Gamecocks Set to Meet Hoosiers in Sweet 16

No. 1/1 South Carolina is in its 10th straight NCAA Sweet 16 game on Fri., March 29, facing No. 14/14 Indiana at 5 p.m. at MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y. The game will air on ESPN.

The Indiana Series
The Gamecocks lead the overall series against the Hoosiers 3-2, but Indiana has won the last two meetings, including the only one in the Dawn Staley era.

The two teams last met in the 2019 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. Then-No. 17 Indiana knocked off then-No. 5 South Carolina 71-57 in the first game of the event, which the Gamecocks went on to win on point differential. That loss was the only blemish on the Gamecocks’ 2019-20 season.

Gamecock Notables

• Playing in its 11th NCAA Sweet 16 game under Dawn Staley, including 10 straight, South Carolina is 6-4 in those regional semifinal games with three of the wins coming in the last three years.

• Over the last three seasons (beginning 2021-22), head coach Dawn Staley has led the Gamecocks to a 105-3 record, including a 47-1 mark in SEC play and a 21-1 mark against ranked opponents. Those rosters included 25 different players with 14 different starting lineups across the three seasons.

• This postseason (SEC and NCAA Tournaments), eight different Gamecocks have at least one start and nine average at least 18.0 minutes per game.

• South Carolina’s bench is second in the nation with 34.1 points per game. In the NCAA Tournament, that number rises to 47.0 as the team’s top two scorers come off the bench – MiLaysia Fulwiley (18.5 ppg) and Chloe Kitts (16.5 ppg).

• The Gamecocks’ seven wins against ranked opponents are the second most in the nation and have come by an average of 16.3 points.

• This postseason, nine Gamecocks average at least 6.0 points, including three scoring at least 11.0 per game. In NCAA Tournament games, five Gamecocks average double-figure points.

• In the NCAA Tournament, the Gamecock defense, which already led the nation in field goal percentage allowed and ranked 25th in points allowed, has held its opponents to 26.0 percent shooting and 40.0 points per game. The effort has moved the Gamecocks to 11th in points allowed per game (55.4) on the season.

• Third in the nation in rebounding (46.5), South Carolina averages 49.0 in the NCAA Tournament thanks in part to turning a -6 margin against North Carolina in the regular-season meeting into a +21 edge on Sunday.

Ranked Readings
Against ranked teams, South Carolina is 113-67 (.627) in the Dawn Staley era (beginning 2008-09), and even that mark is skewed by the early seasons of her tenure. Since the start of the 2014-15 campaign, the Gamecocks are 98-28 (.778) against ranked teams.

This season, South Carolina is 7-0 vs. ranked teams. Those seven are the second-most in the country and the most without a loss to an unranked opponent.

Block Party
South Carolina annually ranks among the best shot blocking teams in the country and leads the way again this season at 7.9 blocks per game – the second-ranked team averages 6.2 (Boise St).

The Gamecocks have posted the top three shot-blocking games in the nation this season, led by their school record-tying 17 against Presbyterian (Dec. 16).

The SEC’s top two shot blockers – Kamilla Cardoso (2.6) and Ashlyn Watkins (2.4) – are ranked 13th and 16th in the nation, respectively.

Paint Production
South Carolina has long dominated the paint, and this season’s numbers have upheld that tradition. The season kicked off with 70 of the team’s 100 points against #10/10 Notre Dame (Nov. 6) coming in the paint, and a total of 21 games have seen at least half the total points scored in the paint. In their game at Tennessee (Feb. 15), a season-high 72.7 percent of points were in the paint.

With 53.0 percent of their points coming in the paint, the Gamecocks are out-scoring opponents in that space 45.7 to 23.3 (+22.4) for the season, including by +21.8 points per SEC game (46.5-24.8). They are shooting 56.9 percent in the paint compared to opponents’ 38.7 percent.

Last season, South Carolina averaged 43.8 points in the paint to account for 54.6 percent of its offense.