No. 1 South Carolina meets 10-seed Creighton in Elite Eight. How to watch, what to know
No. 1 overall seed South Carolina isn’t getting wrapped up in a “David and Goliath” narrative ahead of its Elite Eight meeting with No. 10 Creighton, this year’s NCAA tournament upset artists.
USC head coach Dawn Staley has seen her team stay in the moment all season, and despite a No. 1 ranking throughout the entire year, the Gamecocks have had their faults.
If the pregame press conferences are any indication, South Carolina isn’t overlooking Creighton.
“Whatever game it is, they’re with it,” Staley said. “There is no trap game. There is no pumping us on the chest. There is none of that because we see where we have some deficiencies. ... It’s March Madness. Anybody can win on any given day. We have to impose our will on them, and I’m sure they’re going to do the same to us.”
The Gamecocks (32-2) are seeking a chance at Final Four redemption, stamping a ticket to Minneapolis with a Sunday win over the Bluejays (23-9). The Greensboro Regional championship tips at 7 p.m. in Greensboro Coliseum and is set to be televised by ESPN.
Here’s what you need to know before the game.
South Carolina showing offensive improvement, defensive strength
The Gamecocks’ offensive woes aren’t quite behind them, as their 33.3% field-goal percentage from Friday’s win over North Carolina doesn’t tell the story of a completely efficient offense.
Friday’s output was better than South Carolina’s 29.5% field-goal percentage against No. 8 Miami but not far off from a 35.4% clip against No. 16 Howard.
Improvements from 3-point range — a 37% clip on 7-of-19 shooting — as well as improved performances from guards Zia Cooke and Destanni Henderson helped catalyze a better offense against the Tar Heels. But South Carolina still looked to its defense against UNC, holding the Tar Heels to just 3 of 11 from 3-point range and two quarters with 14 points or fewer.
Cooke is expecting defense to be the X-factor once again in USC’s upcoming Elite Eight matchup against a hot-shooting Bluejays team.
“I know Creighton, they have great shooters, they’re super aggressive,” Cooke said. “We are preparing ourselves for that. They have some great offensive sets that we’re trying to prepare for. We just know defense is what’s going to win the game for us.”
No. 10 seed Creighton’s path to the Elite Eight
The Bluejays finished third in the Big East regular season behind No. 2 seed UConn and No. 11 seed Villanova, and they were eliminated in the quarterfinals round of the Big East tournament with a loss to Seton Hall, which didn’t make the NCAA tournament.
Creighton hasn’t looked back since its early exit in its conference tournament.
The Bluejays upset No. 7 Colorado, No. 2 Iowa and No. 3 Iowa State to become the first No. 10 seed to make it to the Elite Eight since Oregon did it in 2017.
Creighton reached its first Sweet 16 and Elite Eight in program history behind stellar shooting behind the arc. The Bluejays are the nation’s 10th-best 3-point shooting team at 36.9%.
Now, Creighton gets a meeting with the No. 1 Gamecocks.
“We’re playing a team that’s really, really good defensively and rebounds the heck out of the ball,” Creighton head coach Jim Flanery said. “We’ve got to do everything we can to make it as competitive from a rebounding standpoint as we can.
“We’re going to take some risks and do some things defensively that we wouldn’t normally do against teams (and) have to defend differently because of the size and the rebounding that we have.”
The Bluejays are led by three sophomores, each averaging in double figures. Leading scorer Emma Ronsiek averages 14.1 points per game on 48.2% from the field.
Iowa transfer Lauren Jensen averages 12.6 points per game and played a key role in the Bluejays’ upset of her former team, scoring the game-winning 3-pointer. Morgan Maly averages 12.3 points and scored 21 points in Creighton’s Sweet 16 win over Iowa State.
“I think we’re unconventional enough offensively to create some issues for them,” Flanery said. “We’re going to have to make some 3s to be successful, but we can’t just shoot 3s. Certainly it’s a contrast in styles. It’s a monumental task, but we’re looking forward to it.”
The Aliyah Boston factor
South Carolina star forward Aliyah Boston put the cherry on top of her national Player of the Year campaign in the Gamecocks’ Sweet 16 win over UNC. Boston posted the first 20-20 game of her career, finishing with 28 points and 22 rebounds for her 27th straight double-double.
Boston was the only Gamecock to score against the Tar Heels in the fourth quarter, taking over to end the game as her teammates watched in awe.
“I have to say, watching Aliyah dominate each and every time we touch the floor, it’s amazing to see,” Cooke said. “I think last night’s game I was looking at her like, ‘Wow, she really is the GOAT.’ “
Boston remains as locked in as ever heading into the Elite Eight matchup with Creighton, with hiccups like this year’s SEC tournament championship loss to Kentucky or last year’s Final Four loss to Stanford in the past.
“We all have goals, and our goal is to win a national championship,” Boston said. “That’s been our main focus the entire season. Last year’s game or even the SEC championship, those are just bumps in the road to where we’re going.”
Where is Creighton located?
Creighton University is in Omaha, Nebraska.
How to watch South Carolina vs. Creighton in the NCAA tournament
Who: No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks (30-2) vs. No. 10 Creighton Bluejays (23-9)
When: Sunday, 7 p.m.
Where: Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C.
Watch on TV and stream: ESPN and ESPN app
This story was originally published March 27, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
