NCAA Elite 8 Set for Tuesday Night

NCAA TOURNAMENT ELITE 8 (HEMISFAIR REGION)
#6/5 SOUTH CAROLINA (25-4) VS. TEXAS (21-9)
7 P.M. (ET)  |  SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS  |  ALAMODOME

NCAA Tournament Digital Program | South Carolina Game Notes | TV: ESPN | Radio: 107.5 The Game | Live Stats 

GAMECOCK NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Appearances: 17 (1982, 1986, 1988, 1989,1990, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Overall Record (Staley Era): 33-15 (25-7)
Sweet 16 Appearances: 11 (1982, 1990, 2002, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
Elite Eight Appearances: 5 (2002, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2021)
Final Four Appearances: 2 (2015, 2017)
National Championships: 1 (2017)
Italics indicates during the Dawn Staley era

ABOUT TODAY’S GAME

• The Gamecocks are 1-2 all-time against Texas with their lone win coming at Texas during South Carolina’s 2017 National Championship season.
• Tonight’s two head coaches have extensive history from Vic Schaefer’s eight seasons at Mississippi State. Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks went 12-3 against Schaefer’s Bulldogs, including five championship game victories (2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 SEC Tournament; 2017 NCAA National Championship).
• South Carolina is playing in its fifth NCAA Elite 8 game in program history and fourth in the last six seasons. The Gamecocks are 2-2 all-time in this round of the NCAA Tournament.

GAMECOCK NOTABLES

• Earning a No. 1 seed for the fifth time in the last seven NCAA Tournaments, South Carolina played the toughest schedule in the country, facing an NCAA-best 13 ranked opponents.
• Five different Gamecocks have scored in double-figures at least once in NCAA Tournament play this season. Three have led or tied for the team lead in scoring at least once – Aliyah Boston (tied vs. Mercer, vs. Oregon State), Zia Cooke (vs. Georgia Tech) and Victaria Saxton (tied vs. Mercer).
• South Carolina’s eight 3-pointers against Georgia Tech were its second-most this season and its most since hitting eight against then-No. 15/16 Arkansas (Jan. 18).
• Through three NCAA Tournament games, South Carolina’s frontcourt has scored 56.5 percent of the Gamecocks’ 71.3 points per game with all three forwards averaging double figures (Aliyah Boston, 16.9 ppg, Victaria Saxton 13.0 ppg, Laeticia Amihere 11.3 ppg). The trio has done it with some range as well, scoring 11.7 of its 40.3 points per game outside the paint.
• Consensus first-team All-American and The Athletic’s National Player of the Year, Aliyah Boston is among the nation’s best in rebounding (15th, 11.5 rpg), blocked shots (17th, 2.6 bpg) and double-doubles (6th, 16). Already averaging a double-double for the season and in SEC play, the 6-foot-5 forward powered up in the postseason, averaging 17.7 points and 10.7 rebounds and shooting 54.4 percent in the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
• Sophomore Zia Cooke makes up half of one of the most dynamic backcourts in the country, leading the Gamecocks with 15.6 points per game and 42 made 3-pointers. She has scored in double figures 25 times through 29 games, including all three NCAA Tournament outings. Still, the Sweet 16 game was her breakthrough at the event as she poured in 17 points, including 5-of-6 shooting from 3-point range.
• Junior forward Victaria Saxton has been locked in offensively, shooting 65.2 percent from the field in the NCAA Tournament to average 13.0 points at the event.

BY THE NUMBERS

5 Zia Cooke’s five made 3s vs. Georgia Tech tied the Gamecocks’ NCAA Tournament record and her career high.

11.3 In the NCAA Tournament, forward Laeticia Amihere is scoring 11.,3 points per game on  56.0 percent shooting. She entered the event scoring 6.2 points per game.

55.5 The Gamecocks have scored 55,5 percent of their 76.2 points per game in the paint. (42.3 ppg) this season.