COLUMBIA — As the regular season wraps up and with conference tournaments about to start, South Carolina women’s basketball remains projected as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Current projections still place the No. 6 Gamecocks (27-3, 15-1 SEC) to host the first round before advancing to the Birmingham Region. Just two weeks ago, after their loss to UConn, bracket predictions had them headed to Spokane, Washington.
As the No. 1 seed in the SEC Tournament, South Carolina will begin play on Friday at noon ET at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville.
Here’s the latest on South Carolina’s position in the NCAA Tournament projections:
South Carolina projected as No. 1 seed
In ESPN’s most recent projections by Charlie Creme, the Gamecocks are listed as a No. 1 seed, hosting in Columbia within the Birmingham 4 Region. The bracket includes Illinois (No. 8), Richmond (No. 9), and the winner of a First Four game between UNCG and High Point (No. 16).
South Carolina would face either UNCG or High Point, with the winner advancing to meet Illinois or Richmond.
South Carolina’s basketball NCAA Tournament résumé, NET ranking
The Gamecocks have dropped to second in the NCAA NET rankings, as UConn moved up to No. 1 last week, where it currently stands.
South Carolina boasts an 8-2 record on the road, 5-0 on neutral courts, and 14-1 at home. They are 14-3 in Quad 1 games, 3-0 in Quad 2 games, 3-0 in Quad 3 games, and 7-0 in Quad 4 games.
No team has more Quad 1 victories this season than the Gamecocks. They finished the regular season with 11 wins against ranked opponents.
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South Carolina women’s basketball NCAA Tournament history
Under Dawn Staley, South Carolina has claimed three national championships since 2017, with the most recent being during their perfect 38-0 2023-24 season.
The Gamecocks have appeared in six Final Fours, reached seven Elite Eights, and participated in 14 Sweet 16 games. They have also won the SEC tournament title eight times and have been crowned SEC regular-season champions on eight occasions.