The phrase “who can guard Tessa” is a trending basketball meme right now, and it’s mainly about South Carolina guard Tessa Johnson , not a literal security question.

What “who can guard Tessa” refers to

  • It’s a catchphrase used by women’s college hoops fans to talk about how hard it is to defend Tessa Johnson, a standout player associated with South Carolina basketball.
  • Sports shows and podcasts have picked it up in titles like “Who can guard Tessa?!? Vandy gets GOT! Stewie signs with Fener, Chelsea Gray can't be stopped,” tying it into broader women’s hoops talk.
  • The line has become a hype slogan on social media, similar in vibe to “Who can guard Caitlin?” or “How do you stop Steph?” in other contexts.

Why it’s trending now

  • Recent episodes of basketball podcasts and shows in February 2026 used “Who can guard Tessa?!” in their titles, bringing the phrase into wider circulation.
  • Merch sites are now selling “Who Can Guard Tessa Johnson” T‑shirts, which usually means the phrase has jumped from hardcore fans to general sports internet culture.
  • The timing lines up with the late‑season college basketball push and women’s hoops getting a lot more coverage and highlight clips.

Example of the meme in use

“Vandy gets GOT! Who can guard Tessa?! Stewie signs with Fener, Chelsea Gray can’t be stopped…” – a podcast-style show title mixing college and pro women’s basketball storylines.

Is it about any other “Tessa”?

People online might occasionally confuse it with other Tessas, but the current viral phrase is:

  • Not about the movie “Guarding Tess” (that’s a 1994 comedy about a former First Lady and her Secret Service agent).
  • Not about fictional characters like Tessa Young from the “After” series or anime/game characters named Tessa.

Right now, “who can guard Tessa” is best understood as a basketball fandom line about guarding Tessa Johnson on the court.

TL;DR: “Who can guard Tessa” is a hoops-world slogan about how tough it is to defend South Carolina’s Tessa Johnson, now big enough that it’s in show titles and printed on T‑shirts.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.