Gamecocks Host NCAA Tournament Play This Weekend

Gamecock Notables

• South Carolina enters its 22nd NCAA Tournament making its 14th-consecutive appearance at the event. It holds a regional No. 1 seed for the 10th time in the last 12 seasons and has hosted games for the last 10 tournaments that had campus-site games.

• The Gamecocks closed the regular season as SEC Champion for the fifth-straight season and the 10th time in the last 13 seasons.

• Throughout the season, South Carolina has been among the nation’s most efficient teams, shooting 50.7 percent from the field (3rd in the nation). The Gamecocks led the SEC with a .479 percentage in league games, and they shot 47.7 percent against ranked opponents. Per Synergy, South Carolina leads the nation with 1.222 points per possession. In program history, only the 1988-89 team finished the season shooting at least 50.0 percent.

• The high-octane Gamecock offense is fourth in the nation with 86.3 points per game. Its 82.1 points per SEC game ranks third in program history. The program record for single-season scoring average is 85.4 by the 2023-24 team.

• South Carolina’s defense is also among the nation’s best, ranking sixth in field goal percentage allowed (.350). That number goes even lower at Colonial Life Arena where opponents are shooting just 31.0 percent. The Gamecocks have allowed just 57.9 points per game. Per Synergy, they are second in the nation in points allowed per possession (.718).

• The Gamecocks thrive in the paint – on both sides of the ball. South Carolina is second in the nation with 46.4 paint points per game and are shooting 60.8 percent in the lane. Defensively, they yield just 23.8 paint points per game and allow opponents to shoot just 43.3 percent in that space.

• For the third time in the last four seasons at least three Gamecocks earned All-America honors. Joyce Edwards has been a unanimous second-team selection from every outlet. Raven Johnson earned third-team recognition from the Associated Press, and Ta’Niya Latson made it four seasons with the title after making the AP’s honorable mention list.

• All five of South Carolina’s starters were named to an All-SEC team, tying the league record for selections. Edwards was on the first team while Raven Johnson, Tessa Johnson, Latson and Madina Okot earned spots on the second team. Four of those starters were listed among ESPN’s Top 25 Players to Watch in the NCAA Tournament with the list lacking only the SEC’s top 3-point percentage shooter Tessa Johnson.

• The Gamecock bench has been growing in confidence and contributions in the last month of the season. At the SEC Tournament, the five reserves accounted for 22.0 percent of the offense, compared to just 20.7 percent leading into the event. Sophomore Maddy McDaniel posted her season-high points at the tournament, and freshman Alicia Tournebize grabbed her career-high rebounds.

By the Numbers
7 – Multiple Gamecocks have earned All-America status for the seventh-straight season.

9 – South Carolina has posted at least  30 wins in nine of the last 12 seasons, including each of the last five.

12 – Senior Raven Johnson needs 12 points to reach 1,000 in her career.

Gamecocks Against the Field
This season, South Carolina has faced 13 of the 68 teams in the NCAA Tournament field, four of which are also in the Sacramento 4 Region, including both of its potential second-round opponents. The Gamecocks went 13-3 against those 13 teams.

In addition to their nine league rivals in the field – Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Vanderbilt – South Carolina played non-conference games against Clemson, vs. Southern Cal, vs. Duke and at Louisville.

The 13 teams include a No. 1 seed, two No. 2 seeds, two No. 3 seeds, a No. 4 seed, two No. 5 seeds, a No. 6 seed, a No. 7 seed, a No. 8 seed, a No. 9 seed and a No. 11 seed.

Home Sweet Home
The Gamecocks are 562-168 (.770) in home games (some records prior to 1976-77 did not include location of games). Current head coach Dawn Staley is 250-35 at home for a program-best .877 winning percentage.

Playing in its 24th season at Colonial Life Arena, South Carolina boasts a 313-68 (.822) record in the building, including four undefeated seasons since 2013-14. Staley’s share of that record is 247-35 (.876).

South Carolina is 28-5 (.848) in postseason play at home, including a 20-8 (.714) mark at Colonial Life Arena. The Gamecocks are 21-2 (.913) in NCAA Tournament games at home.

Tournament Talk
South Carolina is in its 22nd NCAA Tournament and its 14th straight under head coach Dawn Staley. The Gamecocks are 55-18 overall in the event with 15 Sweet 16 appearances, nine Elite Eight seasons, seven Final Four showings and three National Championships.

The Gamecocks have been a regional No. 1 seed 10 times, including three seasons as the overall No. 1 seed (2022, 2023, 2024). They are 39-5 as a No. 1 seed.

In her 26th season as a head coach, Staley has taken a team to the NCAA Tournament 20 times. She is 49-16 at the event, including a 47-10 mark at South Carolina and a 21-2 mark over the last four tournaments.

All-American Girls
A trio of Gamecocks have received All-America honors this season, led by forward Joyce Edwards who has been on every list’s second team. She is just the eighth Gamecock sophomore all-time to earn All-America status, most recently joining Staley-era greats Aliyah Boston (2021), A’ja Wilson (2016) and Tiffany Mitchell (2014).

Senior Raven Johnson earned third-team honors from the Associated Press and honorable mention nods from USA Today and the USBWA. It is the first season she has received the label.

Senior Ta’Niya Latson claimed All-America recognition for the fourth straight season as she drew honorable mention honors from the Associated Press.

This season marks the seventh-straight that multiple Gamecocks have earned All-America status.