SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Gamecocks earned a four seed in the Greensboro region, and will play Belmont on Friday at Halton Arena in Charlotte.
The evening was already a little lacking in drama compared to previous years, when South Carolina was in the running for a #1 seed and there was a preferred destination at stake. It got even less dramatic when ESPN accidentally posted the entire bracket online around 4:30. It confirmed the mistake a few minutes later, and moved the selection show up two hours, while most of the Gamecock fans were still en route to the selection show watch party.
As expected, South Carolina was a four seed, and will host games at Charlotte’s Halton Arena. It will play Belmont, the Ohio Valley Conference champion, Friday at 1:45. That early tip means a few folks will be able to watch the Gamecocks in Charlotte and then make it back to Columbia to see the evening session of the men’s tournament.
“I was in my office and I got a few text messages well before it really hit social media,” Gamecock head coach Dawn Staley said. “We started calling around and looking at social media and some reliable sources were saying this is the bracket. I immediately called to get as much film on Belmont, Bucknell, and Florida State.”
With a couple of hours of film study under her belt, Staley compared Belmont to Drake and Missouri, teams that have given South Carolina trouble.
Also playing in Charlotte will be #5 seed Florida State and #12 Bucknell, the Patriot League champions. That game will follow the South Carolina game. The second round game will take place on Sunday.
The rest of the Greensboro region includes number one overall seed Baylor, #2 Iowa, and #3 NC State. Where it gets really interesting is further down the line. Kentucky is the #6 seed, and Missouri is the #7 seed, and will play Drake, who upset South Carolina in the Vancouver Showcase.
Mississippi State earned a #1 seed, with a potential matchup against #9 Clemson in the second round. Notre Dame and Louisville are the the other top seeds. Along with the four SEC teams already mentioned, Tennessee squeaked in as an 11, Auburn is a #10, and Texas A&M is a 4. Arkansas, which upset South Carolina on a surprising run to the SEC championship game, was the first team out.
This is the eight consecutive tournament appearance for South Carolina, the longest streak in program history. It includes six Sweet 16s, three Elite 8s, two Final Fours, and a National Championship. The last time South Carolina played in the Greensboro region, it beat Florida State on the way to its first Final Four appearance. It’s a favorable travel schedule for the Gamecocks, who haven’t often gotten one.
“It goes to show that sometimes it pays to have a good crowd,” Staley said.
For those interested in tickets, South Carolina released the following information:
Single-session tickets for the first- and second-round games at Halton Arena will go on sale at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 19. All tickets are general admission and are available for $16 (adult) each day (Friday's ticket includes both games). Youth, Senior and Student tickets are available for $8 each day. Booklets for the entire weekend are available for $33 and include a general admission ticket for all games at Halton Arena. All booklets and single-session tickets must be purchased through the UNC Charlotte Ticket Office by calling 704-687-4949 or visiting the website here.
“All year long our fans have done their job,” Staley said. “They put us in position to have a big crowd and create a home court advantage, and they’ll do that at UNC Charlotte. What we have to do is match that.”
Despite the leaked brackets, South Carolina went on with its post announcement plans. The team staged a reaction to seeing their name revealed, and Staley, Lisa Boyer, Tyasha Harris, Nelly Perry, and Alexis Jennings were honored for their accomplishments over the past season.
