USC plans Final Four viewing parties

University of South Carolina women’s basketball fans planning to watch the team compete in the Final Four on television can embrace strength in numbers this weekend.

Viewing parties are planned Sunday night at three Columbia Wild Wing Cafe locations and the Russell House on the USC campus for the team’s NCAA semi-final meeting with Notre Dame.

Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The winner will face the team that comes out on top of Sunday night’s Maryland/Connecticut game for the national championship on Tuesday.

The three Wild Wings – at 729 Lady St. in the Vista, 1150 Bower Parkway in Harbison, and 480 Town Center Place in the Village at Sandhills – are no strangers to Gamecock faithful during marquee games.

The Vista site hosted a large contingent of USC women’s basketball fans when then-No. 1 USC played Connecticut earlier in the season and again two weekends ago when the team defeated North Carolina in the semi-finals of the Greensboro Regional.

“Everybody in the bar was a USC fan,” said Wild Wing bartender Mark Malone, who was working the evening of the North Carolina game but could only sneak an occasional glance at the television. “So I knew that if they were happy, the team was doing something good.”

Malone said he expects another big turnout Sunday. “It should be pretty boisterous,” he said. “This place tends to get pretty loud.”

TVs throughout the three Wild Wing locations will be tuned to the game. Rally towels also will be available.

Meanwhile, USC students can cheer the team on Sunday at the 300-seat Russell House Theatre on Greene Street. USC officials said Wednesday specific activities for the event had not been finalized.

This story was originally published April 1, 2015 at 10:45 AM with the headline "USC plans Final Four viewing parties."