Dawn Staley’s South Carolina Gamecocks head into the 2026 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament as the clear favorites, carrying the weight of a dominant regular season and championship pedigree into what promises to be a highly competitive week of basketball in Greenville.
Gamecocks Close Regular Season Strong
South Carolina (28-2, 15-1 SEC) wrapped up their regular season schedule with a road victory over No. 16 Kentucky in Lexington, capping off yet another impressive campaign. The Gamecocks had already secured their fifth consecutive SEC regular-season title prior to that final matchup, further cementing their status as the conference’s premier program.
As expected, South Carolina enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed.
Tournament Location and Schedule
Greenville, South Carolina, plays host to the SEC Tournament for the fourth consecutive year, a venue arrangement that is set to continue through 2028. Action tips off on Wednesday, March 4, with the championship game scheduled for Sunday, March 8 at 3:30 p.m.
For the Gamecocks, the tournament represents an opportunity to claim their fourth straight SEC Tournament title and 10th championship in program history — a remarkable milestone that speaks to the consistency Staley has built in Columbia.
South Carolina is slated to open tournament play on Friday, March 6 in the quarterfinal round, with their specific opponent to be confirmed once the full bracket is finalised.
Full SEC Tournament Bracket
First Round — Wednesday, March 4
– No. 16 Arkansas vs No. 9 Kentucky — 11 a.m., SEC Network
– No. 13 Mississippi State vs No. 12 Florida — 1:30 p.m., SEC Network
– No. 15 Auburn vs No. 10 Texas A&M — 6 p.m., SEC Network
– No. 14 Missouri vs No. 11 Alabama — 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
Second Round — Thursday, March 5
– No. 8 Georgia vs Game 1 winner — 11 a.m., SEC Network
– No. 5 Oklahoma vs Game 2 winner — 1:30 p.m., SEC Network
– No. 7 Tennessee vs Game 3 winner — 6 p.m., SEC Network
– No. 6 Ole Miss vs Game 4 winner — 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
Quarterfinals — Friday, March 6
– No. 1 South Carolina vs Game 5 winner — Noon, ESPN
– No. 4 LSU vs Game 6 winner — 2:30 p.m., ESPN
– No. 2 Vanderbilt vs Game 7 winner — 6 p.m., SEC Network
– No. 3 Texas vs Game 8 winner — 8:30 p.m., SEC Network
Semifinals — Saturday, March 7
– Quarterfinal 1 winner vs Quarterfinal 2 winner — 4:30 p.m., ESPN2
– Quarterfinal 3 winner vs Quarterfinal 4 winner — 7 p.m., ESPN2
Championship — Sunday, March 8
– Semifinal winners — 3 p.m., ESPN
The Road Ahead
With the bracket nearly finalised — pending the outcomes of LSU vs Mississippi State and Oklahoma vs Missouri — South Carolina’s path to a fourth consecutive title is beginning to take shape. Whatever opponent awaits them on Friday, the Gamecocks will enter as heavy favourites and with the full backing of a home-state crowd in Greenville.
For a program that has made winning SEC titles a routine expectation, the only acceptable outcome remains a championship on Sunday afternoon.
