined by Friday and Saturday's action. Here's everything you need to know heading into the bracket:

Practice How You Play

Right now, the coaching staff is pushing their players to take on a super competitive mindset, and that attitude is showing in every drill on the practice court. This past week, the team worked on a lot of 1-on-1 situations, really testing who is the better athlete in the moment. There are also plenty of drills focused on winning this point right now, emphasizing urgency and mental toughness. The Longhorns are running lots of 6-on-6 scrimmages, keeping the intensity high and energy levels up. At this point in the season, practice is less about upgrading skills and more about making sure that at 23-24 in that pivotal set that's bound to happen, Texas will be the one to make a play.

One Game at a Time

Ayden Ames knows the importance of what's coming. “I think it's gonna be a grind, playing three days in a row. It's gonna take a lot of grit to be able to push through, because we haven't ever played three days in a row,” she said. The Longhorns are keeping their eyes on the bigger prize, but the focus stays sharp. “We have the goal to win the tournament, but I think to win the tournament we have to go game by game,” Ames added.

A Chance for Revenge

Texas has two losses this season—against A&M and Kentucky. Both could be on the horizon in Savannah. A revenge game against A&M would be extra sweet for this team because of the rivalry that is seemingly getting more intense by the year, and because they know they could've won that match on Halloween. “If we end up playing [one of those teams], coming into that game with a loss we have an advantage, we have that chip on our shoulder,” Kenna Miller said. And on what's different playing a team the second time around, Ames added “The second time is a more accurate representation of the game, because both teams know each other better." A chance to settle scores could make this tournament even more motivating.

The tournament will put these top SEC teams to the test in multiple ways, and Texas is emphasizing the mental aspect of making it through that grind. A positive showing would lock up one of those 1-seeds in the big dance, giving a critical advantage of hosting through the regional, allowing the Gregory gym environment to help propel the team forward to Kansas City.