Looking back at South Carolina’s last three trips to the NCAA Final Four
South Carolina is making its fourth trip to the NCAA tournament’s Final Four.
The Gamecocks advanced as the top overall seed out of the Greensboro Region, defeating 16-seed Howard, No. 8 Miami, No. 5 North Carolina and No. 10 Creighton on their way toward the ultimate goal — winning the program’s second national championship.
All four of USC’s Final Four appearances have come under head coach Dawn Staley since the 2014-15 season. Here’s what happened in the Gamecocks’ last three trips.
2014-15: Final Four loss to Notre Dame in Tampa
The 2014-15 Gamecocks were SEC co-regular season champions and the conference’s tournament winner, taking a 34-2 record into a Final Four matchup with 2-seed Notre Dame.
South Carolina was forced to overcome multiple double-digit deficits against the Fighting Irish in a game played at Amalie Arena. The Gamecocks were down 64-52 with less than eight minutes left before a 13-0 run gave them a one-point lead with 1:12 remaining.
Notre Dame made one last shot to secure its 66-65 victory over South Carolina. USC All-American Tiffany Mitchell missed a desperation 3-point attempt as time expired.
Despite the loss, South Carolina’s 2014-15 campaign was the best in school history at the time, helping lay the blueprint for Staley’s program.
2016-17: National championship in Dallas
Staley led South Carolina to the program’s first national title in 2017.
The Gamecocks were 31-4 with the SEC regular-season title and SEC tournament championship under their belt heading into the Final Four. USC defeated UNC Asheville, Arizona State, Quinnipiac and Florida State before its Final Four matchup with Stanford, winning 62-53 in Dallas.
South Carolina met up with SEC foe Mississippi State in the NCAA tournament championship, defeating the Bulldogs 67-55 at American Airlines Center. The Gamecocks, led by star forward A’ja Wilson, never trailed after the first quarter, and Wilson was named the game’s Most Outstanding Player.
“It feels great. You want to visualize it. You’re so close. I was anxious waiting all day to get to this moment,” Staley said after the game. “It’s still unbelievable. I don’t know how to celebrate. I don’t know how to act. I don’t know what a national champion is supposed to look like. I know it feels incredible.”
2020-21: Final Four loss to Stanford in San Antonio
The Gamecocks entered the 2020-21 season after the COVID-19 pandemic canceled what could have been another deep run for the previous team, highlighted by veterans Mikiah Herbert Harrigan and Tyasha Harris along with a No. 1 overall recruiting class featuring Aliyah Boston, Brea Beal and Zia Cooke.
South Carolina pushed to last season’s Final Four at the Alamodome without Herbert Harrigan and Harris, heading into the semifinals behind a 26-4 record and SEC tournament championship.
USC defeated No. 16 Mercer, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 5 Georgia Tech and No. 6 Texas on its way to a meeting with fellow No. 1-seed Stanford.
The matchup between the Gamecocks and Cardinal saw several controversial no-calls and a last-second opportunity for South Carolina, down by one point, to secure a late victory and make it to the championship game.
Heartbreak ensued when Beal missed a contested shot and Boston was unable to finish with the putback, sending the Gamecocks back to Columbia without a shot at the title. South Carolina lost to Stanford 66-65.
“I just told our players, the margin of error is that small,” Staley said. “It’s that small to competing for a national championship, winning a national championship. It won’t be our last time being in this situation. Next year we just got to practice with that margin of error in mind.”
Staley said this year’s Gamecocks show that they’ve learned from that slim margin of error as they look to advance with their second-straight Final Four opportunity.
2022 NCAA WBB Final Four game schedule Friday
7 p.m. — South Carolina vs. Louisville (ESPN)
9:30 p.m. — Stanford vs. UConn (ESPN)
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
